2014 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Mar 5, 2014

Guatemala Rotaplast Team from the Saratoga Rotary

Guatemala City, Guatemala

See more of this story... Read More »

Mar 13, 2014

Day 1: and were off!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Hi, I'm Renee Paquier and I would like to invite you to join me on an amazing journey to Guatemala where our Rotaplast team will be conducting cleft lip and palate surgeries for over 100 children!! Our... Read More »

Mar 13, 2014

Day 2: yay we made it.. now off to work!!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

On March 11th, after two flights, we finally made it to Guatemala City!    And thankfully so did our medical supplies…all 36 boxes!!     After a grabbing a quick bite to eat w... Read More »

Mar 13, 2014

Day 3: And so it begins…Clinic Day!!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

After sleeping for a few hours, we left the hotel at 6 am to start clinic day at the hospital. When we arrived hundreds of people were already lined up waiting to be seen by our amazing team. Here is Read More »

Mar 13, 2014

Day 4: Let the smiles commence! Operation Day 1!!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Day 4 and we can now start operating on some of the children that we met yesterday. Today was a long yet very rewarding day! We saw lives change before our eyes and families that were drawn to tears after Read More »

Mar 14, 2014

Day 5: Operation Day 2 and New Smiles!!!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

I began day 5 in the children’s ward and had the opportunity to visit each of the children who had surgery the previous day. I would like introduce you to some of these amazing kids!! Meet Karen C. K... Read More »

Mar 15, 2014

Day 6: Operation Day 3…smiles, tears and sunglasses!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

I wanted to start today's blog with this awesome picture that the doctors took with beautiful Ilse! Ilse (pronounced eel-say) is almost 10 years old and has already had three operations to help repair ... Read More »

Mar 15, 2014

Meet David

Guatemala City, Guatemala

One-year-old David and his mom Dina rode two hours in a bus to be with us on clinic day where everyone fell in love with his adorable personality. Read More »

Mar 15, 2014

Meet Lian

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Three-month-old Lian and his mom rode in a van filled with over 30 people to be with us on clinic day. Lian’s mom Gloria was beyond happy when she found out that Lian was chosen for surgery for his c... Read More »

Mar 17, 2014

Day 8: Operation Day 4…Gracias, Sonrisas and St. Patricks Day?!

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Even though we are in Guatemala we decided to decorate the break room and some of our doctors and staff even wore St. Patrick's Day scrubs. The patients and hospital staff ... Read More »

Mar 18, 2014

Day 9: Operation Day 5 and the theme of the day is…chócala (high five!)

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Morning! It's amazing how much has been accomplished and how many lives have been changed by our incredible team so far!! So let's celebrate this accomplishment and the bravery of all the children ... Read More »

Mar 19, 2014

Day 10: Rotaplast..It’s Where the Magic Happens! Part 1

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Buenos Dias! After a few hours of sleep the team is ready to have another amazing and magical day. Let’s go visit each area and see what’s going on!! The Pediatric Ward Each morning, our team b... Read More »

Mar 19, 2014

Day 10: Rotaplast..It’s Where the Magic Happens! Part 2

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Buenas Tardes! Now part 2 of today’s blog…the waiting room! From the pediatric ward, our Transporter Jorge brings the next patients up to the waiting room before going into the operating room. ... Read More »

Mar 19, 2014

Day 10: Rotaplast..It’s Where the Magic Happens! Part 3

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Hello again…now off to the Operating Room (OR) where the magical transformation happens!! Our talented and extremely passionate team of doctors and nurses, as well as our fantastic sterilizer, work h... Read More »

Mar 19, 2014

Day 10: Rotaplast..It’s Where the Magic Happens! Part 4

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Buenas noches!! Now we are off to the (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) PACU!! After surgery, patients are brought into the care of the marvelous nurses of the PACU. Patients stay in the PACU until they are wel... Read More »

May 5, 2014

Los Milagrosos (The Miracle Workers) and Final Thoughts…

Guatemala City, Guatemala

It has been amazing journey and a life changing experience. Thank you all for being part of it and for sharing this journey with us. In closing,  I would like to end this blog with the beautiful words of ... Read More »

View All
Latest From Around The World
Oct 23, 2024

Stories from the Ward

Faridabad, India

A teenage girl with burn contractures on her wrist, elbow, and knee from an untreated accident as a baby arrived at the clinic with her sister, both burdened by exhaustion and hesitant to trust. They were ... Read More »

Oct 23, 2024

Dental Care & Cleft ...

Faridabad, India

Cleft lip and palate deformities can result from genetic disorders or syndromes. As technology and databases improve, our understanding of genetic markers and risk factors for these conditions continues to... Read More »