from Rotary District 6000 Governor-Elect Chris Knapp Today was a full day of surgeries for the MOST team. The surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, nursing and support staff were busy from 8:00 to 4:00 with cleft lip repairs, teeth extractions and other minor surgeries. All of the patients came through their procedures with flying colors and will…
Read MoreThoughts from Vernette Knapp, District 6000 Governor Elect Spouse Moises Mehenia Francises is 3 years old who lives with his family in the village of Santa Eulalia, 3 1/2 hours away from Huehuetenango which is a full day of travel for the family. Moises’s family has no economic resources and live a subsistence life. When Moises…
Read MoreThoughts from Chris Knapp, District 6000 Governor Elect What a fantastic day! The weather was cool and the sky clear. We arrived at the hospital shortly before 8:00 am. As we walked up to the entrance of the hospital, we began to walk through a crowd of men, women and children. There must have been 20 or…
Read MoreFriday morning was our first Breakfast together as a team. Dr. John Canady, our Medical Team Leader briefed us on what our day will be like, unpacking the supplies from last year, and acquainting ourselves with layout of the new hospital renovation. The private hospital where Iowa MOST operates has added two new surgical rooms,…
Read MoreIt all started on Thursday morning, February 4th, when alarm clocks around Iowa City began to go off at 2:00 am in the morning. 28 people jumped out of bed, finished their packing and headed to the Eastern Iowa Airport to catch a 5:30 Delta flight to Atlanta. Once at the airport this group of…
Read MoreGary Pacha has served as the Iowa MOST Team Leader for the past ten years exemplifying the “Rotary Serving Humanity” theme of the upcoming year. This year Gary will step back from the annual cleft missions to Huehuetenango. Though he won’t be on the flight out of Cedar Rapids with the rest of the team…
Read MoreIn just two days, the 2016 Iowa MOST team will be headed to Huehuetenango, Guatemala! This year’s team of 42 very dedicated and generous individuals will spend Feb 4th to 14th changing the lives of dozens of children who currently face each day with the severe challenges of being born with cleft lip or palate. …
Read MoreThis year marked our Iowa MOST’s 10th trip to Guatemala. Some have come every year; for others, it was their first time. But no matter how many times you go, it’s always a life-changing experience. Personally, I’ve felt so supported on this trip, by people at home as well as in Guatemala. Everywhere we went,…
Read MoreRemember when the dentists told us about oral health not being the highest priority in Guatemala? Well we hoped to do a little something about it. This morning a shiny Hummer H2 driven by local Rotarian Ernesto showed up at the hotel to pick a group of us up. Our mission: to distribute toothbrushes and…
Read MoreThis 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…
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