It has been estimated that each child COTA brings out of a developing country for donated surgery requires 80-100 hours of volunteer time. Other agencies that we network with confirm that they have found the same to be true. Osvaldo is the most recent beneficiary of some of those many hours. In his particular case, the hours of volunteer effort will be much higher than 100.
Children of the Americas discovered Osvaldo when the determined women in this photo
got together and decided that this little boy in remote Guatemala needed help. Osvaldo was born with a congenital anomaly of his mid-face. Surgical correction of this life threatening issue could only be accomplished with the finely tuned effort of three pediatric surgical specialists: plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons. Once The World Pediatric Project in Richmond, Virginia agreed to accept Osvaldo into their program for donated surgery, the network between COTA and TWPP came together for the benefit of one little boy with a big problem.
In upper right photo: (L-R) Rosemary Vance, Executive Director of COTA; Teresa Godsey, volunteer; Dr. Carol Cottrill, President; Tom Rolfes, volunteer; Bety Davidson, volunteer; Osvaldo, lucky little boy. Photo on upper left: Osvaldo with Jenna Garber, Program Assistant with World Pediatric Project in Richmond, VA. She took Osvaldo to visit the James River before his surgery.
In the five days since Osvaldo left Guatemala, he has flown on both a commercial (wonderful donation from American Airlines) and private (thank you Roger Teague!) plane for the first time. He had his first McDonald's french fries within hours of landing in the states, and like most children, he knew instinctively how to play on the playground. The photo (upper left) shows Osvaldo visiting the river in Virginia this past holiday weekend.
He is getting an MRI as this post is being written,and has a CAT scan scheduled for later today. Surgery is on Thursday. One hundred hours will turn into hundreds more before his health is restored, and all of the people in Osvaldo's circle of concern will consider it time well spent.
