Kimberly made it home

Kimberly did great on the trip home, even though they were two hours late getting into Guatemala. There was even a local TV station there to cover the event!! Kimberly's mom barely recognized her as she has changed so much due to the great care she got from her foster parents.

Baby Alex on surgery day

Alex from Panajachel, Guatemala received his gift of donated surgery and hospital time on June 24th at Central Baptist Hospital. All of the staff were very professional and welcoming as Alex was evaluated, prepped, had his paperwork done and was taken to the OR. Foster mom Kim and I waited together for Dr. Moore to let us know surgery was over, and soon after his surgery, Alex was back in Kim's arms. Hosting a cleft baby is an emotional roller coaster, but Kim handled the "ride" very well. This photo was taken an hour after surgery.

Kimberly, the day before returning to Guatemala

Kimberly was first introduced to COTA blog fans in the header above. The tiny malnourished infant with her cleft lip and palate has come to represent what we do in the stateside program. So many people bonded with this baby on Team 2008..there was something about her determination to live and her Mother's persistence in seeking COTA's assistance that won our hearts.

Kimberly was returned to her mother, Marta, on June 19 by Rosemary Vance, our Executive Director who was traveling to Guatemala on a Team 2009 scouting trip. I will post photos of her return soon, but meanwhile, I know you will enjoy this photo of Kimberly on her last day in Kentucky. Linda and Alan in Danville, KY are to be commended for an excellent job caring for Kimberly during her journey toward health.

Alex arrives from Panajachel, Guatemala

Mayan Familes (Guatemala) and Children of the Americas (Lexington, KY) worked together to bring Alex to KY for donated surgical repair of his upper lip. Thanks to Krystal and Mike from Georgetown, KY, who volunteered to bring baby Alex to the states for COTA, all went well on Alex's first plane ride.

New host family Kim and Jay from Simpsonville, KY are negotiating the challenges of two little ones under the age of two--both named Alex!

Kimberly; ready for cleft lip repair!

Kimberly, thanks to the amazing TLC delivered by host parents Alan and Linda in Danville, KY, is now ready for surgery. Her weight has doubled, the donation of her surgical care has been secured and we are all anticipating a great repair for this baby.

Kimberly after six weeks in foster care

Kimberly's newest photos shows the effects of the loving and attentive care of Linda and Alan as they nurture her to health. Kimberly's surgery is scheduled for mid-May, thanks to the very diligent efforts of COTA friend April Hayman in Chattanooga, TN. April has the determination that it takes to network donated surgery for a COTA patient-no small task with hospital budget cuts!

Mother Marta in Guatemala is shown in Kimberly's crib in Danville, KY. Marta is kept informed of Kimberly's progress with the help of COTA volunteer Aida de Carcamo in Guatemala, who calls and keeps in touch with each family that has a child in our program. It truly "takes a village" to restore health to each of our COTA patients.

Kimberly's journey to health

Kimberly, is our newest stateside patient. She was first seen by COTA nurses and doctors in Tiquisate, Guatemala on January 19th of this year, when she was in a near starvation state. Her malnutrition was caused by her inability to breastfeed due to her cleft lip and palate. Kimberly's mother was not able to afford the infant formula to keep her baby nourished. COTA donated many cans of formula for this baby but she developed diarrhea and dropped her weight to under 5 lbs.

Three weeks later, the paperwork was complete and Kimberly arrived in KY thanks to the assistance of her American Ambassadors escort arranged for us by Margaret Whitehead. Kimberly is currently being hosted by Linda and Alan, one of our dedicated host families. She has already gained two pounds! Surgical correction of her cleft lip is scheduled for May.