Our day one on the mission did prove to be a turbulent one: We could only operate with a core team since the rest -thanks to Delta’s surprising flight cancellation- is still en route to Huehue – and now scheduled to join us tomorrow around noontime. So well, here we are, families and kids on…
Read More10:15 local time our hospital was shaken quite vigorously by an earthquake, 6.4 Richter scale with an epicenter about 50 miles from us in Mexico. While we were all rushing to the outside, our Guatemalean friends were quite relaxed about it “Welcome to Guatemala – welcome to the ring of fire”. Things calmed down soon…
Read MoreSo far the 2019 Mission seems to be under a good star: The government shutdown is paused just in time for us all travelling and also winter storm “Jayden” seems to move through the plains plenty ahead of the time for our take-offs – I hope I dont JINXX it by writing those lines. It is…
Read More... it is the year 2019 and these are the voyages of the starship Enterprise, err, sorry: the IOWA MOST mission 2019. Our continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. In all seriousness and Startrek aside: Here…
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…
Read MoreIowa MOST has always done some type of educational outreach within the surrounding community of Huehuetenango, but over the past three or four years this has grown. There are a number of reasons why outreach is an important aspect of the annual mission: it helps build relationships within the community, it supports projects that local…
Read MoreIn order for any project to thrive for the long-term, constant revisions and innovation must take place. Iowa MOST is a project that has been adept at this, and has therefore been able to add new medical services as well as outreach to the scope of the project when it makes sense, and stay relevant…
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