2019 Chittagong, Bangladesh

Jan 8, 2019

Day 1-3: Arrival in Chittagong

Chittagong, Bangladesh

What has always struck me about the people that I meet on Rotaplast missions can be summed up by this quote: “The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.” (Paulo Coelho).  As we begin a ne... Read More »

Jan 9, 2019

Day 4- Lean In

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Where we are staying in our hotel in a bustling downtown area, there is a lot of honking as drivers communicate with each other often to squeeze past each other in tight passages. For some people, the soun... Read More »

Jan 12, 2019

Day 5- Operations Commence

Chittagong, BangladeshChittagong, Bangladesh

Operation days are the most exciting days for me. I wake up hours early, envisioning in my mind the arm strokes of the Surgeons as they craft a new face. Or the look on a parent’s face when they see Read More »

Jan 13, 2019

Day 6- Keep You Forever

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Birthdate: 01/01/08.  That looked strange to me.  And it should have, because it was made up.  The truth is that when Shathi came into the clinic there were a few strange things we noticed.  First, she... Read More »

Jan 14, 2019

Day 7- Stolen Meat

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Some surgeons favor doing Cleft Lip/Palate Repairs and today held many opportunities.  Here are some of the before and after pictures of the young children who received drastic changes to their face by th... Read More »

Jan 15, 2019

Day 8- Psychological Prison

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Two of the most well-known figures in Rotaplast are Angelo Capozzi (Medical Director) and Paula Fillari (Lead PACU Nurse), who worked together for many decades in a burn clinic in San Francisco. It is not ... Read More »

Jan 16, 2019

Day 9- Meet the Team, part 1

Chittagong, Bangladesh

It took us almost 3 days to travel to Bangladesh, only to wake up early every day, to get to a hospital full of ill and injured people, where we spend the whole day attending to their needs. For most Read More »

Jan 17, 2019

Day 10- Meet the Team, part 2

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Today we explore the second half of the team’s answers to what inspires them to come on medical missions: Name: Lois Borie Role: OR Nurse # of Rotaplast Missions: 45 “I came on my first mission sim... Read More »

Jan 17, 2019

Day 11- “Unlucky”

Chittagong, Bangladesh

There is always one.  Usually you can find them right under your nose, attached at your hip, grabbing for all the things you reach for, walking backward to just be in your gaze. One child stands out on in... Read More »

Jan 18, 2019

Day 12- Called Toward the Fire

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Sabina is 8 years. It has been 4 years since a “supernatural event” happened to her, claims her mother. The story goes like this: Sabina was in her room when her mother saw smoke coming from her door. ... Read More »

Jan 20, 2019

Thank You and Goodnight

Chittagong, Bangladesh

[L->R David Stellway (Anesthesiologist), Joe Anderson (Lead Anesthesiologist), Michelle Benedict (Photojournalist), Jodelle Myhre (Head Nurse), Katherine Gallagher (Lead Pediatrician), Mohammed Hannan ... Read More »

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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 »

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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 »