As both a Lions member and an Operation Smile medical volunteer, it was with great excitement that I joined other Australians to travel to Iloilo in the Philippines for a medical mission sponsored in part by Lions. Along with approximately 60 volunteers from around the world we went to provide free surgical care to children and adults with cleft lip and palate conditions. It was our aim to change as many lives as possible in the short time we were there; one smile at a time!As a volunteer working in a foreign country, it is very important to me to treat everyone with dignity. While on an Operation Smile mission I am committed to giving exceptional care to all my patients and their families, and working with colleagues to allow the best outcome for all. During the 4 and a half days of operating, 116 lives were successfully changed through surgery. It is always an amazing feeling when a patient, whatever age –baby, child or adult—comes into your operating room. Often they come in with so
much fear in their eyes, but then you see them reunited with their family with their surgery completed. It really touches your heart when you see them greet their loved ones for the first time following surgery. The last patient to be operated on in my room was a 64 year old gentleman, married with 7 children, and the only member of the family to have a cleft lip. He had not been invited to one of his children’s weddings because his facial deformity was seen as an embarrassment. He was so excited that he had the opportunity to have his surgery. When it was over we gave him a mirror to see himself. His eyes said it all! His tears flowed and every time he looked in the mirror he would cry. Apparently he was still crying when he went up to the ward afterwards. This is what makes our job so rewarding! As volunteers, we give our time and skills, and in a relatively short time, we can change so many lives.In the countries where Operation Smile does its missions healthcare is expensive and unaffordable for many people. Here in Australia we
have Medicare and a free hospital system, but many people around the world, including in the Philippines, don’t have that luxury. By supporting the Lions Australia Operation Smile Project, together as Lions we can continue to make sure that life-changing surgical care can be made available to children who are waiting for their chance to smile!
A Lions Member and Medical Volunteer Mission to Philippines, Joan Macrow
Message from ChairmanSince the start of this great Lions Australia project in 2010 we have worked hard, through Operation Smile Australia, to improve the quality of life, for many youngsters who have suffered from either cleft lips, cleft palate or other craniofacial problems. At this stage your Lions Australia project
has helped more than 4500 young people throughout South East Asia, China and India.For 2018 it is anticipated that there will be another 18 missions undertaken throughout these countries and Morocco, which need assistance in treating these medical issues.The generous support of you Lions,
Lioness and Leos Club members throughout Australia has ensured the great success of this project and we, because of this wonderful support, intend to seek an extension of this project for another three years at the Geelong Convention in 2019. We would really appreciate your support along the way.PDG David Floyd Chairman.
Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018
Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018
China
When Happy, out-going Yi Miang was born with a cleft lip and palate his family was shocked, “how did this come from me?” his Mother Lu Gong’e asked herself. Gong’e has twin daughters who were born without clefts which made it hard for her to understand how this could have happened to Yi Miang.
Yi Miang’s parents were always told that cleft was operable however, not at the hospital Yi Miang was born at. They began to search for hospitals that could operate on young Yi Miang, however, no hospitals nearby had the resources or specialists to do so. An Operation Smile representative visited Yi Miang’s village to spread the word about the upcoming mission in Lincang. Excited by the prospect of her son receiving a free, safe surgery Lu Gong’e along with her Mother-in-law accompanied Yi Miang to the mission site. After a 20-hour bus journey they arrived to the mission site and were surprised to see so many other children like Yi Miang waiting to be screened.
Australian medical volunteers gave Yi Miang a full medical evaluation and he was cleared to receive a surgery. Australian surgeons operated on Yi Miang’s cleft lip.
After Yi Miang’s surgery his Mother and Grandmother were amazed with the change in his face. Five months post op Yi Miang and his Mother travelled to another Operation Smile mission site in Bijie City, hoping that Yi Miang would once again be screened and cleared for surgery, this time to close his cleft palate. The happy one year old was cleared and received a surgery. While at both mission’s Lu Gong’e took lots of photos of the doctors, nurses and volunteers and hopes to show them to Yi Miang when he is older so that he can see all the people who changed his and his family’s lives forever.
Lu Gong’e hopes that her son will grow up strong, healthy and will have a kind heart and a desire to help others, the way that the Operation Smile volunteers have helped him.
