2011 Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Mar 14, 2011

Life’s an adventure: The art of being flexible

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Be flexible. Those words from Mission Director Brian Walker could not be more appropriate for the first  24-36 hours of our adventure heading to Retalhuleu. From San Francisco we flew overnight to Mi... Read More »

Mar 15, 2011

Pre-clinic day: A great need

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Brian warned us that Tuesday was going to be a busy day — controlled chaos as he put it. By the time we arrived at Hospital Galindo at around 7:30 a.m., we saw why: Hundreds of people were already li... Read More »

Mar 16, 2011

Wednesday: The first day of “wow”

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Wednesday was much smoother in the hospital. We weren't over-run by children and families and the medical team spent the first hour getting ready for the first day's surgeries. Since I took the pat... Read More »

Mar 17, 2011

A quartermaster’s view

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

 One of the most impressive aspects of this Rotaplast experience is seeing the incredible endurance and acceptance of the Guatemalan people. They seem to expect little and accept what is. Most came b... Read More »

Mar 18, 2011

Osvaldo asked mom for a mirror

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

This is my first Rotaplast mission and as translator, I am available to the doctors and nurses to relay important information to parents before, during and after surgery. On our first day, I staffed the in... Read More »

Mar 19, 2011

Watching Juan Daniel’s life transformed

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

As the photojournalist for the mission, I have the opportunity to roam as I please throughout the hospital, taking photos of the children and parents in the pre-op room, the PACU where our team takes care ... Read More »

Mar 21, 2011

A life-changing experience

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

This is my first time on a Rotaplast mission and it has changed me forever. The days are long and tiring but not nearly as much as they are for the parents and children, many of whom have traveled days Read More »

Mar 22, 2011

The view of a Rotaplast rookie

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

I chose Family Medicine because it allowed me to see the whole family from birth to death. When I asked my attending Dr. Bryan Stamm over a year ago if they take Residents on Rotaplast missions, I never ex... Read More »

Mar 23, 2011

A Medical Records moment

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

With all the things happening simultaneously on a Rotaplast mission, the one constant is that each patient is assigned a Medical Records number before they even come into the pre-clinic door on the first d... Read More »

Mar 24, 2011

Experiencing a “Rotary moment”

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Our Rotaplast mission reached its climax yesterday as we celebrated the successful completion of over 100 cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries with cake and  lots of hugs and photos with both the mis... Read More »

Mar 25, 2011

From the Ward Coordinator: Anthony’s story

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

As the Ward Coordinator, my role is to keep track of the patients, both coming and going.  I work very closely with the pediatricians and the PACU (recovery room) staff.  The pediatricians are ... Read More »

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