There is nothing like screening day. Many say it is their favorite day even though it is often the longest day of the week. It is humbling to see parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers waiting patiently to have an opportunity to receive medical care. Some of the children have never been to the hospital before.…
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We are excited to say that Iowa MOST in 2020 includes a cataract mission! The need for cataract surgery here is clear. Several years ago Huehuetenango Rotary Club member Dr. Solorzano and Juan Francisco Fernandez, Executive Director of Casa Colibri brought the suggestion to team leader Deb Dunkhase. The Rotary Wheel The success of the…
Read MoreThis post is to introduce a humanitarian project to you that runs under the sponsorship of our local Rotarian friend, Dr. Cesar Temaj at the Salus I clinic: The “Fundacion Salvacion” is an orphanage just outside of Huehuetenango and serves as a transient or permanent shelter for orphans or otherwise abandoned people. Usually the family…
Read MoreToday is a “full power” day. The team starts early and heads out to the hospital after a joint 6:30 breakfast & briefing. We have 7 surgical interventions under general anesthesia in our two operating rooms and 4 procedures in the dental clinic on the list. There are two little patients on the list who…
Read MoreOur Sunday starts with good news: The local Rotarian team was able to move a back-up anesthesia unit into the hospital and got it up and running, also we finally found suction containers in our supplies = Both of our OR’s are open for business! The surgery schedule for today lists 7 interventions – tonsillectomy,…
Read MoreAnother beautiful day in Guatemala. Today we screened our second wave of patients and the diverse mixture of stories continued. Everybody loved that little Fernando returned with his parents. His father is a nurse and specifically sought out our mission for his son’s treatment. We have seen the family now for more than 6 years and…
Read MoreIowa MOST 2018 was a successful trip in many different ways: maintaining the perfect record of the mission in terms of zero fatalities, which Medical Director John Canady always emphasizes as the most important statistic of the mission; 57 medical procedures at Salus 1 including cleft lip and palate surgeries, tonsilletomies, tubes, obturators, dental extractions,…
Read MoreThere are so many people we meet here who touch our lives and offer their trust and friendship so that their child has an opportunity to receive medical help. One very special kid is Fernand0–he certainly has a special place in our hearts. Fernando’s father, Ricardo, is a nurse at a private hospital in Guatemala…
Read MoreThe Iowa MOST team is 2 days into surgeries, and there have been a wide variety of needs: tooth extractions, obturators (when the palate cannot be closed), cleft lip, cleft palate, tubes in ears, and a tonsillectomy. Many kids with cleft lip/palate have ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat) needs. The team works together closely, assessing our…
Read MoreWe are excited to start posting about the 2018 Iowa MOST mission! Most of the team arrived on Thursday around 9 p.m. after a long day of travel by plane and by bus. Friday was a day of organization and preparation and things went smoothly enough to allow most of the team a few free…
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