Day #1 is DONE!!! 24 Surgeries & Out by 8 pm :)

Just as we arrived at the hospital this morning it started to rain really hard -  we have had 30 min to 1 hour thunderstorms a few times a day everyday but this was different it was pouring for hours..all day until about 5 pm. Unfortunately it actually flooded many of the roads into Asuncion so some patients trying to get  back couldn't make it but they will be rescheduled later in the week. The rain with the warm temperatures really increased the humidity. There seemed to be many leaks in the roof of the hospital too...so in some places it was raining inside as well. Not in the PACU or OR's but there were "mini streams" in some hallways & quite a few buckets catching the drips. We are at a military hospital, like we were in Guatemala - very heavily guarded. I am not sure if they are more accessible to Op smile than say "private nicer hospitals" (if those exist) or if most all hospitals in South America are military hospitals???
We reviewed our emergency procedures & they started the surgeries around 9. Our 1st round of patients on all 5 table were all cleft lips all under 1 year. I didn't get any pre op photos as we were finishing our set up of the PACU. There are 4 local nurses all very competent so with 6 of us it is almost "low key". We have a nice room with 5 beds & rotate taking the patients. It is only day #1 & I dont want to jinx myself but this may be the "easiest, least exhausting mission" I will have been on. 

I was able to give all the babies in the 1st round a little onesie & socks I bought at Old Navy with a donation from a friend so that was fun. I had 24 sets so there are more to be given!!!One of our early patients in the 2nd round was Abigail...she was 19 months & definitely had an "attitude" in her pink gown & pigtails. She was a little fireball & gave you a "scrunchy smile" on request. The anesthesiologist said she kicked & screamed all the way back to surgery which usually means they will be "crazy" waking up - but she actually did great! Junior was another cute patient one of the few blondes   & 8 mos old with a lip repair. another sweet patient was one that Nina the student was following Marco - with a very young sweet mom - I did get photos of him at the "party" & today he had a beautiful new smile & his mom was overcome with joy.

Here in Paraguay there is a McDonald's & they are a HUGE support of Op smile. The other day they brought 150 Quarter Pounders for the team & students for lunch & they are bringing 25-30 Happy Meals over each night for the pre-op kids to have. So I am happy to continue to support McD's with my diet cokes & ice cream cones!!!

The "Surgery Star of the Day" was Ramon - I posted about him on Facebook yesterday - he is 28 & a bit developmentally delayed. For his entire life he has stayed home with his mom helping her with chores & cleaning - all the while knowing her is "different". His mom wanted to protect him from the taunting & teasing of others. He & his mom heard about Op Smile on the radio & walked several days to get here. When he first arrived he sat separate from everyone else, after hearing her would have surgery & with some TLC from our student Sami & others he gradually started integrating with some of the other kids (much younger than him of course) & playing soccer. when he checked in last night for surgery I am not sure he fully comprehended what was going to happen. Today as he walked into surgery he was giving everyone a huge smile & high fives. Today he got not only a new smile but perhaps a new life....in just an hour because of a whole team of volunteers. When he cam into the PACU he had an entourage of people who wanted to see his "transformation" where there once was a gaping hole in his mouth where his lip belonged was now a fully repaired lip. Sami the student had stayed with him all day & followed him thru surgery she was emotional when she came in & got very teary. I gave her the mirror in my pocket to show Ramon his new smile & then he got teary which made everyone in the PacU teary & the floodgates really opened when his mom came in - she too had a new smile on her face seeing her son with is new smile.

If that was all we did today it would have been totally worth it BUT...it wasn't...we did 24 cases 7 have 29 on the schedule for tomorrow!!!

so grateful for these experiences....