THE JOURNEY HOME JOURNAL
by: Bobby Manzano, President & Executive Director, OSP
Good morning Operation Smile
world!
As I promised in my first entry in The Journey Home Journal, I’m updating you on the progress of our mission in the Philippines. We had another productive day yesterday: 118 surgeries, which bring our total to date to 506 (including the 46 we did in the first leg alongside the dental mission in Koronadal).
That’s 506 new
smiles that we’ve created! Can you imagine the joy
these children will feel every time they at look themselves in the mirror for
the rest of their lives?
I couldn’t thank our volunteers enough for doing a great job, and I would like to extend a special note of gratitude to those who travelled many miles from their home country to help us take care of our cleft children.
This has been a most thrilling journey. I must admit that I had my initial doubts when Bill broached the idea of holding the 30th anniversary celebration in Manila with a nine-site medical mission. Mobilizing the resources to launch such a huge undertaking seemed a daunting if not an impossible task at first. But we believed in the cause and so we persevered, and the support came from even unexpected sources.
VXI, a business process outsourcing company, for instance, asked its employees to give just P30 each. They raised close to P1.0 million. We got a call from a group of overseas Filipinos in Switzerland who said they wanted to help. They did a benefit dinner-dance and generated P500,000. Maansi Vohra, the daughter of our trustee Sanjiv and a high school student then, auctioned paintings that she, her family and friends themselves created. She raised P400,000 in just a day of fun and creative activity!
There are more of these amazing stories. A food chain, Cravings, raised P450,000 for us by selling baskets of gourmet goodies to their customers. Couple Josiah and Chiqui Go saw us on Facebook and gave us P1.2 million from the percentage of sale of their Waters Corp. to sponsor the surgery of 80 children. They made the donation in the name of their mother, who turned 80.
Bill was right all along. He has said time and again that if you knock on doors and ask people for money so we can operate on a cleft child whose family could not afford the procedure, they would more likely than not give. Children hold such a powerful appeal to people all over the world, probably because everyone is either a father or a mother or a brother or a sister.
In fact, it’s so powerful that fierce rivals in business find common cause in Operation Smile. The San Miguel Group and the PLDT Group, which compete vigorously in various commercial spheres, gave generously to The Journey Home. So did real estate firms Megaworld and Century Properties; financial institutions Citi, UCPB, Asia United Bank, PSBank and ING Bank Manila; and footwear brands Havaianas and Sanuk.
Foundations that have causes of their own adopted ours as well like the HOPE Volunteers Foundation, the AY Foundation, the Kapampangan Development Foundation, the Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung Charitable Foundation, Operation Blessing and the UPS Foundation.
The insights I’ve gained from The Journey Home has been tremendous. But there’s one simple act that has left an indelible imprint in my mind because I think it reflects the very core of Operation Smile.
I am reprinting in full two e-mail messages, one recounting the act, and the other showing the response it elicited. These messages were sent by Bill, our founder, and Max Edralin, our founding president in Operation Smile Philippines. Max has shared our journey since 1990.
Bill’s message:
“Craig, this is the story of Deo that I've been sending you some of the pictures.
He is a 37-year-old who evidently was present on the very first mission that Kathy and I were on back in 1982. His mother heard that we would be coming back for the 30th anniversary to Naga City and so she came with her son just to say thank you to us for taking care of him those 30 years ago. When I saw him in screening I could see that the repair of his lip and nose was horrible and also that his speech was extremely nasal and not intelligible.
On examining his palate I could see that it was at least 2 cm short of his
posterior pharynx which would make it impossible for him speak intelligibly and
even with extensive speech therapy he could never acquire normal speech.
It was at that time that I felt that we should definitely operate on him. In looking at his examination sheet he was a priority four.
This would certainly mean that he would not get his palate ever repaired and at the very best would get his lip revised.
This seems extraordinarily unjust in my eyes because it was something that we had taken care of in the past and knew it was our responsibility. I felt to live up to our promise to people that we would do the best that we could for that long term. I immediately talked to Willie Go and also to Norrie Oelkers who was right there. Both felt that if there was anything we could do we should help him.
Willie went down to the operating room where they were setting up with Dave the biomedical tech who was setting up the operating room. We explained to him the situation. He was in the process of trying to figure out if he could get the equipment up in time to do it that afternoon.
It became obvious that this would be a real stretch and so we ended up having a team meeting with Connie who was the nurse in charge of the operative scheduling and also with Isabelle, the anesthesiologist, Andre, the team leader and Plastic Surgeon from Russia, and a number of the other team members. Together we were able to figure out how we might be able to do this on Sunday morning if we could get up at 5 AM and get started in the operating room extremely early. Everyone decided that this was an acceptable plan and we would move forward.
We loaded ourselves into the van somewhere around 5:15 in the morning and were off to the Hospital to begin what would be the first case of the 30th anniversary celebration in Naga city.
