Today was truly amazing.  I witnessed my first severe cleft lip surgery. Kristin was the surgeon and she allowed me to stand next to her and watch as she operated on Carlos, a young child. I did not feel queasy watching, even though there was considerable bleeding. Kristen was skillful in opening up the entire front upper lip and then putting it back layer by layer. The cutting was meticulous and the suturing was truly amazing. When the young boy Carlos emerged from surgery, he looked beautiful.
After Carlos’ surgery, I was able to watch Gary, another surgeon, do a cleft palate repair on a young boy, Germain. This job is more challenging than the lip because it is inside the mouth and more difficult to get to. He was the only surgeon who did not wear magnifying glasses with a light. I asked him why he did not use the light and the glasses, and he said that, with his vision, experience, and ability to “feel” his way along were sufficient in ensuring a successful result. Before the surgery, Gary asked me to look deep inside the child’s mouth and he showed me the cleft palate.  This was my first time seeing it.  Imagine your palate not being closed and it looks like a large U shape.  Ninety minutes later he allowed me to look at his finished work and it was a miracle. It was completely closed and looked like a normal palate.  I was in a state of awe.
Following the two surgeries, I spent my time with both Carlos and Germain in recovery.  Germain had great difficulty coming out of being asleep. He was very agitated and tore off his IV and other monitoring devices.  He was screaming at the top of his lungs.  Diane, the nurse, was amazing. Because of his challenges, Robin, the anesthesiologist, and Janet, the pediatrician, spent up to 45 minutes calming him down. During this time his mother came in and was helpful in calming him down. Carlos also had some challenges waking up, but when they called in his mother, he calmed down very quickly.  For about 30 minutes I watched both children and their mothers in a loving embrace.  We got some great pictures of this and I hope they turn out well.  We got good news today on a new candidate named Lourdes. She is one of the really precious children we have seen. After Jackie, the pediatrician, checked her out, she passed and will be the first surgery tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, Adam and I will be going home with Piero. Piero was one of the children who had a cleft palate surgery and he is one of my favorite kids. He was very playful and had a great personality. He was also very brave going into surgery. Adam and I want to visit with him and his family as they go home so we can feel the entire experience.  I have one more piece of goods news. It’s about Angel, my favorite from Day 1 who was turned away from his cleft lip surgery because of his congestion. I have been able to arrange for Angel and his mother to go to Lima, Peru, where the Interplast surgeon in this area will provide the free surgery. I will need to pay for their transportation costs, but the surgery will be paid for by Interplast. I am thrilled because I have been saddened over Angel not being able to have his surgery during this trip due to his congestion. Interplast is trying to make arrangements for Adam and me to visit with Angel and his mother before I leave so we can tell them the good news. I am very happy over being able to follow through and help Angel now. He and his mother will both be very happy.
The number of surgeries on this trip is well below the normal number, but my experience has been truly magical. The medical team and support staff from Interplast have all bonded and they work so well together. Today was remarkable. Tomorrow, my last day, will be spent at the hospital, as well as taking Piero home. Seeing Angel and his mom and telling them about the goods news will complete my trip and experience. It has been an amazing and meaningful trip.