This week, a woman carried her 1-year-old son into the hospital. In her hand was this well-worn card. The card was a promise for the future – a promise she had held on to for the past year. Dr. John gave it to Tomasa almost exactly one year ago. When she came to last year’s…
Read MoreI got a chance today to chat with Dr. Bill and find out the story behind this picture taken during assessments. Her name is Dulce Maria. She came to the clinic last year at the age of 9. She didn’t have a cleft, but her soft palate was very weak, which made speaking difficult. Her palate…
Read MoreWarning: surgery pictures may be graphic. Today I got to do one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced – watch a surgery inside an operating room. I got to see doctors put the pieces of an incomplete lip back together, insert a tube into an ear, and close an opening that had formed in…
Read MoreSince the moment Katerin came into the hospital, she won everyone over with her smile. She seemed so joyful, giggling every time someone stopped to remark on how cute she was. Katerin had her lip repaired in surgery today, closing the gap where the left and right sides of her face failed to join together…
Read MoreThe rest of the team arrived in Guatemala City late Friday night but they didn’t rest long. Everybody was up and loaded on the bus to Huehue by 5 a.m. I cannot relay how the 5-hour trek was because this blogger took a Dramamine and doesn’t remember much after that. By noon, we were at…
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Families go to great lengths to access care through the Iowa MOST mission in the western highlands of Guatemala. Diego, the 13 year old uncle, carefully carried his one year old nephew in for his procedure. The baby’s mother who speaks a Mayan dialect came too with her younger child. Because Diego understands Spanish he was…
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The experience of Iowa MOST (Miles of Smiles Team) is one that CHANGES LIVES not only for those served but also for those who help! This labor of love would not exist without the leadership of Gary Pacha, chair of the Iowa MOST mission. We all owe deep gratitude to Gary for the untold hours/days/years…
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The Iowa MOST mission is a project of Rotary District 6000. On the 2014 trip, District Governor, Jacque Andrew, and District Governor-Elect, John Ockenfels and Deb Ockenfels, participated. Jacque served as photo-journalist to document and share the team’s efforts via Facebook and the blog site. DGE John lead the organization of supplies and equipment, assisted…
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Somos un equipo–we ARE a team! It is tradition of the mission on the last day to have a farewell gathering of the Iowa MOST team and as many of the hospital staff who can attend. This is an opportunity to express gratitude for the exemplary team effort; a monetary gift is presented along with…
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Families make incredible sacrifice in the hopes of accessing care through the Iowa MOST mission. The youngest patient served on this trip was 5 month old Francisco. His father brought him to be screened alone because the baby’s mother had become paralyzed after childbirth and could not travel. Little Francisco had no shortage of people who want to hug…
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