A personal story by Bonnie Dwyer, Recovery Room assistant & quilter & a great team member
Clinic Day-Faces
What an amazing life adventure I am having, and how privileged I feel to be here in San Salvador. What profound faces I have seen. It is a Rotaplast mission, so of course it is all about the faces. I expected to see all levels of cleft palate & cleft lip anomalies and felt prepared for that. What I was not prepared for was the faces of the parents. Oh how those weary faces looked. Faces that were dazed and disoriented, as they handed us their most beloved treasure, their child. Faces that were overwhelmed, only wanting the best for their child. An air of uncertainty hung in the air in this hot, humid climate. Faces with smiles, but unable to mask the strain. Did I detect fear? Perhaps a bit, but the reflection I saw most was the longing these parents have for the miracle of health and wholeness for their children. These faces carried the look of desire for their child’s future filled with hope.
Rotaplast provides a miracle of wholeness, and the promise of hope. Rotaplast has changed the face of the future as well as the child's face.
Bonnie has a special place in the team's heart, as well as the hearts of the children & the parents. Bonnie and her quilting guild, the Diablo Valley quilters, provided 129 quilts for the mission. The ladies spent an entire year making the quilts for our mission. Each quilt was made with much love and designed for each child. Upon arrival in the recovery room, a nurse or Bonnie would search for that perfect quilt for the child to keep them warm, and to wrap them in love for their recovery and to take home with them. The quilt made this child feel special, and to let them know that someone cares about them. Whether it was girl or a boy, no mater what age, there was a quilt that was perfect for them to take home. Many thanks to Bonnie & her happy quilters. Hats off to Bonnie & her crew. Bonnie's husband Jon is the president of the Benicia Rotary Club. Thank you Jon for letting us borrow Bonnie for two weeks. She will return home a better person and realizing how much difference a quilt can make in one's life. Sometimes a very small act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone's life, but Rotarians already know that. Thank you Bonnie.This is Bonnie's 1st mission, but I think she is hooked!
We have so many people to thank for the success of this mission. The team sends its heartfelt thanks, we couldn't do it without you!