Tarapoto, Peru ~ August 2011

Tarapoto is in the high Peruvian jungle, about halfway between Lima and Iquitos.  This was the first SHARES trip to Tarapoto, and Dr. Stieg's 27th Florida Hospital SHARES surgical mission trip.  Dr. Dobson, the SHARES medical director, and Dr. Strickland were the anesthesiologists.  Joy, Diane, and Tina rom our Plastic Surgery Specialists office all were on the trip, as well as Julio Rivera, anesthesia tech and translator, and Kristin Strickland, recovery room nurse.  Elizabeth Medina,RN maintained all the records and documentation, and the SHARES International coordinator, Jessily Ramirez along with Nestor de Armas, our SHARES president/director completed the Orlando Team.  Rita Valdivia, the Peru coordinator, along with the Tarapoto Rotary and the Universidad Peruana Union (Adventist University in Tarapoto)  provided outstanding support. The facility is named: "HOSPITAL II-1" and plastic surgeon Dr. Flores and dental surgeon Dr. Garcia were wonderful to work with.  The hospital director, Carlos Guerrero, had met with Rita, and our SHARES Board Chairman had met nearly a year ago to set this mission experience into action - and the support and commitment to the SHARES goal of establishing self-sustaining multi-disciplinary cleft teams has been beyond any expectation. We did 29 procedures for 26 patients, and are ager to return again next year to work with this dedicated community.

It is always an adventure going to a new site, and certainly it was the enthusiasm and vision of Rita that made this all possible.