Goodbye Honduras

As we wait for our flight in Houston I am challenged with putting our 8 day mission trip with Operation Smile into a few words. It is only those who have been with us that can truly understand why my parents continue to push like they do to help children with facial deformity all around the world. When you watch a gifted surgeon artistically tranform a child with your own eyes it makes so much sense. 45 minutes. $240. If we can all lend a hand in spreading the word maybe someday, this unnecessary weight will not be on the shoulders of so many children and their parents.

When you and your son are also embraced by a family who does not know you until they pick you up at the hotel, you also feel quite lucky. The Gomez family took us in as their own and as a mother, it was wonderful to watch a friendship form between two 11 year olds within minutes of meeting. Riley and Gustavo had a blast together. So much so that Riley had a hard time keeping his eyes open at breakfast this morning. They made the most of every minute whether it was in their home, at Gustavo's school or in the hospital. They both made tons of children smile with their spirit. I also feel lucky to have made new friends in the Gomez family. Giselle was running around even as we left trying to help little Wendy and her family get the paperwork they need to hopefully come to us in a couple of weeks for surgery. I am grateful for her new friendship and the commitment she and her husband have made to help us with Operation Smile Honduras.

And then there is the team. What a team! Our coordinators, Christa, Meredith and Lopsang along with everyone else were happy to have us with them and all worked enthusiastically together this week to help the children. The Child Life Specialist, Lina, and her team of psychologists were amazing to watch along with our students who played tirelessly with the kids as they waited. We are honored to be included in this group of caring people.

And we cannot forget the children and their parents. The bravery and patience in dealing with their deformities is unimaginable. Yet, for the most part, we witnessed happy and incredibly cared for children who, even with the stares of others, faced each day with the hope that someday, they would not have this burden. Operation Smile screened 230 patients this week and scheduled 100 patients for surgery. On Friday, a 50 year old woman with a cleft lip with have her face repaired. When asked why she has not come to Operation Smile in years past, she claimed she was too poor. I cannot imagine what it will be like when she looks at herself tomorrow afternoon for the first time.

I thank the local volunteers of Operation Smile Sonrisa, who work throughout the year to care for these children. Just in December, they were able to operate on 47 children in their beautiful clinic in three days. My father expressed his gratitude as well commenting on the fact that 12 years ago there was mostly older children with primary lips that appeared out of the woodwork. For this mission, the majority of children who came with primary lips were 15 months and younger. It is a fine example that this problem in Honduras is being addressed due to the fact that our local volunteers stick with them year after year. From the Sonrisa Amigas to the American School and Del Campo High School students to the medical team and clinic staff, it is everyone's efforts that enables the children of Honduras to get such great care.

I will finish this blog with Riley's thoughts as he flew back to the U.S. I must say I am so proud of him. His comments reaffirm why it is so important for our elementary children to understand what is happening around the world. I do believe this influences them in more ways than we can ever imagine.

Day 9 of Mission

"I'm getting ready to get on the plane to Norfolk. I didn't eat anything weird today. I went to the hospital for a little to say goodbye to the rest of the team. One of my mission coordinators, Lobsang, plays for the Hondorian National baseball team and is trying out for professional soccer this May. The other coordinator, Christa, is my uncle's sister, so I know her pretty well. The coordinator in training, Meredith, always had a smile on her face. Lobsang loved to play around with you, Christa knew me so she joked around with me and Meredith just took it all in with a big smile on her face. The other students which were high schoolers were fun to work with. Everytime you needed someone to help you entertain a kid or translate for you, all you have to do is give them a call and they would be right over. There names are Jacklyn and Maggie. Gustavo is a good friend and very funny. The rest of his family would help you with whatever you needed. I'm glad we got to stay with the Gomez family. Gustavo would always give me company wherever we were. I don't want to tell you about the whole team, but the surgeons were great and a lot of the kids are getting smiles. The team was very nice to me and in general. The whole country is friendly. Being on the mission shows you have lucky you are to be in a safe home and not somewhere on the street or somewhere in the country or mountains. You see how less fortunate these families are and you see how overjoyed the parents are when they come out of surgery. I'm glad I could help change their child's life forever. I'm going to miss the kids, the team and the family I stayed with this past week and a half. I've done a lot of stuff this week, ate and drank some weird things and now I'm ready to go home. Before I go I want to say this week I only woke up past seven o'clock one day, so it is not like a vacation. I've been very tired this whole week and I am ready to get back home to my own bed, house, family and friends. Goodbye Honduras."