Mexico update from DG Doug Vincent
Posted by Douglas W. Vincent
Greetings D7080 Presidents, District Leaders & friends . .
As many of you know, I am currently in Mexico where we've been generously hosted these past few days by the Devlyn family in Mexico City. After spending Sunday sightseeing and Monday am with Frank and Jesse Devlyn at their corporate offices, we headed to Ixtapan where we've participated in a medical mission doing eye surgeries. Can you imagine seeing me in operating room in "scrubs" complete with hat and booties?
As many of you know, I am currently in Mexico where we've been generously hosted these past few days by the Devlyn family in Mexico City. After spending Sunday sightseeing and Monday am with Frank and Jesse Devlyn at their corporate offices, we headed to Ixtapan where we've participated in a medical mission doing eye surgeries. Can you imagine seeing me in operating room in "scrubs" complete with hat and booties?
Although I've been on several humanitarian aid trips, this is a new hands-on experience for me and great see how happy and appreciative the patients are, with everyone calling you "Doctor". All of us are like Doctors to those we're helping. Yesterday's surgical patients returned this morning for a check over. It was an experience observing the older folk with eye patches, being led in by family members, and anticipating their results when the bandages came off. Can you imagine witnessing a grandmother's reaction when she saw her granddaughter for the first time in her life! After an OK from the supervising Doc, they were each given Devlyn sun glasses to protect their eyes from daylight, plus medication and note to return for review by local doctors next week.
In the meantime the operating room was being prepared by volunteer nurses. Much of the equipment was brought here by Rotarians and World Blindness Outreach volunteers, since there is no adequate surgical equipment. A $60,000 surgery microscope was loaned by the Devlyn firm, much to the delight of the doctors. The team is great and mostly from Pennsylvania area.
After a pre-op check of a patient's health history, sight and medical condition, they come in for surgery. To keep everyone straight, a Polaroid photo is taken of each patient with a number placed on tape above their eye. This is then placed in a reference binder which is retained with medical details on each patient.
Yesterday the team only did 16 surgeries but expect more daily after getting better organized after the first day. The target is to have 100 people receive eyesight by end of the week, which is the number pre-screened from the original 500 requests. So there is opportunity for more missions in this area, including other general medical treatments that may be coordinated with D7080 volunteers at a health fair next winter. If anyone is interested in this Rotary service possibility by helping coordinate or participate, please contact me so a planning committee can be formed asap. I also urge you to share this opportunity with your members.
Last night I was invited to the farewell dinner for a departing Plastic Surgery team. It was great to hear the various stories from Doctors and Nurses, regarding the children they had worked on and the interactions that had taken place with family members. Many families brought them small gifts, including many peaches from a farmer who had nothing else to give in appreciation. The non-medical volunteers were involved with children, giving out toys and doing activities while waiting in pre-op area or after surgery in the recovery area. It was a tear jerking time when the coordinator shared letters and artistic appreciation posters the children had done.
We've been here with a DG friend from Pennsylvania, Alden Cunningham, who's district 7390 has sponsored these medical missions, plus wheel chairs and many other literacy items. Over the next couple days, we'll be busy helping DG Olga Devlyn and her team distribute computers, books and sports equipment to ten poor schools. School directors and local residents will come to a central point to pick up the items for their communities. Then on Friday, as part of the district conference, Rotarian groups will travel to each of these schools to observe those helped and participate in the official turnover ceremonies.
In addition to the above items, it will also be a greater experience for us to help distribute the first installment of wheel chairs that you and D7080 Rotarians have contributed. I am pleased that Dale and Mary Devlin from RC Milton will be here to help and understand the Mexican President's wife will also be with us.
So that is an update on what we and your Rotary Foundation are doing, sent with thanks to all of you who have so generously given to your Rotary Foundation. If you have not already made your personal contribution, now is the time. It is amazing what just $100 or $1000 can do to help make a difference in someone's life. I urge you to make a personal contribution today and ask you to encourage all members to do likewise, so we can continue to share a light of hope into those many dark corners of despair around our world.
With best regards and appreciation on behalf of those
needy people who are receiving your help here this week.
Doug V.
Douglas W Vincent, RC Woodstock-Oxford
District Governor 7080, 2005/06
Rotary Foundation Cadre Advisor
R I Technology Committee 02/03
R I Fellowships Committee 03/05
International Chairman, ROTI 01/03
In the meantime the operating room was being prepared by volunteer nurses. Much of the equipment was brought here by Rotarians and World Blindness Outreach volunteers, since there is no adequate surgical equipment. A $60,000 surgery microscope was loaned by the Devlyn firm, much to the delight of the doctors. The team is great and mostly from Pennsylvania area.
After a pre-op check of a patient's health history, sight and medical condition, they come in for surgery. To keep everyone straight, a Polaroid photo is taken of each patient with a number placed on tape above their eye. This is then placed in a reference binder which is retained with medical details on each patient.
Yesterday the team only did 16 surgeries but expect more daily after getting better organized after the first day. The target is to have 100 people receive eyesight by end of the week, which is the number pre-screened from the original 500 requests. So there is opportunity for more missions in this area, including other general medical treatments that may be coordinated with D7080 volunteers at a health fair next winter. If anyone is interested in this Rotary service possibility by helping coordinate or participate, please contact me so a planning committee can be formed asap. I also urge you to share this opportunity with your members.
Last night I was invited to the farewell dinner for a departing Plastic Surgery team. It was great to hear the various stories from Doctors and Nurses, regarding the children they had worked on and the interactions that had taken place with family members. Many families brought them small gifts, including many peaches from a farmer who had nothing else to give in appreciation. The non-medical volunteers were involved with children, giving out toys and doing activities while waiting in pre-op area or after surgery in the recovery area. It was a tear jerking time when the coordinator shared letters and artistic appreciation posters the children had done.
We've been here with a DG friend from Pennsylvania, Alden Cunningham, who's district 7390 has sponsored these medical missions, plus wheel chairs and many other literacy items. Over the next couple days, we'll be busy helping DG Olga Devlyn and her team distribute computers, books and sports equipment to ten poor schools. School directors and local residents will come to a central point to pick up the items for their communities. Then on Friday, as part of the district conference, Rotarian groups will travel to each of these schools to observe those helped and participate in the official turnover ceremonies.
In addition to the above items, it will also be a greater experience for us to help distribute the first installment of wheel chairs that you and D7080 Rotarians have contributed. I am pleased that Dale and Mary Devlin from RC Milton will be here to help and understand the Mexican President's wife will also be with us.
So that is an update on what we and your Rotary Foundation are doing, sent with thanks to all of you who have so generously given to your Rotary Foundation. If you have not already made your personal contribution, now is the time. It is amazing what just $100 or $1000 can do to help make a difference in someone's life. I urge you to make a personal contribution today and ask you to encourage all members to do likewise, so we can continue to share a light of hope into those many dark corners of despair around our world.
With best regards and appreciation on behalf of those
needy people who are receiving your help here this week.
Doug V.
District Governor 7080, 2005/06
Rotary Foundation Cadre Advisor
R I Technology Committee 02/03
R I Fellowships Committee 03/05
International Chairman, ROTI 01/03