Our team leaders Gary & Nancy Pacha, Surgery leader, Dr Canady and in country coordinator, Paco are facilitating another great MOST mission to Guatemala. We are missing Karin Franklin, but we are trying to fill her spot the best we can. Mario 2011 before Surgery Mario 2012 Mario, from last year, is so attached to the…
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Today the dental clinic worked its magic on three patients who needed obturators, a type of dental prosthetic composed of molded plastic made to fit each individual defect to seal off the nasal passages from the mouth. One child, Monica, also needed some teeth extracted. I don’t think she expected Doctor Antonio Rosal Alvarez to…
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Aaron Figueroa, Bill Gates, Steve Aquilino Bill Gates Steve Aquilino Bill Gates dentist This is Bill’s third trip to Guatemala with Iowa MOST. Bill trained with Steve Aquilino at the University of Iowa Department of Prosthodontics. After the University of Iowa, Bill completed at year program in Maxillofacial Prosthodontics at University of Texas MD Anderson…
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In Iowa Ruben is an ESL(English as a second language associate teacher) at Columbus Community Schools. At night from 5:00 to 1:30Ruben is a sterilization technician in the operating rooms at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. This is Ruben’s 6th mission with MOST. Ruben says, “In Iowa I was one of the victims…
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John Diehl Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, John Diehl has lived in Guatemala a long time. John ‘s first experience in a Spanish-speaking country was as a Peace Corps worker in 1973 in Peru and later in Paraguay where he worked as an agricultural extension agent and teacher of animal science. He was…
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Mindy Bowen & Dee Grems Dee Ann Grems – a Pediatric nurse. This is Dee’s 6th mission with MOST. Deehas worked for over 23 years at the University of Iowa Hospital where she works with Pediatric patients, many of whom have cleft lip and palate repairs. Dee and Mindy Mahoney make a wonderful pediatric nurse…
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Dressed in a cowboy shirt, boots and belt, Jorge, the father of Idalma, age 11, fought to get his daughter operated on sooner than later. He was ready to say no, he did not want to stay, he wanted to be bumped up on the schedule. Idalma, who has had a bilateral cleft repair previously,…
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Tita Translating on Screening Day Tita & Dee Grems in Pediatrics Tita Coffman – an essential translator on MOST. A native of Mexico, this is Tita’s second year on MOST. Tita is currently Vice President and CEO of the University of Iowa Alumni Association. Tita, one of the Rotarians on MOST, has been a Rotarian…
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Xela Hospital A note – our internet situation is not ideal, so we will post whenever possible. Hopefully it will be each day, but do not panic if this does not occur – keep checking back. After we posted the blog last night (it seems the internet is more accessible after 10:00pm) I thought of…
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Saturday, February 25, 2012 Screening Day is controlled chaos! By the time the team arrived at the hospital at 7:00, families were already waiting. It was 9:00 until the screening process was ready to begin. The first station is beginning a data folder on each patient – name, birth date, contact info, etc; the second…
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