Charting Information, Checking Respiration

April 7. 2008
Screening Day in Xela

Surgeon's Evaluation

April 7, 2008 ~ Screening Day in Xela






Each prospective candidate (almost always a child brought by family) was examined by the surgeons John Canady, Drew Dillman and Jodi Jones. Sal Danial provided invaluable assistance translating the surgeons' assessment to the parents.

Anesthesiologists' Assessment

April 7, 2008 ~ Screening Day in Xela

If a child or an adult was determined by the MOST surgeons to be a candidate for cleft lip/palate surgery, the family was directed to the anesthesiologist team of Jim Schuh and Chandra Beals, who were well-assisted with translations by Lael Stander.

Pediatricians' Examination

April 7, 2008 ~ Screening Day in Xela

Pete Wallace and Oscar Gomez examined patients for their overall health, and in one case, admitted a severely malnourished baby into the hospital for immediate care. Maru Danials provided skillful translating assistance for this team.

Dentists Make Determinations

Screening Day in Xela ~ April 8, 2008

Bill Olin, Bill LaVelle & Steve Hedlund teamed up for dental examinations, and were ably assisted with translations by Ruben Zuniga and Francisco (Paco) Fernandez.

Waiting to Hear

April 7, 2008 ~ Screening Day in Xela

Many families waited all day to be seen and then waited to hear whether their loved one would be selected to receive surgery, and when that surgery would take place. As the time between examinations and the announcement of the surgical schedule lengthened (as needed surgical equipment was secured so that more surgeries could be performed during MOSTs' time in Xela), a quiet, but stoic tension grew among those who were waiting. One father sat rigidly, tears streaming down his face. Some mothers and fathers, their faces a mix of hopeful determination and stress, would suddenly hold their child close to them and kiss that child tenderly on the top of the head. The tension was broken when huge bags of beanie babies and other stuffed animals were brought out for the children. Smiles and laughter and playfulness eased the tension a bit.

And then the announcements were made. Joy and relief were obvious as most were included for surgery. A young father came to the door of the office and asked a question. No, no, he said, his little daughter had been selected for surgery. It wasn't that he wanted to know. He wondered how much he would need to pay. He was assured by Deb Strike that he would not have to pay anything for his daughter's surgery. An enormous smile grew on his face. In Spanish he said, blessings, blessings, thank you, thank you. Deb told him that his smile was more than enough payment for us. It was one of the many payments of grace and gratitude the team received during the day of screening -- before surgeries had even begun.

Children Waiting on Screening Day

April 7, 2008 ~ Children waiting through the day for news of whether they would have surgery scheduled during the week that the Iowa Miles of Smiles Team would be doing lip/palate & dental surgeries in Xela.