Here's something we don't get to do often enough... Travel to an exotic location with an inspiring group of professionals who are donating their time for a worthy cause...and capture it all on video.
...and I got to wear SCRUBS, so that sealed the deal. Seriously, Medical Hands for Healing is a group of cosmetic surgeons, nurses, medical staff, and organizers that offer their time at no cost and pay their own way to third world countries to help those in need.
The most common problem we saw during the week we were there was a cleft lip or palate. While not life-threatening, this condition can be extremely difficult to live with, and often results in few or no teeth in your mouth, and a hole that allows food and liquids to enter your nose while you eat. Speech can be difficult, and it also presents the stigma of a deformed face.
Here in the US, a cleft lip is treated soon after birth, but we saw cases ranging from birth to thirty years old. I can't imagine living with such a condition for that amount of time. It really underscored just how lucky we are to be living in the USA.
It's a wonderful thing to see the look on a Mom's face after her baby is returned to her following a procedure by one of these wonderful doctors. But it's truly a group effort, as nurses, organizers, and other volunteers all work together for the benefit of these poverty stricken people
I was just an innocent bystander during all this, but the video documentary I make will hopefully help raise money for Medical Hands for Healing, and we also shot a couple of training videos for the local Doctors to help them get up to speed.
It was a wonderful, eye-opening experience, and I'd like to thank Dr. Aldo Guerra and the rest of the crew of allowing me to participate.
