PDG Donna-Lee Rubin introduced her program by saying that the mission to Chile which took place January 23-February 3 was the seventh mission since 2001. She thanked and recognized the volunteers and the club for their continued support, without which the mission wouldn't be possible.
Donna-Lee told us that this mission was different from past missions as the patients were mostly older children and adults who are not eligible for the government-sponsored surgery that is now provided to children under age 7 in Chile. In past missions most of the surgery was to correct cleft lip and palate, fused fingers, wry neck, eye and ear problems, but it was done as corrective rather than cosmetic surgery.
Donna-Lee recognized all the volunteers who have sacrificed their time, jobs, and families to participate in these missions. She presented to Helene a certificate of recognition from Rotaplast International for the club's continued support. She said that Rotaplast's mission is that by 2025 there shall be no child untreated. Some of the disfigurements are caused by a lack of vitamin B12. In Asia as many as one in 25 children suffers some disfigurement.
Donna-Lee showed us slides of various facets of the trip and said she was pleased to land in Chile and find all the boxes they brought had arrived on time. She described the climate which is dry with temperatures around 80 degrees, and with a terrain and crops very much like in California's wine country.
The mission has become a world community service project for Rotary, teaching those in other countries that Americans can be unselfish and generous and kind, and helping them to understand our culture. She mentioned a program called Legacy Children, by which a child from Bolivia was brought to Boston for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery that was unavailable in their country.
The surgeries performed on this mission were on older children who had serious deformities requiring bone grafts, reshaping and maxillofacial surgery. They performed 77 surgeries on this trip. They had 3 operating rooms available and the facilities were well-equipped if not totally modern. The director of the mission was a Norwegian from the west coast who owns a ranch and wears cowboy boots, even in the operating room!
On their one day off the team was taken to a copper mine and to a luncheon. They also were treated to a traditional Chilean dance presentation. At the end of the trip the entire team was photographed with their hosts before departing for home and back to work! In recognition of the mission, Helene presented to Donna-Lee our usual certificate of donation to Trauma Intervention Program and her sincere thanks and appreciation from all.
An enterprising young lady named Kathleen Buck requested time today to tell us about her reading and writing conference at West Elementary School, as part of the STOP program. The program is called WE Rocks, and it was set up to allow parents to visit the school and learn what the students have done with the writing project. Kudos to Kathleen for being so creative - and an excellent speaker who honored the "minute" as well!