As I woke up this morning I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I was grateful that I had been given this wonderful opportunity to be able to document this mission, I was grateful to know there were many affected by the work that was done on this mission and I was grateful for the people that shared this journey with me.
This morning there were a few people who parted ways before the majority of us caught our early flight to Manila. Evelyn was kind enough to arrange a bus trip where we had some time to visit various places in the city during our 10-hour layover. After that, it was a long flight back to San Francisco where we finally said our goodbyes. I was truly sad to see the trip come to an end, but hope our paths will cross in the future.
Over the last 11 days I had an amazing experience of learning so much from so many people in such a short amount of time. But above all, it’s the feeling I will never forget of being apart of something that changed people's lives forever. Today did mark the ending of this Rotaplast mission, but hopefully only the beginning of missions for me.
By: Jana Kendrick
Today was post-op checkup day and it seemed to hold just as much joy as it did sadness. Joy, that the day would bring such happiness from parents, children and those that surrounded them, but also sadness that today would mark the last day of this medical mission. 
I had the pleasure of being in the waiting area where I had my first glance at what this surgery had provided for these patients over such a short period of time. I was amazed to see how fast the kids healed and how I could already see their spirits becoming brighter. The parents weren’t shy when expressing how grateful they were for the change in their children and that Rotaplast was here, in Bago City. 
We had our last lunch at the hospital where all members of the Rotaplast team were recognized for the work they did during this mission. We all received beautiful gifts from the local Rotarians and shared hugs and goodbyes as the time together was coming to an end.
Today was the last day of surgery for this Rotaplast mission but a big day for the Fundador family. Necil and Eric Fundador are only 2 of the 9 siblings in this large family. They both have cleft lips and were operated on today. The surgery went very well and the change is amazing. Their mother was relieved when she saw not one child but two of her children out and in recovery. They traveled a total of 8 hours with no guarantee her children could get the surgery. It’s times like this that you realize how everything happens for a reason.
When 24-year-old Alfredo entered the pre-op clinic on Friday I could vividly remember the excitement in his eyes when the doctors told him they could operate. Alfredo had a cleft lip fixed on a previous Rotaplast mission, but today he was here for a cleft palate. I watched as Alfredo prepared for his surgery, a smile fixed upon his face the entire time as he braved his nerves and worries. After living with this condition for 24 years, the palate was fixed in a little under 2 hours.
It was our second day of surgeries and Jhommel was wheeled into the recovery room soon to be greeted by his mother. As she walked in to see her son, tears slowly filled her eyes with the sight that was in front of her. The tears weren’t from the groggy and often painful looking state Jhommel was in due to the anesthetic, or the tongue suture that was taped to the side of his face and not even the blood that had trickled out of his nose and mouth. She had known the healing was well underway. The tears were of joy and gratitude that her son had just received this surgery. The tears were the celebration that her birthday was next week, but today she was celebrating what would be the most memorable gift anyone had ever given to her.
Today was only our second day in the operating room, but to me it was apparent that each parent was just as grateful as the rest. It was special to see how each family was affected differently, some showing more emotion than others but deep down inside knowing how happy they are for this change. 
“Flow” is what I would describe the first day in the operating room. For my first mission experience I found it quite amazing, I met all 26 individuals on this team over the course of the first 3 days, and today was the first day I observed them in the O.R. It was a pursuit of passion, for all involved. It was clearly evident why each member of the team was here, and it was all for the same reason, to serve this community.
