After the Iowa Miles of Smiles Team arrives in Huehuetenango, the group gathers for breakfast and — when possible — dinner each day. Every year before the first day of surgeries begins, Dr. John Canady always recounts the same story about an airline worker doing cleanup around an airplane readying for takeoff. The airline worker…
Read MoreOne of the joys of the Iowa Miles of Smiles Team mission is that we develop long-term relationships with so many kids and their families. One of these is John, who returned on screening day for the 5th or 6th time. As with many kids with cleft palate, John has had multiple surgeries through Iowa…
Read MoreMiguel is a baby who came in to the Iowa Miles of Smiles Team for screening who is 8 months old and had been given cleft lip surgery at an extremely early age and the repair failed. Now that Miguel is older and more physiologically able to recover from surgery, the team decided to undertake…
Read MoreIn Colorado, cellist and artist-teacher Cassye Dunkhase runs a non-profit called Cellists for Change, dedicated to empowering youth through music. There are three branches of the non-profit, one focused on increasing access to music education in Colorado, another focused on commissioning new music from historically underrepresented composers, and the third branch nurtures a partnership with…
Read MoreAfter a long three years, the Iowa MOST team is excited to be back in Huehuetenango! This year’s trip has met many last minute challenges but as they say, “where there is a will there’s a way.” An advance team arrived a few days early to help make sure all arrangements were in place. They…
Read MoreDue to the pandemic, the Iowa MOST team will not be able to travel to Guatemala in 2021 to provide the free cleft and cataract surgeries to the most vulnerable people of the Western Highlands that we’ve performed for the past 15 years. Though we can’t be with our Guatemalan family this year, we can…
Read MoreSafety and Flexibility. The most important watchword of the Iowa MOST mission is Safety. After Safety comes the importance of Flexibility. So what happens when a hopeful individual appears in the midst of the week after patients have already been screened and placed on the schedule for surgery? Such a situation arose this week as it…
Read MoreToday some of the Iowa MOST team members did outreach while the final surgeries were done at Hospital de Especialdades. The journey requires a couple of 4-wheel drive pickup trucks, supplies of fluoride treatment and deworming medication, the Rotary spirit of “Service Above Self”, and a little taste for adventure. A few years ago, the…
Read MoreIt began with a text. An aunt sees a poster for this year’s Iowa MOST mission and wonders if it might help her nephew. She texts a photo of the poster to the parents. They call the number on the poster and talk with local Rotarian David Ramos. He encourages them to come. They leave…
Read MoreThe 15th Year The first day of surgeries is kicking off here in Huehuetenango! 2020 is the 15th anniversary of Iowa MOST. We have been reflecting on the many people who have contributed to our success over the years. We are grateful for all those who have come before us. We are also lucky to…
Read More