Emiliano, one of the children
The medical and SMILE team at dinner
Pictures from Puebla, Mexico
Southwest High School and
SMILE NETWORK
The cleft palate/harelip conditions are often heredity, which is observed by seeing so many of the parents with repaired lips. Also, there is a heavy concentration of the conditions here in the Puebla area, which some on the team are talking about researching. We also learned that in really tiny infants (we have seen three 1-month-olds), the lip can be repaired but it is not advisable to do the palate surgery, as the tissues are too tender; they prefer to wait some months until the tissues are stronger. So if a tiny one ONLY needs the harelip repair he is a candidate for surgery, but if the palate is involved he is deferred until later.
Some of these families travel many hours or days to get here. And occasionally someone wanders into the clinic with an issue that we can't help. One lady asked me for help with her young son who had a very large abdominal tumor. She had she had been coming to the hospital many times, but no one seemed willing to help her. I was able to put her in contact with the local doctor who is doing all of our medical histories. Hopefully something good can come for this youngster.
We are working in a children's hospital (Puebla Children's I suppose you could call it), and the place can be cold. There is a sign in the main lobby (I photographed it) asking for donations of blankets, sweaters, socks, jackets, etc. for the parents waiting for so many hours in the lobby while their children are in intensive care or therapy.
Some of these families travel many hours or days to get here. And occasionally someone wanders into the clinic with an issue that we can't help. One lady asked me for help with her young son who had a very large abdominal tumor. She had she had been coming to the hospital many times, but no one seemed willing to help her. I was able to put her in contact with the local doctor who is doing all of our medical histories. Hopefully something good can come for this youngster.
We are working in a children's hospital (Puebla Children's I suppose you could call it), and the place can be cold. There is a sign in the main lobby (I photographed it) asking for donations of blankets, sweaters, socks, jackets, etc. for the parents waiting for so many hours in the lobby while their children are in intensive care or therapy.
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