An Incredible Journey
We are coming into the home stretch and it has been quite an exciting week. I just wanted to take a moment to catch each of you up on some of the stops that Kathy and I have been able to make. Let me start with the Philippines where not only are they committing to opening a center associated with the hospital of Makati in Manila, but also one down in Davao, thanks to the consistent leadership of Jojo Cebrano and his team. Naga City has not changed much since we first visited it 25 years ago in that the need is still dramatic and the patients and staff are warm and open to everyone’s help. The Philippines team has done an exceptional job not only this past week but over the years, and it was wonderful to thank so many of them for all they have put into Operation Smile. The Board of Directors has certainly matured and the infrastructure in the Philippines is getting stronger every day. Sanjiv Vohra has done a great job getting the Board going and Deus, the Executive Director of the Philippines continues to provide excellent leadership.
Our next stop was China where Dr. Han Kai and his team have really put together a remarkable center in Hangzhou. We cut the ribbon to a 5,000 square foot center with about 20 beds and 5 operating room tables. It is all state of the art and quite remarkable. We anticipate that running in its prime, the center will be able to take care of 5,000-10,000 children a year, staffed mostly by volunteers. Operation Smile began in China in 1991 and here we are 16 years later finally seeing many of the things we dreamed about so many years ago coming true. It reminded us about how patient and determined you have to be to see your vision come to fruition. Michael Wu, Chief Operating Officer of China, is doing a great job. It was wonderful to have Tony Fung representing Hong Kong at the opening, as Hong Kong has been the dominant supporter of the China medical missions since its inception.
From there we took an overnight flight into Jordan with a wonderful stop for 3 hours at the airport in Delhi. Jordan, once again, is doing a wonderful job in taking care of not only Jordanian children, but also Palestinian and Iraqi children. About 50 kids from Iraq made their way into Amman. Ten Iraqi doctors (8 plastic surgeons, 1 cardiologist, 1 anesthetist) made the journey with the children. Needless to say there is a tremendous amount of excitement in providing that care to everyone and the hospital that hosted everyone was exceptional. We had the pleasure of having Amy and Jay Regan join that team. They have funded the Regan Fellowship program that enabled us to bring 25 plastic surgery residents on this World Journey of Smiles. In addition to that, we were joined by Santo Versace who is the Chairman of our Board in Italy and Jeremy Greenhalgh, the previous Chairman of our Board in the United Kingdom and a member of our Board of Directors. They added a special flavor to our entourage. Their presence was sweetened by Lizzie, Jeremy’s daughter who will be volunteering with us in Norfolk, Virginia come February. Dr. Amal is doing a great job coordinating our Board development. Manal and Hana, who has championed student programs, are doing a wonderful job. In Jordan 150 student volunteers continue to set a global standard for all of us as to what students can do to help our efforts. Unfortunately we had to leave before the visit of Queen Rania, but I am sure that it was a highlight for our dedicated team.
We left Jordan the evening of November 11th to arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by about midnight to catch a few hours of sleep before we got to the team meeting with another great team of volunteers in Addis Ababa. I would give anything to have all of you exposed to that experience at the hospital in Addis Ababa where literally hundreds of children and adults with primary clefts gathered to await surgery. The need that exists there is phenomenal. It is a perfect site for Operation Smile. Sammy, our Executive Director in Ethiopia has done a great job. As we enter our 4th year in Ethiopia the potential that exists for growing that program is unlimited. We met with the President of Ethiopia and then headed off to the airport on our way to Morocco.
We arrived in Casablanca, Morocco the night of November 12th for a dinner with our Board there and then in the morning attended the team’s meeting to once again thank a country filled with wonderful volunteers and to congratulate them on their success, not only on this World Journey of Smiles, but also on their commitment to caring for children over so many years. It was exciting to visit the center in Casablanca where so many children will be able to receive much needed care. Abdou and Fouzia continue to provide exceptional leadership in Morocco.
From there we departed for the last leg of our tour flying from Madrid to Bogota. I will update you on our travels through Central and South America as we finish up the World Journey of Smiles.
For each of you that Kathy and I have had the pleasure to thank in person, let me say once again thank you for all that you have put into this World Journey of Smiles. For those of you that we did not have the opportunity to personally thank, please accept this as a poor substitute for being able to say thank you in person. Recognize that the work that all of you are doing is laying the groundwork for our next decade of growth. It is your energy and enthusiasm that will enable us to return to help the children that unfortunately had to be turned away during the World Journey of Smiles. Through your work we will keep our promise to these children and families that the organization will continue to grow and return to meet their needs.
Continue to tell your friends and family of your adventures with Operation Smile, humbly asking them to continue their emotional and financial support of the work that you are doing.
As we get our final wrap-up in the coming weeks, I will be sure to send it to all of you. Until then, please stay healthy and strong.
Love to All,
Bill and Kathy Magee