Angel's Reconstructive Surgery

Angel received his jaw reconstruction surgery at 8 AM this morning at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington. All of this is possible because of the kind donation of care from Dr. Catherine White (anesthesiologist), Dr. Wayne Colin (surgeon) and the donation of ICU post-op care from the hospital. This follows three trips out-of-town to the office of Dr. Steve Hieronymus (dentist) for extensive donation of many hours of dental care (twice Dr. H came in on his day off) and the donation of oral surgery with the removal of 7 diseased teeth from Dr. Greg Erena (oral surgeon). The ongoing care and support from Ed and Teresa (foster parents) has been amazing. Thank you to all who made this possible.

Angel Has Surgery

Angel had his oral surgery today. Here are some pictures from the day.

This picture is from the day that Angel arrived. From left to right - Theresa, Angel's foster mom, Jody, president of COTA and Angel


This is Angel on his first appointment with the oral surgeon.



Angel with Dr. Greg Erena who donated oral surgery today.



These two young men are Guatemalan medical students Oscar and Jorge with Dr. Erena today. Oscar and Jorge have been a big help, epecially with translation services.



Angel's x-ray from today. Notice there are metal fragments in the lower right jaw and upper left jaw. The one on the upper left was protruding through the outside of Angels' cheek and was removed today.

More metal fragments from the bullet three years ago. You can also see the wires on his teeth. These were all removed today.



All of this mess was removed today as well as seven diseased teeth.



Angel after surgery was over.

Angel made it to Kentucky

Angel made it to the United States with only a few plane problems. He has already been to the surgeon and the oral surgeon. The case is a little more complicated then they first thought, but it will still be worked out.

These pictures were taken as Angel was meeting up with Aida and Rosemary before he got on the plane. (Angel is in the brown and white striped shirt)

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.

Networking with Mayan Families in Panajachel

COTA has really enjoyed assisting Sharon and her staff at Mayan Families . Although we have never met, we share a desire to assist the citizens of the area MF's serves with their health care needs. Angel will soon be joining baby Alex as a temporary resident of Kentucky. He will be flying into Lexington on June 29th in order to have donated surgery for his jaw which has been broken since he was shot three years ago. Long-time COTA foster parents Ed and Teresa from Stanton, KY have graciously agreed to host Angel during his few months of surgical and dental care.

COTA first met Angel in January of this year when he presented to our volunteer medical/surgical/dental team. His surgical repair was too complex for us to attempt in Guatemala and many months of paperwork later, he is due to arrive. Thank you to Carol, a MF supporter, for making the initial contact with COTA last fall. She never gave up trying to network an agency to sponsor Angel.

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.

Franklin goes home to Guatemala

Franklin is preparing to return to Guatemala, following successful surgery to repair a crush injury to his foot. Shriners Hospital in Lexington has donated two surgeries for this COTA patient. Skila and Jarrod from Lexington, KY found time in their busy schedule (while parenting three other boys!) to host Franklin for his visits to the U.S.

Franklin's mother is a nurse in Guatemala, and she never gave up on her attempt at finding surgical repair for her child. We have no doubt that Franklin will make the world a better place in the future.

Cintia awaits departure to U.S. for surgery

Our next COTA stateside patient is awaiting her exit visa for departure to Tennessee, where she will be hosted by our newest foster family, April and Kenny. Cintia will have a complicated surgery to correct lower bowel problems that were present at birth. The surgical procedure will require two surgeries and at least an 8 month stay in the states, if not longer. This is an amazing commitment of time, energy and love for this new COTA couple, who already have 5 children of their own! Cintia has been in foster care in Guatemala since birth, and her smile reflects the loving concern her Guatemalan foster mother gave her for the first year of her life.

Lourdes awaits surgery at Shriners Hospital

Lourdes is also a stateside patient in the COTA program. Hosted by Lisa and Bobby in western Kentucky, Lourdes is delighted with her foster care placement. While she awaits her surgical date at Shriners in Lexington, KY, Lourdes has benefited from donated dental and orthodontic care, healthcare and updated immunizations.

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.