JANUARY
: Dr. Steven Roser
and team administrator
Patrick Bullot
led a team of 34 medical professionals to
Santa Cruz Bolivia
. The team provided cleft lip and palate surgery, dental care provided by dental team leader
Dr. Diane Ede-Nichols
and speech therapy led by
Ysabella Hincapie-Gara, SLP
.
The surgery enriched the lives of 66 children.
The dental team treated 358 patients.
FEBRUARY
: Dr. Robert Gilman
(University of Michigan) and
Dr. William (Jay) Austen
(Massachusetts General Hospital) lead surgical team to
Cartagena Colombia
along with team administrator
Patrick Bullot
.
The 20 member team provided services to correct cleft lip and palates to 63 children
whose lives were greatly improved.
Here are some quotes from team members of the Cartagena Trip:
Derek Evans:
“This is the 2nd year with the group, and I am amazed by the hard working and congenial qualities of this group. Their dedication and hard work ethic allowed us to change the lives of 63 children and their families. It makes me want to come back for more.”
Tom Guess:
“ To be a part of a group that is touching so many lives in an amazingly positive way is absolutely thrilling. Difficult at times, yes. Heartbreaking at times, yes. Emotionally rewarding, more than words can convey. It is truly a labor of love.”
Anonymous
: “It’s an absolutely amazing experience. To see the reactions of families makes all the work worthwhile.”
Maya Lang
: “Seeing mothers cry as we handed them their newborns after surgery was life-changing!"
APRIL
:
On April 5 – 13 a large group 41 medical professionals and ancillary staff headed to
Ica Peru
under the leadership of
Dr. Evan Ransom
and
Dr. Joseph Rousso
. Team administrators
Kathy McGovern
and
Carolyn Wendler
worked together to keep this team organized. The team provided cleft lip and palate surgery.
Two speech therapists accompanied the team where 142 patients were screened,
while 77 patients had surgery.
For the third year, the Peruvian government flew children and their families to Ica to see the visiting team from the Amazon region (see image below).