Each day we are greeted with cheery faces at the hospital upon our arrival. Please meet Sandra Ireheta (a local Rotarian) and Dr. Diaz ( Dr. Diaz is a general in the San Salvador military) who administrates the Hospital Militar. Sandra & her husband Jorge (along with all the other Rotarians & spouses) make sure the team has lunch each day. Sandra and her gang made sure that the team had plenty of snacks & goodies too, (fresh baked pastries!). The team began to complain that their scrubs were getting tight! Thank you to everyone who worked to ensure the success of this mission.
Today we had a "walk-in" that was not previously seen at pre-clinic where the patients were initially screened. This family consisted of the parents, the grandmother, the child, Maria Vasquez (3 months old) who was in need of cleft lip surgery. With the assistance of Mission translator Amelia Ward (Redding Rotary), I interviewed the family. They had left their home in Carton Cacao Conchaque the day before and traveled 6 hours by bus and stayed with friends the previous evening). Lilia, Maria's mother had just learned of the Rotaplast mission from a woman who sells vegetables in her village. Lilia was able to make contact with the hospital and spoke with Dr. Diaz. Lilia is 25 years old and has 6 children, and 5 of the children were healthy. Lilia's husband is a farm worker and Lilia is a housewife. Amelia explained that it is traditional for women to wear veils in the more rural areas. Maria is scheduled for surgery later in the week.