A NEW SMILE FOr
Yi Miang
Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018
November, 2017 November, 2017 February, 2018
3 4 1116 187 111
PHILIPPINES INDIA PHILIPPINES
As one of 7 Operating Room nurses, I worked in a theatre with team members from India, Russia, Kenya, Canada and myself from Australia. Although only a few days prior we were complete strangers, we came together to create a great team that worked so well together. With safety as our main priority, we
were able to overcome
language barriers and power outages through professionalism, skill and open mindedness. Reminiscing on the amazing 6 days of surgery in Haldia and the 187 life changing surgeries that we performed, I feel overwhelmed to have been a small part of it. One patient that stays with me is a 19-year-old lady with a young child and husband whom had her cleft lip repaired under local anaesthetic. She was very nervous and that potentially lead to the seizure she had prior to starting surgery the first time. This seizure threatened her being cancelled from the list. But with much consideration by the surgeons and anaesthetists, they established a safe way for her to receive the life changing
surgery that she deserved whilst under close medical supervision. The team went above and beyond to have her receive this surgery, and hers and her family ’s life is now changed forever thanks to Operation Smile and the highly skilled professionals providing the care.
AN AuSTrALIAN vOLuNTEEr IN India, BrIONY hENEGhAN NOvEMBEr 2017
uPDATESmISSION
Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018
Lions AustrALiA operAtion smiLe project mission History
Thanks to the help of Lions, Lioness and Leo Clubs, there are 4592 new smiles in the world!
You can be part of the Project: Together we can change the lives of more children.
If your Club would like to make
a donation please follow the
instructions below.
Donations by cheque: Payable to “Lions Australia
Operation Smile Project”,
care of the Brisbane Holland
Park Lions Club,
PO BOX 42,
Holland Park,
QLD 4121.
Donations by EFT: Brisbane Holland Park Lions
Club, Everyday Account.
BSB: 484 799
Account Number: 5057 422 42
CambodiaWorld Care - Sonny Jay march 2010
8 1
World Care - ElizabEth June 2011
8 1
China(FEngkai)
november 201111 158
india(bhUdanESWaR)
november 20123 118
China (FEngkai)
october 20133 120
india (kolkata)
January 20142 129
China(zhangiaJJiE) July 2014
1 93
China(ziyang) october 2014
3 103
Philippines mega mission
5 SitES June 20158 633
United States naval hospital
august 20153 81
ViEtnam(hUE/hanoi)
april 20168 177
PhiliPPinES(CEbU)
June 20163 105
China(liUyang)
august 20161 71
PhiliPPinES (CaVitE)
September 20164 86
india(PanSkURa) January 2017
4 179
PhiliPPinES(lEgazPi) Feb/mar 2017
3 69
China (daFang) april 2017
1 80
india (dURgaPUR)
PhiliPPinES(iloilo)
PhiliPPinES(CEbU)
PhiliPPinES (baColod)
may 20173 139
august 2017
november 2017
February 2018
7
3
1
140
116
111
march 201013
PhiliPPinES (CaVitE)
india(haldia)
august 2017
november 2017
5
4
100
187
China (linxia)may 2017
1 78
india(haldia) may 2017
4 157
China (yingJiang)
march 20171 60
PhiliPPinES (manila)Feb/mar 2017
2 96
China(linCang, yUnnan)
november 20166 89
China(Jinan)
September 20161 85
ViEtnam(QUang ngai)June 2016
1 97
World Care - JESSiCa loWa Png april 2016
8 0.5
China(yingJiang)
november 20151 73
China(mEngzi)
october 20151 44
China(linxia)
September 20151 97
United States naval hospitalJuly 2015
5 42
myanmaR (nay Pyi taW) march 2015
3 161
World Care - JESSiCa loWa Png September 2014
8 0.5
Cambodia(SaVy RiEng)July 2014
21 87
China (ChEngdo)
november 20131 112
ViEtnam(hanoi)
September 20132 14
PhiliPPinES (daVao)
march 201230 9
China(kaShgaR)august 2011
8 128
mercy Ship dili - EaSt timoR2010
23 57
108
Lions Australia Operation Smile Project. Holland Park Lions Club, PO BOX 42, Holland Park, QLD 4121