With the help of a wonderful group of people who circled around this mother and son we lengthened this palate and revise this lip and nose.
In the recovery room his mother joined him tearfully thanking us for extending ourselves to help them and virtually everyone present either had tears in their heart and/or tears coming down their cheeks knowing that they had all been part of something that was the right thing to do.
It was a wonderful way to begin the 30th anniversary in the Philippines. I hope that this will continue to broadcast the standard that all of us believe that whenever we can make it happen, we will make it happen.Craig, I will try to send you some more of the video so that you can put it behind this. Thanks again. Bill”
Max’s message:
"Thank you, Bill. I want to say a few words. I am deeply touched by this development. I am probably your oldest link to the early years of Operation Smile still running around.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been there in Naga, thanks to Bobby, to bear witness to this demonstration of our genuine concern for our patients.
I was there with you when we saw Deo and his mother come in during our press conference at the Bicol Medical Center last Saturday. Having been involved in the formative years of OpSmile, I've been an early advocate of efforts to locate former patients to get success stories. I would be overjoyed, for example, to see a former cleft lip who has become a politician delivering powerful speeches. I was the one who discovered that Catherine Bandol, a cleft lip at 2 years old, could sing because her father Ed, a radio broadcaster, told me so in an interivew 5 years ago. (Catherine sang Moon River during dinner last Saturday).
And so I went to see Deo where he was seated to interview him. I could sense something wrong right away. The boy, now 37, could not speak. No wonder that as soon as he arrived Dr. Magee opened the boy's mouth and then muttered something like the palate was not properly done. When we said our good nights last Saturday Dr. Magee said he would be up at 5 a.m. to go to the hospital. I knew then it was about fixing the defects that Deo carried for the last 30 years.
We all praised Bobby Manzano and his team for the excellent preparations to celebrate the 30th year of OpSmile in Naga where it all began, praise, which Bobby and his team deserved in full dose. Things went like clockwork. But I think the highlight of the celebration was the happiness that we brought to Deo and his mom, witness the tears of joy after the operation, proof of the love, passion, and concept of family that Bill and Kathy Magee have always been talking about.
On my part, in my remarks last Saturday during the presscon I said what distinguishes OpSmile from all other medical missions is our consistency -- consistency on the part of our volunteers and the companies and individuals who have been picking up the bills all these many years, and consistency in our belief in the worthwhileness of what we are doing, which is to make it possible for everyone in the world to smile -- indeed,and it is never trite to repeat and repeat, to change lives one smile at a time.
Mabuhay sila Bill and Kathy Magee. Mabuhay ang Operation Smile.
MAX EDRALIN JR.
President, OpSmile Philippines
1990-1999”
Albert Santos
As I promised in my first entry in The Journey Home Journal, I’m updating you on the progress of our mission in the Philippines. We had another productive day yesterday: 118 surgeries, which bring our total to date to 506 (including the 46 we did in the first leg alongside the dental mission in Koronadal).
 |
| Dr. Sonny Santos |
I couldn’t thank our volunteers enough for doing a great job, and I would like to extend a special note of gratitude to those who travelled many miles from their home country to help us take care of our cleft children.
This has been a most thrilling journey. I must admit that I had my initial doubts when Bill broached the idea of holding the 30th anniversary celebration in Manila with a nine-site medical mission. Mobilizing the resources to launch such a huge undertaking seemed a daunting if not an impossible task at first. But we believed in the cause and so we persevered, and the support came from even unexpected sources.
 |
| Friends of Maansi taking part in the Paintathon |
There are more of these amazing stories. A food chain, Cravings, raised P450,000 for us by selling baskets of gourmet goodies to their customers. Couple Josiah and Chiqui Go saw us on Facebook and gave us P1.2 million from the percentage of sale of their Waters Corp. to sponsor the surgery of 80 children. They made the donation in the name of their mother, who turned 80.
Bill was right all along. He has said time and again that if you knock on doors and ask people for money so we can operate on a cleft child whose family could not afford the procedure, they would more likely than not give. Children hold such a powerful appeal to people all over the world, probably because everyone is either a father or a mother or a brother or a sister.
In fact, it’s so powerful that fierce rivals in business find common cause in Operation Smile. The San Miguel Group and the PLDT Group, which compete vigorously in various commercial spheres, gave generously to The Journey Home. So did real estate firms Megaworld and Century Properties; financial institutions Citi, UCPB, Asia United Bank, PSBank and ING Bank Manila; and footwear brands Havaianas and Sanuk.
Foundations that have causes of their own adopted ours as well like the HOPE Volunteers Foundation, the AY Foundation, the Kapampangan Development Foundation, the Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung Charitable Foundation, Operation Blessing and the UPS Foundation.
The insights I’ve gained from The Journey Home has been tremendous. But there’s one simple act that has left an indelible imprint in my mind because I think it reflects the very core of Operation Smile.
