Randall Floyd, aka Randy (Mission Director), led the team and looked after everyone’s well-being. And not just the team—patients could count on his support as well. It’s an incredibly responsible role, and he carried it out with great skill and experience. Everything ran smoothly.
These two are seasoned professionals with years of experience on many missions. Dr. Wally Chan and Agnes Wolfkamp, the Ward Coordinator, are among the most focused members of the team and know exactly what is expected of them. You can always count on them to go the extra mile. They are usually the first to arrive and the last to leave the hospital.
René Vreuls is Lead Pediatrician, one of the two pediatricians, and he certainly belongs in that same category. Unfortunately, René was struck by the flu early in the mission, which meant he couldn’t do what he loves most for the majority of the trip: ensuring patients are in good health before surgery and supporting their recovery so they can leave the hospital with a smile. We truly missed him on the floor—René is also responsible for a healthy dose of cheerful energy during every mission.
As Medical Director of this mission, Dr. Hootan Daneshmand is the plastic surgeon leading the medical team and making the final decisions in complex medical cases. We don’t usually see him in this particular outfit, as he and Dr. Ilze Hendriks delivered a guest lecture at Chittagong Medical College. Education is a key part of the Rotaplast mission: sharing knowledge and transferring skills to students and OR staff. Rotaplast considers this essential. You could even say that the ultimate goal is to make Rotaplast missions unnecessary one day. Still, our primary reason remains helping people who cannot afford surgery.
Here you see Dr. Boony Thio (pediatrician) and Ligaya Augustin (Lead PACU Nurse) on the ward. A well-deserved break between surgeries is rare. As the only pediatrician at the moment, Boony is extremely busy and often needs to be present on multiple floors at once. In the recovery room, Ligaya and Boony frequently consult to ensure the best care for newly operated patients. With three operating tables running at full speed, it’s no small task.
Together with Aagje de Vilder (PACU Nurse), patients are cared for in recovery and guided safely as they wake up and transition to the ward. Titia Terpstra supports them as PACU Assistant.
In the operating rooms, the teams are staffed by highly dedicated and experienced specialists. These are not isolated individuals but well-coordinated teams who communicate seamlessly. Dr. Jan Bos is Lead Anesthesiologist and one of four physicians responsible for anesthesia, alongside Dr. Ilze Hendriks, Dr. Swanny Thio (Anesthesiologist), and Dr. Jacqueline Booker (Anesthesiology Resident). Together with Head Nurse Jodelle Myhre, he frequently reviews schedules and patient planning. Of course, everyone collaborates—but they happened to look great together in the photo.
Around the operating tables, the indispensable OR Nurses Kody Waters, Karoline Kowal, and Charlotte Juntilla are always present, assisting the surgeons throughout each procedure. Whether surgeries are complex or straightforward, short or long, they are the steady support behind Dr. George Gamil (Egypt), Dr. Bijoy Das (Bangladesh), Dr. Wally Chan (United States), Dr. Hootan Daneshmand (United States), and Surgical Resident Anna Skochdopole (United States).
Then there is our “utility player,” Dick Bos (Sterilizer), responsible for all sterile medical instruments. Everyone in the OR quickly learns where to find him: “Dick, can you please, do, find, check, make…?” And he delivers—every single time.
These have been long and demanding days. The procedures varied greatly: cleft lip and palate repairs, as well as various forms of burn reconstruction. As non-medical team members, we know our role matters—but the core work lies with these medical professionals. Together, we form one team that changes lives for the better. And we sometimes allow ourselves to dream: perhaps one of these patients will grow up to help others, make a meaningful contribution to society, win a Nobel Prize, develop a life-saving medicine, help solve global challenges, or reduce hunger in the world. Imagine if one mission—one surgery—could contribute to that.
As non-medicals, we share that same passion: to do good and to help bring positive change to someone who needs it deeply. A smile says it all.
It all begins with the medical records, overseen by Ard Hengeveld (Medical Records). Digital systems, hard copies, folders, iPads—every detail matters to ensure the right patients are present, called in, operated on, and sent home with the proper medication. The mission begins and ends with Ard.
With the files in hand, Marie-José de Boer (Patient Transporter) brings patients to surgery and escorts them back afterward, along with their records. The pre-op and post-op wards are spread across multiple floors of the hospital, so Marie-José is constantly on the move—one of the most physically active roles on the team.
One of the most mobile roles… because the Mission Historian falls into that category as well. From patient stories to documenting daily mission life—from operating rooms to wards—I, Ruben Veldman, work to translate everything into a record and communication for the outside world. Along the way, I discovered a special plaque: Al Manahil Nurture General Hospital was built by Dutch physiotherapist Hans Casper Holst.
The technical operations are managed by our own MacGyver: Gerard van Dalen (Quartermaster). He oversaw all 30 boxes of equipment and medical supplies, turning the storage room into his own supply store—a complete warehouse for the team. No Black Friday sales, but plenty of consumables left behind for the hospital. The rest has been packed up and will return to the United States.
Just outside the storage room, we created a temporary waiting area that Recreation Therapist Dave Sanders transformed into one of his recreation spaces. Dave brings smiles to the tense faces of young patients, parents, and others. Balloons, puzzles, toy cars, stuffed animals, blocks, and more provide much-needed distraction and joy. He is their friend and playmate—and that joy is contagious for everyone. 💙
