55 cleft surgeries in 5 days

The team from Faces of Tomorrow is practically a “traveling hospital”. To see them work so cohesively and efficiently as a team was like seeing magic happen. In total the team is 30 strong, plus 5 amazing peace corps volunteers who were stationed in Bohol. They acted as their translators, runners, the discharge team, and who knows what else, all at the same time.

They’re just awesome, like double rainbows, or Narnia.

Each operating room had 1 surgeon, 1 surgery tech, a couple of assistants from the local hospital, and an anesthesiologist. Try saying that 3 times fast. In bisaya! Its impossible because I don’t know what anesthesiologist is in bisaya.

An anesthesiologist prepping his equipment:

The doctors even had an iPod playing Coldplay’s “How to Save a Life” so you can get people pumped up to save lives. Or in my case, tearing up and almost dropping my camera.

During one operation Dr. Moses carefully closed up a cleft lip of 8 month old Berlyn, and after a few hours of holding back tears, I was even more thankful that these kids would get a chance at feeling more “normal”.

A big, DAGKONG SALAMAT to the wonderful, life-altering surgeons, doctors, and team members of Faces of Tomorrow. Tomorrow is definitely looking bright for about 50 families, and subsequently, 50 communities this week.

As for my buddy Jesse? I hope to see him at the post op tomorrow morning! With that said, up next… post op photos and discharges!

*Correction: “How to save a life” is by The Fray! I keep forgetting Coldplay isn’t the only band who plays awesome emo music!