2012 Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Mar 15, 2012

Team Arrival and Hospital Visit!

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

My name is Michael Zielanski and I'd like you to share this journey with me. The destination is Hospital Hilario Galindo in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, the mission is to create smiles and change lives. A te... Read More »

Mar 15, 2012

Pre-Clinic

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Below is our bus arriving on the first day of pre-clinic. Pre-clinic is the day when all the potential patients are evaluated by the doctors and nurses. We were greeted by a very large crowd who were all c... Read More »

Mar 19, 2012

First Day Of Surgery

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

The first day of surgeries finally arrived! Many months of fundraising and preparation have brought us to this point. The entire team is excited to begin the day and help change the lives of the patients a... Read More »

Mar 19, 2012

The Clothing…

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

One of my first observations while I was taking pictures of the Guatemalans was that some of the women dressed very “traditional” while others seemed to dress more “modern”. After d... Read More »

Mar 19, 2012

Meet Marina

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

In an earlier blog entry I introduced you to Marina. Marina stood out from the crowd because of her beautiful vibrant dress. Marina, age 7 and her father Rolando, age 29 traveled over 9 hours by bus to arr... Read More »

Mar 19, 2012

Bubbles

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Do you remember the first time you played with or saw bubbles? If not, relive that experience with Kimberly Dayana who is one year old. This is her first time seeing bubbles! She is in the pre-op room wait... Read More »

Mar 20, 2012

Meet The Team Part 1

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Dr. Hung – Lead Anesthesiologist – Carefully monitoring a patient in the operating room. This entry is one of two parts. I’d like to introduce you to some of the amazing people I have had... Read More »

Mar 20, 2012

Brothers

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

I'd like you to meet Edgar and his younger brother Henry. Edgar already had his cleft lip repaired on a prior mission, so he was back to have some corrective surgery. It is very common for a cleft lip ... Read More »

Mar 20, 2012

Superman

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Even though all the patients we helped are superstars, Anthony was the only superhero I came across. Anthony is 3 years old and traveled over 11 hours to the hospital by bus with his mother. He previously ... Read More »

Mar 23, 2012

Bravery

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Many of the patients and their families have heart touching stories surrounding the circumstances that brought them to the hospital. I found this story particularly interesting and felt the need to share i... Read More »

Mar 26, 2012

Meet The Team Part 2

Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Here are some more team members I'd like you to meet. All of my team members are some of the most hardworking, caring and giving people I have ever met. Left to right: Susan, RN PACU Nurse – Fait... Read More »

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Oct 3, 2024

Team Member Highlight ...

Faridabad, India

Kevin Shultz is from the Portsmouth Rotary Club and this is his second Rotaplast Mission. During the pre-clinic phase of the Misson, Kevin was assigned to help with the photos. Each patient was assigned a ... Read More »

Oct 1, 2024

First Day of Clinic

Faridabad, India

I noticed this young woman and her baby early in the day on the first day of clinic. Here she is getting through the registration process where they mark the patient to prevent confusion. The next step in ... Read More »