2023 Cebu City, Philippines
DAY ONE – Getting Here
Cebu City, Philippines
“It’s So Good To See You!” After arriving at the International terminal in San Francicso, 22 mission members, including medical professionals and non-medical Rotarian volunteers, greeted ... Read More »
DAY TWO – Meeting The Families & Patients
Cebu City, Philippines
What A Difference A Day Makes On Monday, all the chairs were set up in the hospital’s sports center where physical therapy patients usually exercise. For the Rotaplast mission, the gym is converted t... Read More »
DAY THREE – More Patients To Meet
Cebu City, Philippines
Meet The Team All of the Medical and Non-Medical volunteers pose for a photo outside of Adventist Hospital, which was established in 1956 as H. W. Miller Memorial Sanitarium and Hospital. It’s All In... Read More »
DAY FOUR – Let The Surgeries Begin
Cebu City, Philippines
A Bundle Of Nerves Many of these families slept here last night in the humid, stifling heat sharing a cot with their child. This morning, the room is eerily silent as each parent waits for their child̵... Read More »
DAY FIVE – Great Impact Continues
Cebu City, Philippines
Going Home The ward’s Head Nurse provides discharge instructions for all of the families that had surgery yesterday. They are sent home with instructions that correspond with the type of surgery the ... Read More »
DAY SIX – Stories That Matter
Cebu City, Philippines
Lasting Impressions Mission Director, Tom Fox recounted a story from his October 2009 Rotaplast trip to Cebu. It was a Sunday morning, his day off, and he was taking a walk around the city. Along his walk,... Read More »
DAY SEVEN – Greatness & Gratitude
Cebu City, Philippines
We Get Around This morning, the team exited the hotel to find a school bus waiting to take them to the hospital. Just when we thought the bus was full, they started folding down the seats in the aisle to Read More »
DAY EIGHT – Milestones & Memories
Cebu City, Philippines
A Milestone Is Celebrated As many Rotarians and Rotaplast volunteers gathered around, Past District Governor Antonio “Anton” Florendo remarks, “This kid right here is Aeron Skyler Tabas. ... Read More »
DAY NINE – A Personal Story
Cebu City, Philippines
Debi’s Diary As the missions official Historian, I’ve been writing thus far in 3rd person. Today’s blog is my own personal story about a 5 year old boy named Joshua who stole my heart. The hospit... Read More »
DAY TEN – Reunions
Cebu City, Philippines
Reunited On Day Six’s blog, we shared the story about how Tom Fox found 5-year-old Nina playing in an abandoned parking lot and convinced her parents to get surgery for her cleft palate. Tom and Anto... Read More »
DAY ELEVEN – Last Day of Surgeries
Cebu City, Philippines
The Lingo Family Returns On day three, we introduced the Lingo family (As). Today is the last day of surgeries, but the first day of a new life for Aldrich Lingo and his family. This morning, Aldrich and h... Read More »
DAY TWELVE – Saying Goodbye
Cebu City, Philippines
71 Smiles Saved. 71 Lives Changed. As the patients all came back to the hospital for Post-Clinic, the atmosphere was markedly more upbeat than Pre-Clinic days. Smiles were everywhere — parents, surgeons,... Read More »
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