I 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 MoreDentists play a huge role in helping kids with clefts live happy and healthy lives, and we are lucky enough to have a great group of dental staff on the trip with us helping serve this important function. Even two local dentists, Juan Carlos and Antonio, volunteer time away from their practices in Guatemala City…
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 MoreMartine Dunnwald is a research assistant professor at the University of Iowa. She studies the causes of cleft lips and palates. She’s on the trip collecting data from patients and their families, all in an effort to understand more about clefts. “Ultimately, we want to be able to find a cure for the defect, but…
Read MoreDay 1 of Surgery: Healing for Gerny Remember this little dude? Well his name is Gerny. He is 14 months old and was our first patient today. (I use the term “our” very loosely here as this trip has taught me that blogging is rarely a skill needed in surgery.) Dr. John worked to connect…
Read MoreTo read current news about Iowa MOST in Guatemala, please go to our new location at iowamost.wordpress.com. Also see our Iowa MOST Facebook page.
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…
Read MoreWell, nobody said it would be easy. If you checked in on the blog to see pictures of Guatemalan kiddos who would soon be served by our health care professionals, you’ll have to check back tomorrow. The Iowa contingents arrived at the airports yesterday to find an icy morning in Dallas would mean our connections…
Read MoreNot everything goes as planned and hoped. Weather related issues have caused a flight cancelation for Iowa travelers going to Dallas. Everything is pushed back. There is hope for a better tomorrow.
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