Day 3-The operations begin.
Another rather early start today. We were on the bus for the hospital at 6:30 AM.
Our 35 boxes of supplies had been partially unpacked and set up on our arrival but the operating room was yet to be organized for business. Thus the early start for the hospital. All was in order by 9 AM or so and the surgery procedures began. They were also slow to start as everyone was learning their place in the operation. The first few surgeries were completed and the pipeline began the fill up, the recovery room started to fill, and as the patients woke up and were responding well, they were moved into a ward for an overnight stay for most.
I took photos for the files of all the patients yesterday, and had photos to compare when the post-surgical patient was delivered to the recovery room. It is truly amazing how an underdeveloped lip or palate can be completely reconstructed and the patient show little, if any abnormality after the operation. Hopefully, I can share before and after photos today or tomorrow.
The parents of the small patients are so very patient. Some of them wait nearly all day in various stages of readiness. They seem so grateful that their child is being given a new chance at a normal life. A few patients were not selected for surgery, but some of the parents were persistent and showed up at the hospital for additional test to prove their child was a good candidate. In a few cases their persistence paid off and they were added to the surgery schedule.
