Yesterday was our first day of surgery. Unfortunately our equipment and supplies still haven’t cleared customs. This is, of course, frustrating for everyone – but it didn’t slow the team down. They jumped into problem-solving mode. Team leads assessed the conditions in the operating and recovery rooms and made lists of what gear they still needed to perform safe and effective procedures. The SUH staff have done their best to accommodate our team’s requests – including lugging an enormous oxygen tank up to our space.

Anesthesiologist Susan Taylor and Lead Nurse Darrell Daugherty convened a full staff Safety Meeting (AfS+SUH) to talk through how the joint team would approach different emergency situations. The group troubleshooted gaps in equipment, medications and supplies in real-time and ensured we had what we needed.

With the ORs prepped, we welcomed the first children of the mission. We had 4 cases total, two primary lips and two dental extractions. Two of our 4 patients are siblings. They were both born with cleft lips. The older brother has already had his lip repaired and was here for dental extractions and a possible palate repair. For his younger sister, this was the first opportunity to get a lip repair.

In the recovery room, mom was beaming. She said she was so happy that her daughter now has a future. She will be able to get a job and get married. And more immediately, she will be able to play outside without getting bullied. She said she was so grateful for our team. All in all, a successful first day of surgery!

Thank you to our friends at the Paramus Rotary Club, Paramus Sunrise Rotary Club, Rotary District 7490, Rotary Club of San Francisco, Trinity International Mission, NJ, and Rotary Club of Sohag for making this possible!