November 2009

These pleading questions came in rapid succession. The surgeries for the day had already begun at the National Hospital of Odontostomatology (NHOS) in Ho Chi Minh City last April. We had already committed to all the surgeries we could possibly do on this trip. And yet still one more parent appeared to ask for help. How difficult it was to look this weary, devoted mother in the eye and deny her any immediate plans to help.

PHOTO 1: Sumi, with Pierre-Robin Sequence (PRS), has a rare condition that is the result of a chain of developmental malformations. As with many born with PRS, Sumi, had a very small lower jaw, a large tongue that falls on her airway, and a large cleft palate in the roof of her mouth. Constantly at risk for choking, Sumi cannot be placed on her back and can only be fed by a tube placed for long-term feeding since birth. Since her airway is at risk, her brain can be damaged at any time from low blood oxygen levels.

Hanh's best hope for Sumi is that our team place two bone-lengthening "distraction" devices in her lower jaw to advance it forward, allowing less pressure on her airway and possibly enabling her to eat normally. So Hanh waits eagerly for any relief our next surgical team can offer Sumi.

PHOTO 2: 17-month-old Nhi, born with a bilateral cleft lip and large cleft palate. She was on the operating room table in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam awaiting a cleft lip closure. Hungry and tired from crying, she waited for the anesthesia to be administered by BC Shauver, Face the Challenge team anesthetist. Since the time of her birth Nhi's family waited for someone to give the relief they needed for Nhi. Her surgery on April 6 went well and in the months ahead her parents' greatest desire would be that her cleft palate would be closed also.

PHOTO 3: A narrowed view of many patients gathered at the NHOS to be screened for their many needs; in expectant silence. Unseen to the left are 23 year-old Phuong with the four-pound tumor who ultimately had it removed without complications by our team on April 9.

Next to Phuong was an older woman who lost one side of her face to a childhood infection, never to have had any reconstructive surgery in the decades since. Sadly, we could not help her and she left to wait for yet another day to see if someone would help.

In this same photo were patients who already had parts of their jaws removed and waited for the next phase: reconstructions using titanium bone plates and rib grafts. Others were victims of injuries, missing parts of their noses or blinded from crushing orbital fractures. As our team panned further to the right there were still more accident victims with unseeing or missing eyes. All waited with incredible patience.

PHOTO 4: A young woman waiting outside the operating room. Hers was the last case at the NHOS on April 10 earlier this year. She responded to her husband whenever he tapped on the window outside and waved to her. Then she sat absorbed in her own thoughts regarding surgery for her jaw infection.

"When will you return?" We often hear these words. We must be careful with any promises we make. Such words can be reasons to hold on to hope or can be cruel and devastating if we do not deliver.

We are thankful to have our next team of skilled members who will return on our collective teams' 20th trip to Ho Chi Minh City on April 7-18, 2010. They include:

• Nancy Colby, CST, Surgical Technologist, Lone Tree, CO
• Bill Hicks, RN, USAF (Ret.), Pararescue Diver, Peri-Operative Nurse, Colorado Springs, CO
• Brenda Hicks, RN, Oncology Nurse/Post-Anesthesia Care, Colorado Springs, CO
• Ginger Robinson, BSN, RN, Liaison/Post-Anesthesia Care, Centennial, CO
• Randy Robinson, MD, DDS, Craniomaxillofacial Surgeon, Centennial, CO - Team Leader
• CAPT. BC Shauver, CRNA, USN (Ret.), Nurse Anesthetist, Jacksonville, FL
• Gabi Stoeger Stevens, BSN, RN, Post-Anesthesia Care Nurse, Evergreen, CO.

We plan to go back to the Odontomaxillofacial Hospital (OMFH) and the National Hospital of Odontostomatology (NHOS). As patients wait, we are eager to help again.

Since 1993, Face the Challenge "is":

23 trips abroad, 156 different team members (many going repeatedly) to fill 305 "slots", and ~1,052 free facial surgeries.

We appreciate many of your steadfast prayers and gifts that make these surgeries possible.

In Him, Our Health and Hope,

Randy and Ginger

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." - Psalm 27:14

Face the Challenge remains an all-volunteer humanitarian non-profit organization. There are no paid employees. Donations go directly toward surgical efforts.