Tuesday saw the arrival of a team of surgeons, including our medical director, Dr. Pablo Salamea, to the small village of Taisha at the edge of the Amazon. At the request of Ecuador's Vice President and health officials, this team is providing medical care and surgeries to 42 individuals. The residents of Taisha have never before been afforded access to such high quality medical care.
Due to the limited seating on the small plane we were unable to go on this mission.
Dr. Pablo and his team performed 15 surgeries in 2 1/2 days.
Taisha, and indeed, Ecuador, is blessed to have such a group of skilled doctors willing to volunteer their time and skills to the less fortunate in their country.

This week the public hospital (Vicente Corral Moscoso) is hosting Fundacion Rostros Felices, HKIE, and ReSurge International from Stanford University Medical School to create ears for 12 children.
The team will perform 4 surgeries each day....the surgeries taking approximately 3 1/2 hours. Today we watched
Dr. Fernando Quintana Jedermann from Guayaquil and Dr Pablo Javier Salamea Molina create an ear on a 6 year old born with Microtia...a condition where the ear is barely formed. It was an amazing process to watch these two doctors take 2 pieces of rib cartilage, form them together in the shape of the child's other ear and insert it under the skin!
He will have a second cosmetic surgery to make to complete the process. These surgeons are all Michaelangelos with a scalpel!
ReSurge.org have been taking surgical teams around the world for 50 years not only performing surgeries, but also training surgeons in third world countries on the proper techniques for plastic/reconstructive procedures.

In January Helping Kids in Ecuador accompanied Fundacion Rostros Felices Cuenca and Guayaquil on a medical mission to Ibarra...just north of Quito.
During this mission 16 children received medical attention for cleft lips and palates, webbed fingers, rhinoplastys, ear repair and scar repair.
​Thanks you HKIE supporters!

Update from Helping Kids In Ecuador (HKIE) and Fundacion Rostros Felices Cuenca (FRF-C)
We just returned from a 4 day mission to Ibarra. This was a joint venture of Patronato Provincial de Imbabura, Ibarra Rotary, Rostros Felices Cuenca and Guayaquil, HKIE and the Minister of Public Health.
The team of volunteer doctors and nurses performed 20 surgeries including cleft lip and palates, ear reconstructions and separation of webbed fingers. The first night we were greeted by the local bomberos who expedited moving the equipment into the hospital. After a long first day setting up and interviewing the first patients, the group was treated to a wonderful dinner by the Patronato and Rotary
Shown are families awaiting surgery, a young girl whose parents remembered us from 2 years ago when she had her cleft lip surgery (this time she received cleft palate surgery) a team of doctors examining an ear reconstruction and Dr Pablo with a young patient.
As you can imagine, all the families were very grateful that their children could have these life enhancing surgeries!
Thanks to all our HKIE supporters!

These are some of the children helped on the recent mission to Portoviejo.

Juan Carlos age 8 shown on the table awaiting his cleft palate surgery.
Amalia age 5 with her foot bandaged...she had both her hands and one foot worked on last year when we were there.....both her hands and feet were webbed making it difficult to walk or handle things.
\Romina age 2...sitting on the surgery table awaiting her cleft palate surgery.
Brianna, shown in her mother's arms after her cleft lip surgery.That was one delighted mother!Benjamin, aged 16 months, in his mother's arms awaiting his cleft palate surgery
Domenik with his double big toe making it impossible to walk correctly.

There were also burn victim repairs, removal of extra fingers or toes plus more cleft lip and palate repairs.
These were surgeries the families never could have afforded yet which changed each life and that of the whole family!
The teams of doctors and nurses volunteered their time, working from 9 in the morning until between 9 and 11 in the evening! We applaud their selfless dedication to so many of the poorer families in Ecuador
Thank you Dr Jorge Palacios of Fundacion Rostros Felices Guayaquil and Dr Pablo Javier Salamea Molina of Fundacion Rostros Felices Cuenca and all the rest of the team for allowing HKIE the opportunity to be a part of this and other marvelous missions.
And thanks to all the HKIE supporters for your generosity and encouragement!

This was HKIE"s 8th medical mission with Rostros Felices.20 patients received much needed surgeries including cleft lip and cleft palates, Z plasty surgeries for burn victims, rhinoplasty (nose reconstruction) ,webbed fingers and a corrective ear surgery.
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It was such a pleasure to watch the medical volunteers working as a well coordinated team to provide life enhancing medical care to many of the less fortunate families from the Loja area.
All of these missions are approved by and coordinated with the Ecuadorian Minister of Public Health.
More info and photos on our next post.

Fundacion Rostros Felices-Cuenca
Dr Pablo Salamea M Medical Director for HKIE and FRF-C

Update from HKIE
HKIE, Dr. Pablo Javier Salamea Molina, and his group of volunteer doctors, dentists and students (BRAINS) went on a medical mission this weekend to the Olon Orphanage.
These are pictures from day one in which all the children received medical check ups.....height, weight, growth charts, discussion and checking for any medical problems and dispensing of medicines if needed.
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The children awaited their turns with grins and anticipation. The interaction between the children and the volunteer group was a delight to see. Dr. Pablo declared all the children to be in reasonably good health, with only a few with minor health issues. He stated the best medicine was the love and interaction the children received yesterday and through the daily love and care from the staff and volunteers who help out with the orphanage.
There are two children who came to the orphanage with severe mental and psychological problems. HKIE is working with the orphanage, Sr. Veronica from the Palmar clinic and the Roberto Gilbert Hospital in Guayaquil to do follow up testing and evaluations.
Stay tuned for the second day's adventures......

Check out the video of over 30 volunteer doctor, dentists and residents donating their time to do a health check up for the orphans at Hogar Miguel Leon in Cuenca. This took place through the combined efforts of Ecuador Cares, Helping Kids in Ecuador, Dr. Pablo Salamea and his organization "BRAINS" which seeks to offer volunteer preventative health care to Ecuadorians who may not have access to such services.

​As you can tell by the smiles all around it was a delightful experience for all involved. Should any child need further medical care Dr Pablo will coordinate with HKIE.