Journal Entry # 7

THE JOURNEY HOME JOURNAL

by: Bobby Manzano, President & Executive Director, OSP

We’re nearing the journey’s end.  In four more days, we’ll complete our month-long, nine-city medical mission.  It’s been an unbelievable ride.  To date, we’ve already done 824 surgeries -- 152 yesterday, 131 the other day and 541 during the first and second legs.  In addition, we’ve provided more than 8,000 medical evaluations and 6,110 dental treatments. 

Since The Journey Home started on October 25, I’ve logged 10,462 kilometers on land and air visiting the mission sites with Bill and Kathy. The fatigue is starting to set in and, often, we’d find ourselves drowsing on the plane or at the back of the car as we moved from one place to another.

But the moment we set foot on a mission site, we’d all get an adrenalin rush from seeing the expectant look on the eyes of those children, who had long endured their deformities, as they wait their turn on the operating room. They need Operation Smile. Their future lies in our hands. We have to keep on going for them.   

It seems that every day brings fresh news that promise bright possibilities for the future of our organization.  

We were in Cebu the other day, and an official of the Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung Charitable Foundation (MSYCF) told the press during our media briefing there that “they’d continue to support Operation Smile for as long we need them.”  The MSYCF has been our partner in Cebu for 15 years.      

Yesterday, we met with Br. Augustine L. Boquer, the president of the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute (DLSHI), our site partner in Dasmarinas.  He said to us:  “You only have to call us and you will always receive a yes.  We’ll help you look for patients, volunteers and funds.  Consider De La Salle your second home.” 

Later in the afternoon, we drove back to Manila to see Mr. Ramon Ang, the president and CEO of Philippine Air Lines and San Miguel Corporation, both key corporate supporters. He’s a very busy man yet he took the time, in between his other meetings, to meet with us.  He left us with his key executives and we explored with them other avenues for expanding the partnership.     

This morning, we are meeting with Health Secretary Enrique Ona to brief him on our current programs and future plans.  The Department of Health is the linchpin in our public-private partnership strategy.  I have high hopes that our discussion with Secretary Ona today will yield concrete results. 

The Journey Home concludes on December 1, but our journey will continue.  There are thousands of children here and in other parts of the globe who needs healing, who needs our help.  We cannot fail them.

On December 2, we take the first step to the next 30 years.  Tough challenges lay ahead.  The good thing is that more will be traveling the road with us.  The excitement that The Journey Home had created won us new converts to the cause and strengthened the commitment of our current volunteers, donors and partners.  

Cheers to everybody!