Dr. Hugo Sanchez, head of Tacna Hospital, said that Rotaplast is engraved in his heart. With the help and coordination of the local Rotary Club of Tacna on our first day of surgery we were off and running.

Our first patients were three young women, Irma who has had 2 other surgeries in Tacna with Rotaplast, Fifteen year old Agueda and Thirteen year old  Johanan with burn scar revisions. Through the generosity of our Rotary Districts each of our patients receive a beautiful handmade quilt that will see them from pre-op to recovery, to their hospital room and on to their homes.

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Irma Gladys, first came to Rotaplast – Tacna for an inital Cleft Palate Repair in June of 2003.  She had already had her lip repaired at age six. Again Irma returned a year later in June 2004 to Rotaplast – Tacna for a follow-up surgery and had a lip revision. Today Irma is having a surgery for a repair to her palate (fistula).

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Another of our first patients of the day was sweet  Johanna.  Johanna and her mother were burned in a car accident and are here with Rotaplast having scar revision surgeries.

Sweet little 7 year old Daniela was a favorite of many.  She was so shy and but yet eager to be our friend.  She was very anxious to have her hemangioma removed.  She told many of us that she was ugly.  Oh but no, she is the sweetest little girl and how much cuter can a little girl get?

Down on the second floor Dr. Rosario Mayro and her team of doctors Dr. Kenny Liu and Dr. Margot Escabedo, a volunteer orthodontist and Rotarian from Lima were busy making palatal expanders and obturators for placement after cleft palate repair surgeries.

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The day ended well, we performed ten surgeries.  And we are ready for a fresh start tomorrow!