This Baby is Waiting....

While on a recent trip to the remote northern area of Solola, Guatemala, three COTA volunteers were asked by local villagers to evaluate this baby for his cleft lip and palate issues.
Children of the Americas volunteers love these unscripted moments in the mountains of Guatemala. Connecting and being able to help those with no access to medical care is what we are passionate about. It didn't hurt that this little one was so darn cute!
A few hours of time with this baby's mother left her with a sense of security that we will work with her to get her baby to our medical/surgical team in January, and we will be able to offer donated surgical correction. We offered transportation assistance (a 6 hour bus ride after a 2 hour truck ride down the mountain) and an assurance that the mother would have food while she and her baby was with us. Photos of this little one have been sent to our team plastic surgeon, who has approved him for surgery. The mother has done what she does best; loved and nurtured her baby so he will be in the best possible physical condition for his upcoming surgery. We look forward to being part of his journey to restored health.