We would like to thank our sponsors Rotary District 7930, the Charlotte Geyer Foundation, and The San Francisco Rotary Foundation for making this mission possible. Pictured above, Medical Director, Rod Simonds, MD, Frank Walchak, MD, Brad Coots, MD, and Ron Worland, MD. take a moment before starting surgery. The medical and non medical support teams are all volunteers, working together to provide healthy futures to their young patients.
As day 5 begins, Head Nurse, Carolyn Walchak examines a young girl for a cleft palate operation.
Dr. Rod Simonds begins surgery at 7:30AM on the last day of surgery for the mission.
OR Nurse, Sharron Newton gets ready for surgery.
Quartermaster/ Sterilizer- Tom Fox shares a moment with Mission Director Evelyn Abad, RN.
Quartermaster, Bob Arsenault , organizes the materials for the mission making sure supplies are ready and available when needed.
A team of volunteers and Rotaplast staff support and examine patients before surgery and prior to discharge.
The Rotaplast mission wouldn’t be possible without all of the over 100 Rotary and community volunteers who provide the food, logistics, transportation and support. Here Rotarians, Reyje Velasco, Al Alcibar, E.King Jereza, Anton Florendo, Tony Ynoc, Evelyn Abad, Eric Onano, Romy Toledo, and Marcy Koike, join in the celebration of the 1,000th surgery of the mission.
A last day of surgeries were limited to cleft lips so we could be sure to discharge patients by the time the mission is over.
These last photos are some of my favorites… of the wonderful children and their families…. and represent the enduring spirit to help each other as Dr. Vince Rubin did for so many years. We are honored to have participated in the Milestone Mission in Honor of Vince Rubin.