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Mexico

Keeping Our Promise: Mexico Medical Missions

Mexico

Keeping Our Promise: Mexico Medical Missions

Karla is one of the hundreds of children who will have the chance to receive life-changing surgical care in Oaxaca, Mexico. The 2-year-old attended our Puebla, Mexico, medical mission in 2016 to receive care for her cleft lip and will be returning for surgery to repair her cleft palate. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

On Sept. 7 and Sept. 19, 2017, Mexico was struck with devastating earthquakes registering magnitudes of 8.1 and 7.1, respectively. The deadly disasters have left the country reeling.

The Mexican government and aid organizations have led an incredible response, providing much-needed relief for affected families and beginning the rebuilding process. However, the government and private institutions have directed precious funds to support earthquake victims and ongoing recovery efforts. As a result, our Mexico Foundation suddenly lacked funding to purchase medical supplies and equipment for our upcoming medical mission to Oaxaca, Mexico – just weeks before it was scheduled to begin.

We couldn’t imagine having to tell patients and families who’ve waited all year for their chance at surgery that we wouldn’t be able to deliver on that promise. With only a few days to raise the $30,000 needed to ensure that we could conduct the mission, we knew that we could count on our generous community of supporters.

Yet again, our expectations were no match for their compassionate giving.

Thanks these incredible people, we raised $53,000 for both the Oaxaca mission and future surgical programs in Mexico.

From the bottom of hearts, we offer our thanks to those who made sure we can continue delivering safe, effective and timely surgical care to the children of Mexico in this time of need!

To celebrate our supporters’ accomplishment, we wanted to share the story of Karla, one of the hundreds of children who will have the chance to receive life-changing surgical care in Oaxaca. Karla attended our Puebla, Mexico, medical mission in 2016 to receive care for her cleft lip and will be returning for surgery to repair her cleft palate.

 

Two-year-old Karla of Oaxaca is a spunky and energetic child who is excited to greet everyone that she meets. But because Karla was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, her parents worried for her future. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

When Karla was born, her mother and father were told that Karla’s condition could be corrected with surgery. Her father, Ángel, searched for months, but couldn’t find a hospital or organization that could provide Karla with affordable surgical care. Thankfully, a local organization was able to connect Ángel with Operation Smile Mexico and even provided Ángel and Karla with transportation to the Operation Smile medical mission in Puebla. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

At the medical mission site, Ángel and Karla meet with an Operation Smile medical records volunteer who asks Ángel questions about Karla’s medical history for her patient chart. Ángel shares that because of her cleft, Karla struggled to eat as a baby and her parents had to carefully feed her with a syringe until she was 1 year old. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

After she is registered as a patient, Karla receives a comprehensive medical examination from Operation Smile medical volunteers to determine if she is healthy enough to undergo surgery. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

Nurse Flor Huamanchao of Mexico is very proud of how bravely Karla handled her medical exam and rewards her with a big hug. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

While Karla and her father wait to hear if she is scheduled for surgery, Karla meets 19-month-old Fatima. Together, they draw on the sidewalk with chalk donated by Operation Smile supporters. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

Before coming to the medical mission, neither Karla nor Fatima had ever seen another child with cleft. Now they have become fast friends and play happily together. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

Both girls take a break from play time to have their photos taken by an Operation Smile volunteer patient imaging technician. These photos will be included in their patient files so that medical volunteers can make sure that their surgical scars are healing properly over time. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

The next day, Operation Smile Mexico is ready to announce which patients will be receiving surgery during this mission. Operation Smile's Libby Durnwald and Karla jump for joy when Karla’s name is called! Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

Karla and her friend Fatima, who has also been scheduled for surgery, enjoy singing and playing with local volunteers in the child life area. Through play, these young patients are able to remain calm and happy in this new, and often stressful, hospital environment. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

When it's Karla’s turn for surgery, her surgeon, Dr. Blas Dominguez of Mexico, and clinical coordinator Rosy Frias come to collect Karla. She immediately makes friends with the medical volunteers, showing them her new toy and chatting away as she is carried to the operating room. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

Once Karla is settled onto the operating table, nurse Rosy holds Karla close, gently stroking her head as she is given anesthesia and falls swiftly to sleep. Now Dr. Dominguez can begin the surgery that will not only repair Karla’s cleft lip, but transform her life. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

 

Just a few hours later, Karla’s father proudly shows Karla her new smile! She is still too young to understand the impact this care will have on her life, but her father knows that thanks to this free surgery from Operation Smile Mexico, Karla will have a brighter future. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

MAKE A GIFT

It takes as little as $240 and as few as 45 minutes to provide life-changing surgery and a bright, beautiful new smile to a waiting child.