THE JOURNEY GOES ON…

Quito, Ecuador
Bill and Kathy Magee began this journey 25 years ago. They probably never imagine the proportions the promise they made during their first trip to Philippines would become a worldwide initiative. Last night, they arrived in Quito, Ecuador after ten days of extensive traveling across eight countries during the World Journey of Smiles. Early this morning, the Magees joined the wonderful team of medical volunteers in preparation for the last day of surgery.

Francisco Punina, Executive Director of Fundacion Operacion Sonrisa Ecuador (FOSE); Fernando Cordova, local Medical Director; Edward Alvarez, local Surgeon Team Leader for WJOS; and Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee, Co-founders, all addressed the team. All of their remarks followed a common theme; everyone involved in this WJOS mission should be very proud of the great achievements accomplished during these two weeks. “As plastic surgeons, we connect muscles to make a kid smile. As volunteers for Operation Smile, we connect hundreds of committed hands to make a difference in the world,” stated Edward Alvarez.

After the meeting, the team went off to discharge those who were operated on yesterday and began operating the last group of patients. The Magees had a full agenda. They met with representatives from the Lions Club of Quito, an organization that is interested in supporting the efforts of Fundacion Operacion Sonrisa Ecuador (FOSE).

The next step was a meeting with Even Lenin Moreno, Vice President of Ecuador, who has been very supportive of FOSE and WJOS. During the meeting, Dr.Bill and Kathy Magee thanked the Vice President for his commitment to the well-being of Ecuadorian children and his office’s help in carrying out the organization’s mission. As a token of their appreciation, they presented a signed copy of the commemorative book “A Journey of Smiles,” which is a compilation of photos from different Operation Smile missions around the world. The Vice President in return presented Operation Smile with a National Commemorative Seal.

Today, 14 surgeries were conducted. Dr. John Canady; Dr. Randy Sherman, Operation Smile Chief Medical Officer; and Dr. Magee joined the rest of the plastic surgeons. Their surgery was transmitted through a live feed to a hospital auditorium where a select group of doctors was present in order to learn about the type of procedures conducted by Operation Smile.

In total, the WJOS in Ecuador evaluated 197 patients, conducted 107 surgeries and 174 procedures. The Medical Director of Hospital de los Valles, where the mission took place, commented that Operation Smile had served as a great example of the impact that great teamwork and solidarity can have on the patients, setting an example for the staff at this new hospital.

While this update is being written, the final day of surgery is done, but the mission still has one last activity scheduled. The whole team will gather one more time to celebrate the end of an extremely successful mission. Everyone is invited to join the WJOS “Black and White” celebration Gala at the Metropolitan Cultural Center. There, local government groups and other entities will be honoring Operation Smile International and FOSE for their humanitarian services.

After a long trip, this was the last stop for the Magees. This is only one of many stops of a wonderful journey that began with a simple promise 25 years ago. All of us who have been involved with Operation Smile are ready and committed to continue changing the lives of patients all around the world. After all, this is just the beginning. “We have been able to show through medicine the value of truly committed joint efforts; we will continue changing the world one smile at a time,” stated Magee.