In July 2015, my family had the privilege of traveling to Cusco, Peru for two weeks with Smile Network International. We hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, we saw amazing sites, and we ate fantastic food! Our favorite part of the trip though, were the days spent at the regional hospital taking families through the life-changing experience of a surgical repair to either a cleft lip or palate.
We arrived at the hospital Saturday morning with more than twenty volunteers, translators, and a medical team of nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists.
Families began lining up in hopes of receiving a coveted surgical spot long before our arrival. As we passed through the packed corridor, the looks of anticipation were evident. Even before screening began, there were families with infants just days old that were removed from the waiting line. Babies have to reach a weight minimum before being eligible for surgery due to risks associated with anesthesia. They were deferred until the next mission.
The day began with each surgical candidate and a corresponding family member receiving a number. This number identified them throughout the week. Volunteers were handed a numbered medical file, and found their patient in the hall. The screening process occurred entirely in a small auditorium. The first stop was the intake desk, manned by in-country translators, where information was gathered: name, age, parents, distance traveled, shelter needs, languages spoken (many people speak Spanish and/or Quechua, a local tribal language).
A quick cultural note: all families had their personal items in red, striped blankets, tied around their backs. The blankets also carried goods they may need to sell while away from home to earn money, or goats, or babies, or small children, or all of the above and more. As I sat listening to an intake interview with a man and woman, I finally asked the translator which was the patient. When he advised it was the baby, I wondered where was the baby exactly.
The second stop for families was the surgical consult. Surgeons Walt and Patty, who were each assigned a translator, immediately assessed the feasibility and priority level of each candidate. When I took my couple to this station, the woman sloughed off her blanket, and revealed, among other things, her baby Samuel Andi inside. Samuel Andi had received a cleft lip surgery a year earlier. Walt cleared him for a palate repair, but also, a revision to his lip. In the case of both surgeons, they were very cognizant of achieving not only a medically necessary result, but one that provided a best possible cosmetic outcome as well. Samuel's nose was pulled downward quite a bit from his first surgery and the second surgery was an ideal time to correct that.
Sadly, many children were eliminated or deferred to a later mission at this point in the process for reasons such as being too young for needed bone grafts, etc. Each of us sat with a patient who received this news. It was heartbreaking each time, and still is to us now.
At the weigh station, children and adults could remain dressed, but babies had to be entirely undressed to ensure they met the minimum weight requirement. When I first held Samuel Andi after he was weighed, I assessed him to be around four months old.
Medical history was the next and lengthiest hurdle to clear for surgery. The backlog that occurred gave volunteers like Chad and I time to get to know our families. Jude and Dane had been hard at work entertaining the waiting children with card tricks, the crayons we'd made, stickers, stuffed animals and other gifts the troupe of volunteers had brought. As the chairs filled in the auditorium, they were called upon to also bridge the language gap between volunteers and families. It was Dane who translated for me that little Samuel Andi was not four months old, but 18 months old. The malnourishment caused by his cleft palate was evident. He was also filthy from days of walking to the hospital. His hands were rough from a life spent on the side of road while his family sold wares to earn a living. He was also an incredibly happy baby whose parents couldn't have been more pleased to show off their son. This story was the similar with Suly, Joel Roger, Efrain, and many others who left an indelible memory in our hearts.
Patients who were fortunate to be cleared for surgery were scheduled throughout the following week. Many had arrived with few resources and were provided shelter during their time in Cusco. Volunteers now took children, and some adults, through the surgery process. Dane ran with Chad to translate for a patient needing last minute lab work. I scrounged the supply closets for a gown suitable for a 16 year old, then mimed to her when it was time to change. We sat through multiple surgeries and asked questions answered by the prolific surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists! Jude sat with the pediatrician doing pre-op exams to help translate while her bilingual nurse did double duty on the recovery ward. Pre-op and recovery were in the same small room with pealing paint, broken windows and mismatched bed sheets. Jude's side job was applying temporary tattoos to all the recovering patients.
As each child was sent home, every nearby volunteer and medical professional was hugged and thanked. The appreciation was palpable.
There is no short way to detail each story, or all the wonderful people we met-our amazing tour guide, the tireless Smile Network staff, the medical professionals who have taken this journey many times before, and of course, the families. Their hardships did not make them unhappy people, but instead, thankful people.
My goal in committing to this mission with my family and nephew David, was not that we will change the world, but that we will make decisions and take action colored by this experience. It is impossible to take this journey without transforming your view of the world and yourself.
We very much appreciate Smile Network for providing this opportunity, and our family and friends for their support on this journey. It will be meaningful to us for all our lives.
Thank you!
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Matthew 10:8d.
Thank you!
