Smiles International


  • Photographer
    Paul Papanek
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Date of Photograph
    07/12/14
  • Technical Info
    Nikon D700 & various lenses

A partial look at a weekend of life-changing cleft lip and palette surgeries for underprivileged children in Baja, Mexico. The surgeries are performed by a group of volunteer surgeons, dentists, doctors and nurses - all a part of Smiles International.

Story

SMILES INTERNATIONAL, TECATE, MEXICO

When most people think about going to Baja, Mexico for a long weekend, it’s usually about beaches, beer and fish tacos. For an international group of volunteer dentists, anesthesiologists, and nurses, however, that long weekend is about something else entirely – changing lives. Three times a year since 2005, they get themselves to Tecate, Baja, Mexico for a two packed days of cleft lip and palette surgeries for underprivileged and underserved children from Northern Mexico. They’re working with Smiles International, a charitable organization founded by Dr. Jeff Moses – a retired maxillofacial surgeon – and his wife. Together, they are a sheer force of nature.

In a matter of a few hours, this group of volunteers will have changed the lives of every child they see. It’s amazing to watch.

In July of 2014, I made my third trip to Tecate with them to document their weekend. Dr. Moses and I first crossed paths a few years ago via a medical referral. He was about two minutes into telling me about Smiles International when I heard myself asking if he had any need for photography. I think my first trip down was a few weeks later.

Working in concert with Rotary Clubs in Tecate and Southern California, they descend on a clinic in town and have an intense morning of screening potential patients as well as previous ones who need further surgeries. The Rotary Club has gotten the word out across the region, and families begin to line up hours before the team arrives. Children are examined and evaluated. Parents are questioned for histories. Those who are chosen have their blood work done and vital signs taken.

While this is going on, another team is at the Rotary-funded hospital a few miles outside of town, prepping the operating rooms for the patients who are set to arrive that afternoon. One room is a proper OR, but the other is about the size of a large walk-in closet. It’s makeshift, but not compromised. It gets crowded very quickly.

On my previous trips, the team performed between 12 and 14 surgeries over one and a half days. This weekend, there were just six. But those six took about the same amount of time due to the complexities of the procedures. The team never wavered, fueled by dedication and a never-ending supply of food from the Rotarians.

What impressed me the most, however, was the courage of the children. Many of the kids are there for their second, third, or fourth procedure. They know what’s coming. And yet, according to their parents, they’re often the ones who prod them into making sure they get to the clinic for their next surgery. In turn, the parents get their own courage from their child. It’s a contagious courage that reaches and inspires everyone in the building.

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