Rotaplast Missions

Still busy in Venezuela

The Rotaplast team in Cumaná has now completed six of our seven days of surgery.  We've also had one day off, during which we took a tour of the city, shopped at an outdoor market, and were entertained at a nice beach party by the Cumanagato Rotary Club.

The surgery continues to go well, at about 15 cases per day.  While this kind of work can never become routine, the mission is being accomplished as scheduled.  Here are some more pictures:

Surgeons Darwin Pinzon and Gary Gallagher work together on a child with cleft lip.

 

Head Nurse Debbie Dean shows her compassion for a nervous  patient. These days can be scary for the little ones, but our team of volunteers is there with patience and hugs.

 

Ward coordinator John Madden completes records as pediatrician Nan Madden discuss home recovery procedures with the parents of a little girl who is about to be released.  Interpreter Daniel Rondon is at left.

 

Anesthesiologists Sarah Bain and Fred Mihm prepare a patient for surgery.  Nurse Lorrie Martin is at right, and local student nurse Grecia Bagdo is at rear.

 

A Rotaplast mission isn't exactly a "well-oiled machine," but mission director Ken Funk and Quartermaster Mike Korengel keep it all under control.

 

On our very sunny day off, we visited an old fortress that once protected Cumaná.  It felt great to relax after four very long days of surgery.  Our invaluable Rotaplast in-country coordinator, Roberto Saettone, is third from right in front row.

If you're wondering why the whole team isn't in the picture, don't worry - they're on the next bus.  There will be a complete group photo!  More soon.

Steady progress in Venezuela

We're now into the third day of surgury in Cumana.  There is no shortage of cases to be handled, so the full team is still putting in very long days.  Speaking of the team, let me introduce them:

We are honored to have Dr. Angelo Capozzi of Tiburon, California along as Medical Director.  Dr. Capozzi co-founded Rotaplast in 1992, and has served on numerous Rotaplast Missions, as well as other humanitarian missions from many years earlier.  He is joined by three other plastic surgeons, including Dr. Gary Gallegher of Bend, OR, Dr. Milton Solis from Guatemala, and Dr. Darwin Pinzon from Venezuela.

The anesthesiologists are headed by Dr. Fred Mihm of Mountain View, CA, and include Dr. Amy Gull of Sacramento, Dr. Helen O'Keefe Vajk of Walnut Creek, CA, and Dr. Sarah Bain of Stanford, CA.

Dr. Katherine Gallagher of Walnut Creek, CA is lead pediatrican, and Nan Madden, PNP from San Francisco works with her in this department.

Deborah Dean of Lodi, CA is head nurse, and other OR nurses include Lorrie Martin of Longmont, CO, Kathleen Dunleavy of Elkins Park, PA, and Stacy Bishop of Durham, NC.  Terese Patrin from Shelburne, VT and Cynthia Ideker of Olympia, WA are our team's PACU nurses.

Susan Whitaker of Redding, CA is the speech pathologist.  Orthodontist Dr. Maureen Valley and dentist Dr. James Galea, originally of Malta, and now completing his orthodontic training in San Francisco, comprise the dental team.

We're fortunate on this mission to have a full genetics team, headed by Dr. Marie Tolarova from San Francisco.  Marie's husband Dr. Miroslav Tolar and their granddaughter Veronika Tolarova of Natick, MA are also on the team, along with Yelena Berdichevsky of San Francisco.

Ken Funk of Abbotsford, CA is the mission director.  Other non-medical volunteers include medical records keeper Barbara Spangler of Santa Rosa, CA, quartermaster Mike Korengel of Kennett Square, PA, sterilizer Philip Joseph Grasso of Tiburon, CA, medical student Ji Son of Rowland Heights, CA, ward coordinator, John Madden, and photo journalist John Street of Vienna, OH. 

There is no question that this is a skilled and resourceful team, and I'm honored to be a part of it.  I'm also fully aware of having promised more photos, please stay tuned for the next post.

 

Four days of surgery completed in Venezuela

The Rotaplast medical team in Cumana, Venezuela has completed four days of successful surgery on cleft lip, cleft palate, and a few other unusual cases.  The days have all been long - twelve hours or more - and everyone is looking forward to our one day off.  Cooperation between Rotaplast, local Rotary volunteers, Toyota and other sponsors, and hospital personnel has been excellent.  

Here are a few photos from the last few days. 

OR nurses Lorrie Martin and Stacy Bishop and plastic surgeons Gary Gallagher and Milton Solis stand ready to interview potential patients on pre-clinic day.  The woman at lower left is a local Rotary volunteer.  Note that the walls were newly repainted for Rotaplast.

 

 
Cleft palate surgery being performed on a child by Rotaplast co-founder and medical director Dr. Angelo Capozzi (center), with the assistance of local pediatric surgeon Dr. Jesus Rondon (green scrubs).  Others working this operation include (left to right) OR nurse Kathleen Dunleavy, anesthesiologist Dr. Amy Gull, and local nurse Celenea Duran.

 

  Nurse Cynthia Ideker and local student nurse Grecia comfort a young girl awakening from anesthesia.

 

Dentist Dr. James Galea and orthodontist Dr. Maureen Valley (foreground) and genetics researchers Veronika Tolarova and Yelena Berdichevsky (behind desk) show how to make the best use of limited workspace and seating.

 

   A A sleepy patient with her loving dad in the post-anesthesia care unit after surgery.

 

Rotaplast team arrives in Cumana, Venezuela

After weeks of anticipation, here we are in Venezuela.   Having flown all night from San Francisco and other destinations as far away as Prague, and then being up all the next day, everyone is really tired, but undaunted. There have been a few of the usual glitches, one resulting from the fact that we and our many boxes traveling from Caracas to Cumana couldn't all fit in the same Venezuelan Air Force transport. The C-130 some of us have ridden in the past wasn't available this time, so the lucky ones among us traveled in a Shorts 360. Yes, that's the airplane built by the relatively unknown but venerable Shorts Brothers of Belfast, Ireland.  In case you're unfamiliar, it looks something like this:

Those who didn't make the Air Force flight arrived in Cumana by commercial carrier, but the bad news was that the airline wasn't able to transport our boxes.  Arrangements are underway to get them here shortly. Little hiccups like this help ensure that Ken Funk, our team's Mission Director, won't have time to get bored!

As we deplaned in Cumana, a huge reception celebration of music and dancing led me to assume that Justin Bieber had just arrived in town, but the party was for us!  The local Rotarians and Rotaplast organizers had prepared a festive and touching welcome, and invited all of us to dance.  Here, dentist James Galea demonstrates his Astaire-like skills:

Can you imagine walking right off the plane at any other airport into such a friendly welcome?  When the music died down, we all assembled for a classic group portrait:

Then it was on to the Hotel Cumanagoto, where the accommodations turned out to be exceptional.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch buffet, and then went to inspect the hospital intake facilities.  Tomorrow, we rise at five a.m. for breakfast at six, and first contact with patients at seven.

Please check back on the blog and on Rotaplast's Flickr Stream to see more tales and pictures for what I can already tell will be a fantastic mission.