Notes from Phnom Penh
Lay’s New Smile
Every mission has at least a few cases that seem to stand out in everyone’s mind- in Phnom Penh, it is the case of Lay Sree, a 16 year old teenage girl who traveled over 3 hours with her mother in a taxi to reach us. If you first saw Lay from the left , you would think, “What a beautiful young woman,” but when she turned around you would see the destruction of a condition called noma - a flesh eating infection that eats away at the mid-face. Lay basically had no right side of her face - no cheek, no jaw, no upper lip, and a dropped right eye. During screening our great and caring team of surgeon’s spent a long time with Lay - carefully considering if anything could be done in the short time that we’re in Cambodia for the mission. Drs. David Fisher and David Jewer (two out of four Dave’s on this mission!!) were determined to come up with a plan to help this young woman in some small way. The results were anything but small! In a four hour surgery, David x2 performed an extended estelander and cheek advancable flap - reconstructing her cheek and mouth. To Lay Sree and her mother - they gave her a face back. Dave Fisher and Dave Jewer humbly say that this is the reason we are all here and that it is very rewarding to come up with a plan and have it work. For Lay and her mother it is the miracle that they have prayed about for over three years. They both expressed great happiness and gratitude to Operation Smile.
Student Volunteers
As the student sponsor on this team - I am always proud and excited when other team members come up to me and tell me what a great job the students are doing on the mission. It has been a long and hot week in the Khmer Soviet Hospital - but Maddie and Katie have been real troopers - pitching in where needed and always with a smile on their faces. They have educated many children and their families on the importance of dental care, proper nutrition, burn prevention and oral re-hydration. In addition, they have shared smiles and gifts to many beautiful children in two orphanages. Probably the most profound experience, however, was our visit to the children who live and work in a city dump. These are the poorest of the poor - families who depend on the waste and trash of others to stay alive. We were overtaken by the sites and odor as we approached the huge mountain of trash, but to our amazement - the children were still happy children - laughing and smiling - as if their living conditions were ideal. In the midst of all of this garbage - we also saw teachers trying to teach children in makeshift classrooms - hoping to improve their chances of a life beyond picking through trash to survive. It taught us all a lesson about the resilience of the human spirit. Katie and Maddie say that they will never forget what they saw and learned from the children of the dump.
- Dottie Ryan, Operation Smile Youth Sponsor