Our 2024 Guatemala Cleft Trip: Day Two of Surgery

Hello again from Antigua, Guatemala, where the Fuego volcano is putting on a show.

Our 2024 cleft trip is now in full swing, with another eleven children receiving their life-changing surgeries today.

Before the magic in the OR got underway this morning, our team did rounds on the patients who received surgery yesterday. The moms on the ward were all smiles this morning, knowing their children were on the road to recovery.

Here are just a few of the wonderful before and afters!

One of the first babies into the OR this morning was seven-month-old Helena, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip.

Her dad is a farmer, planting corn and beans in a rural village. It took her mom over 14 hours to make the long journey into Antigua to see our team. She told us that she had been very worried about Helena qualifying for her operation, because her daughter frequently has fevers and congestion. Thankfully….her lungs were all clear this week!

Baby Elly also had a very long journey this week. Her Mayan parents are very young, and her dad works in the fields planting potatoes. They were shocked and saddened when Elly was delivered as they didn’t know anyone who had a child born with cleft. They were so thankful when they learned that surgery would be possible.

Elly was our sleepiest baby by far following surgery, as it took her over five hours to wake up from anesthesia and then she needed hours of oxygen support. Our team was concerned, and mom was understandably distraught as she watched other babies come out of surgery and immediately perk up. Elly was moved to the ward still on oxygen, and our team members took turns holding her and reassuring her mom.

Thankfully by the end of the day, she was finally taking some apple juice and letting mom relax her worried heart. Dr. Tolan’s repair was, as always, perfection.

Just like tiny Steven, five-month-old Richard came to our team from a nutrition center as well. . At two months of age, he weighed just four pounds. Thankfully, he is now up to 13 pounds!

He was the sweetest little guy, peacefully sleeping when the doctors came to take him back to the OR.

Dr. Ness did a beautiful repair.

Here are a few more of the beautiful babies who received their operations today.

The wonderful volunteers on our team have kept the kids so engaged before surgery, with lots of toys, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk, that most of the children have been very happy in the pre-op area.

Our efforts haven’t won over everyone, however! Molly wins for the best scowl of the week so far….but even her furrowed brows are still absolutely adorable.

Thank you to everyone who is thinking of the children this week. Twelve more are scheduled for tomorrow!

Back to Blog