February 2007

Love Reaches Down to Where Life is Lived

This account is by Captain Ernest Gordon, Commander in the 93rd Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Scotland's elite military division). He was captured after the fall of Singapore in 1942. Gordon tells of his fellow prisoners who had just been released from Chungkai Camp in southeast Asia where they were forced to build the Burma-Siam Railroad. Chungkai was one of the worst POW camps during World War II; about 50% of all who were held there died. Gordon's book told of young men whose ebbing lives were transformed by compassion. United, they tried "to live, to do, to be."

This transformation at the camp came when men, left only with loincloths, chose humbly to serve others. On bended knees they banded together gently to wash tropical leg ulcers and massage the weakened legs of their fellow prisoners. Many healed from these sacrificial acts and the faith of these servants became known throughout the camp. Such "passionate kindness" was contagious. Likewise, other POWs encouraged their peers pointing out that God was not indifferent to their sufferings. In response to the initiative of God's love in their lives, they shared what they had and willingly did the most demeaning of tasks.

As we prepare for our 20th trip abroad on May 2-13 to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we anticipate this team will perform Face the Challenge's 1,000th free facial surgery. We appreciate the sacrificial acts of service by 146 different team members, many of whom have traveled repeatedly with FTC since 1993 to Bolivia, Vietnam, and China.

In the past 14 years we also have witnessed how simple acts of kindness touch people who have suffered their own personal torments. They, too, let go of deep emotions. Weary parents who have only known hopelessness due to their children's deformities are renewed. And destitute others who are disfigured by injuries, tumors, and infections see their lives brightened.

Over the years we have come face-to-face with such dreadful misfortune. And yet, we have seen profound, silent humility in response to the compassion of Christ shown by FTC teams. Such actions speak in ways no words can.

We wanted to share four pictures from the last trip to Ho Chi Minh City, 24 November - 3 December 2006. Included is five-year-old Giao as she calmly waits on the operating room table for her cleft palate repair. She is from the Mekong Delta in impoverished An Giang Province. Her cleft lip was repaired by an FTC team in March 2004. And the hole in the roof of her mouth was repaired last December.

Second is a picture of Dr. Randy Robinson performing a jaw tumor removal as three Vietnamese surgeons watch. They crowded so closely that they bumped their own heads together. The Vietnamese are so eager to learn so our FTC teams continue to offer classroom instruction and demonstration surgeries during each trip. On the last trip, the emphasis was on teaching more complex orthognathic (jaw) surgeries related to growth and traumatic deformities. Also as requested, the team did ankylosis (frozen jaw joint) release surgeries, especially due to injuries.

Dr. Le Thi Viet and her team at the Odonto-Maxillo-Facial Hospital (OMFH) were thrilled to do their first solo orthognathic surgeries, while Dr. Robinson remained near guiding only as needed. These successful surgeries were historic, the first done independently since FTC teams came in 1995. The next trip will emphasize treating cranio-maxilo-facial trauma more commonly seen now due to motor vehicle accidents. And war wounds and land mine injuries still exist.

The third picture is of a young father just seconds after he sees his nine-month-old son, Duy, for the first time in the recovery room. It exemplifies joy and hope.

And the fourth photo is of a grandmother as she regards her sleeping seven-month-old grandson, also named Duy, after his cleft palate repair. The deformity now removed, multiple generations can sigh relief.

Please note: Other trip pictures are posted on our website's "Where We Go" Section.

The next team of nine will include:

• Dr. Randy Robinson, Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, Team Leader, Denver
• Dr. Jim Curry, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, Denver
• Dr. William "Pepper" Denman, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Boston
• Dr. Marjorie Podraza, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow, Boston
• Jenea Robertson, Surgical Assistant, Denver
• Patsy King, RN, Circulator Nurse, Denver
• Gabi Stevens-Stoger, RN, Post-Anesthesia Care Nurse, Denver
• Ginger Robinson, Post-Anesthesia Care Nurse/Liaison, Denver
• Major Erich Wagner*, USMC, Harmonic Scalpel Specialist, Nashville *loaned Gordon's Kwai book

The team is prepared to do what cases await them at the OMFH and the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology (NHOS). Dr. Le Thi Viet (OMFH) and Dr. Lam Hoai Phuong (NHOS) remain departmental directors, respectively.

We are grateful to our many individual donors and corporate supporters. Thanks to your donations, we have recently purchased two new surgical monitors, two surgical headlights, additional surgical instruments, and suture to be used soon.

We hope in a similar way as the servant POWs of Chungkai, the purpose of our "faith will become known throughout the camp." With 1,000 collective smiles, we remain~~

Convinced of His Love,
Randy and Ginger

Randolph C. Robinson, MD, DDS, Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, Founder
Ginger H. Robinson, BSN, RN, Cardiac/Critical Care Nurse, President

* Donations can now be made securely through Pay Pal at our website: www.facethechallenge.org

* When designated, Face the Challenge remains a recipient of funds from Mile High United Way (Denver), www.milehighunitedway.org , (303)-433-8383.

* FTC has a charitable Merrill Lynch Endowment Management Account to purchase, sell, and hold securities and other investments available from or through MLPF&S. Our financial advisor is Colin B. Murphy, (303)-446-5684.