I am reprinting in full two e-mail messages, one recounting the act, and the other showing the response it elicited. These messages were sent by Bill, our founder, and Max Edralin, our founding president in Operation Smile Philippines. Max has shared our journey since 1990.
Bill’s message:
“Craig, this is the story of Deo that I've been sending you some of the pictures.
He is a 37-year-old who evidently was present on the very first mission that Kathy and I were on back in 1982. His mother heard that we would be coming back for the 30th anniversary to Naga City and so she came with her son just to say thank you to us for taking care of him those 30 years ago. When I saw him in screening I could see that the repair of his lip and nose was horrible and also that his speech was extremely nasal and not intelligible.
 |
| Bill with Deo after surgery |
It was at that time that I felt that we should definitely operate on him. In looking at his examination sheet he was a priority four.
This would certainly mean that he would not get his palate ever repaired and at the very best would get his lip revised.
This seems extraordinarily unjust in my eyes because it was something that we had taken care of in the past and knew it was our responsibility. I felt to live up to our promise to people that we would do the best that we could for that long term. I immediately talked to Willie Go and also to Norrie Oelkers who was right there. Both felt that if there was anything we could do we should help him.
Willie went down to the operating room where they were setting up with Dave the biomedical tech who was setting up the operating room. We explained to him the situation. He was in the process of trying to figure out if he could get the equipment up in time to do it that afternoon.
It became obvious that this would be a real stretch and so we ended up having a team meeting with Connie who was the nurse in charge of the operative scheduling and also with Isabelle, the anesthesiologist, Andre, the team leader and Plastic Surgeon from Russia, and a number of the other team members. Together we were able to figure out how we might be able to do this on Sunday morning if we could get up at 5 AM and get started in the operating room extremely early. Everyone decided that this was an acceptable plan and we would move forward.
We loaded ourselves into the van somewhere around 5:15 in the morning and were off to the Hospital to begin what would be the first case of the 30th anniversary celebration in Naga city.
With the help of a wonderful group of people who circled around this mother and son we lengthened this palate and revise this lip and nose.
In the recovery room his mother joined him tearfully thanking us for extending ourselves to help them and virtually everyone present either had tears in their heart and/or tears coming down their cheeks knowing that they had all been part of something that was the right thing to do.
It was a wonderful way to begin the 30th anniversary in the Philippines. I hope that this will continue to broadcast the standard that all of us believe that whenever we can make it happen, we will make it happen.Craig, I will try to send you some more of the video so that you can put it behind this. Thanks again. Bill”
Max’s message:
"Thank you, Bill. I want to say a few words. I am deeply touched by this development. I am probably your oldest link to the early years of Operation Smile still running around.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been there in Naga, thanks to Bobby, to bear witness to this demonstration of our genuine concern for our patients.
I was there with you when we saw Deo and his mother come in during our press conference at the Bicol Medical Center last Saturday. Having been involved in the formative years of OpSmile, I've been an early advocate of efforts to locate former patients to get success stories. I would be overjoyed, for example, to see a former cleft lip who has become a politician delivering powerful speeches. I was the one who discovered that Catherine Bandol, a cleft lip at 2 years old, could sing because her father Ed, a radio broadcaster, told me so in an interivew 5 years ago. (Catherine sang Moon River during dinner last Saturday).
And so I went to see Deo where he was seated to interview him. I could sense something wrong right away. The boy, now 37, could not speak. No wonder that as soon as he arrived Dr. Magee opened the boy's mouth and then muttered something like the palate was not properly done. When we said our good nights last Saturday Dr. Magee said he would be up at 5 a.m. to go to the hospital. I knew then it was about fixing the defects that Deo carried for the last 30 years.
We all praised Bobby Manzano and his team for the excellent preparations to celebrate the 30th year of OpSmile in Naga where it all began, praise, which Bobby and his team deserved in full dose. Things went like clockwork. But I think the highlight of the celebration was the happiness that we brought to Deo and his mom, witness the tears of joy after the operation, proof of the love, passion, and concept of family that Bill and Kathy Magee have always been talking about.
On my part, in my remarks last Saturday during the presscon I said what distinguishes OpSmile from all other medical missions is our consistency -- consistency on the part of our volunteers and the companies and individuals who have been picking up the bills all these many years, and consistency in our belief in the worthwhileness of what we are doing, which is to make it possible for everyone in the world to smile -- indeed,and it is never trite to repeat and repeat, to change lives one smile at a time.
Mabuhay sila Bill and Kathy Magee. Mabuhay ang Operation Smile.
MAX EDRALIN JR.
President, OpSmile Philippines
1990-1999”
For inquiries, contact:
Albert Santos
(02) 8119739
albert.santos@operationsmile.org.ph
Ricky Lepatan
(0917) 811 9807
rylepatan@yahoo.com
