Mabuhay! Hooray for the beginning of surgeries at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City, Philippines.
Ron (Medical Director) who is always cool as a cucumber, reviews his notes before surgery begins.
Monika, OR nurse in the operating room, lays out her set up in the morning to make sure everything needed in assistance of operations is present.
Bill and Cliff prepare the instrument trays before they're put into the Autoclave for sterilization. There are "lip trays" and "palate trays" depending on the operation. The Autoclave heats the instruments up to around 270 degrees Fahrenheit killing any and all bacteria. It's one of the hottest items in Cebu, even hotter than the outside temperature. Which is shocking.
Evelyn, Monika and Ted pose for a picture together. Evelyn, our Head Nurse is from the Philippines and has been on many missions with Rotaplast. She is an absolute treasure to have with us here in Cebu.
Mike, anesthesiologist, gives a briefing in PACU on the details of a child's surgery, post-op.
Gingy, our video producer, sits with a patient and his family in the waiting room before surgery on his cleft lip.
Ana is swelling with emotion as she holds her son, Mark Anthony, after surgery. It is Mark Anthony's second surgery to repair his cleft lip. Ana wanted us to know, "My tears are happy."
Christine Hodgson, PNP and Dr. Goldberg (above) are taking care of pediatrics on the trip. Al has been Christine's mentor for many years, and a big contribution to her attendance on this mission. They're both bright and shining stars when it comes to the work they put in.
Hey! That's me (Allie, photojournalist) giving a double thumbs up for a victorious day of operations.
I think everyone can agree our first surgery day went smoothly. The operating room saw a total of 9 patients, who then went through the PACU comfortably, and were released to the recovery ward.