New Smiles in Hanoi
Today, Nov 12th, saw the end of surgeries at Hanoi’s Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital. The 130th Operation Smile patient was through by 2pm, a truly remarkable effort in only 2 and one half days by this team of Vietnamese surgeons and nurses. In a surprise turn-out, the lively and talkative nuns at the convent next door wheeled out to the gate a gigantic pot of hot soup and then called the families to come over and help themselves to lunch.
Most of the families were cleared to leave, and were shipped in large taxis to the bus station to begin their long journeys home. The remaining will be released over the next day or two.
A sense of sadness pervades the hospital and its mostly empty wards now for the team of volunteers. Most of the smiley faces and memorable personalities have departed to get back to their busy lives. But an even stronger sense of an excellent job completed leaves them all patting each other on the back. Now we’re all just talking about how soon we can meet up and do it all over again.
- Peter Stuckings, Operation Smile volunteer photographer