Dear friends, I left off just as the surgery team arrived at Barnabas House Wednesday afternoon.  In reading over the closing words of that previous journal, "the action has really picked up", I realized that was a pretty good description of events. Shortly after arriving, the team was in consultation with the parents of the surgery candidates.  They sat with the doctors reviewing the history of  their child and assessing their overall condition, proceeding through the process.  As our patients are pretty young, their parents are kept in the loop as they answer the staff's questions.  With so much involved in preparation for surgery, the process took a few hours before we packed up and hit the road for Siguatepeque.   

We had dinner along the way and also stopped by the hospital to unload our supplies and equipment, no small task; everyone heaved to and got it done.  When we arrived at the hotel we were able to go straight to our rooms. This had been a long day for all of us.  Over the breakfast table this morning I didn't hear of any late socializing sessions - am pretty sure we all were tucked in as soon as we got to our rooms --  a little after 10. pm.

The team arrived at the hospital before 9 Thursday morning. We unpacked, sorted and got all the meds, supplies and equipment in place; not an easy or quick task. Everyone pitched in and things moved along very smooth and orderly. Surgeries started in the afternoon.   

Today's first patient, Idalia, went into surgery at about 2 this afternoon and is now doing fine. She was in the operating room about two hours which according to one of the staff is about average.  Idalia's procedure included a bone graft to repair her palate. She was moved from the Recovery Room to the Post Operative Ward at 6:30 tonight. In addition to the night staff, Idalia's grandfather will be staying with her.  She is scheduled for release tomorrow afternoon.   

I could end the story of Idalia's hospital experience right here but there is more.

Idalia was born with heart problems as well as her cleft lip/palate. In 2011 she underwent heart surgery by one of The Friends of Barnabas Foundation's surgeons and was cared for by the pediatric cardiac team. She is fully recovered from that. She has had two other cleft lip/palate surgeries and this last one today.  

Because the mother was unable to care for her child, the grandparents, the Ceserio Perez Lopez family, are raising her.  It is touching to watch the grandfather attending to her needs with such gentleness and love in his eyes as he talks about her.  Also living in the Lopez home are nine other children  (uncles & aunts) and a few cousins as well. I strongly suspect that there is a lot of love to go around in the Lopez household.  Little Idalia is a very fortunate young lady.

The second and last patient of the day was Karla Joely Gomez, age 10.  She too is doing fine and was in recovery as we were leaving.  She will be moved to Post Op later this evening.  It is always a beautiful experience when a surgery is completed and the doctors or nurses move the patient out to the waiting family. When witnessing these Post Op reunions one cannot help but feel the joy expressed by the family. One other surgery was scheduled but due to some last minute complications the patient was rescheduled to Sunday.

While Idalia and her grandfather and Karla and her mother will be here in the Post Op Ward for the night, they will not be by themselves; several other moms and their little darlings are here awaiting their surgeries tomorrow.   

A third surgery had been scheduled but the child became dehydrated during the day and the decision was made to move her surgery to Sunday.  Dehydration makes it very difficult to find a vein to administer I-V fluids.

On this mission my workplace is in a large central hallway, between the ORs in the back, and what I think of as the Arts and Crafts Lobby in the front.  That's where Maggie Barkovic has set up a couple of tables with drawing paper, construction paper, beads, large brightly colored pipe cleaners and fuzzy little balls of the same description. Also available for our aspiring young artists are colored fluffy feathers, glitter glue (various colors), and little eyes about the diameter of a quarter with a small black circle that freely move around the inside of the plastic cover. It keeps the kids entertained - the patients and their siblings as well. Here I am close to the action and the coffee pot as well.  Not a bad setup.

I will close for now and try to get this on its way tonight from the hotel.  We ask that you keep our young patients and their families in your thoughts and prayers as our medical staff works at repairing and healing so that they all may have a healthy and full life.

JosePedro had his surgery today, his mom is happy and so is he this Saturday evening. Peace and God's Blessings to you and those dear to you.

Papa Joe with the FOBF Cleft Lip/Palate Surgery Team