Surgical Teams

“When I approach a child
He inspires in me two sentiments:
Tenderness for what he is,
And respect for what he may become.”
-Louis Pasteur
 

FOBF's Mountain Medical Teams serve communities that in many ways have been forgotten.  They provide thousands of individuals with with the care that they need.  Unfortunately many children suffer from diseases, disorders, and birth defects that cannot be treated at the traveling clinic sites.

Children of all ages are carried to the clinics in the arms of a parent or sibling.  Some children suffer from heart defects or constant seizures.  Faces of children and parents alike tell of the horrors faced daily.  Other children are severely malnourished because they are unable to feed due to a cleft lip or cleft palate.

While FOBF's Mountain Medical Mission Teams are the first responders to underserved areas in need, they are not sufficiently trained or adequately supplied to handle the needs of children with special health problems.  It is for this reason that the Friends of Barnabas Foundation created the Extended Care Program. 

When surgery is deemed necessary the FOBF staff do their best to utilize cooperating specialists and hospitals within Honduras.  In some cases, local resources cannot provide the surgical care that is needed for the children.  For these cases, FOBF-organized surgical teams are sent to Honduras complete with surgeons, nurses, technicians, support staff, medical equipment, and supplies.

These cardiac, neurological, and oral and maxillofacial surgical teams serve a dual purpose.  First, they provide needed care for special patients whose ailments or defects require services not offered in Honduras.  Second, the surgeons and nurses provide training and education to medical professionals in the Honduran hospitals in order to promote sustainable growth of existing programs.

ORAL-MAXILLOFACIAL
An ongoing partnership with Dr. Rob Doriot of the Northern Virginia Center for Oral, Facial and Implant Surgery (Fairfax, VA) has allowed FOBF to provide Honduran children born with cleft-lips and cleft-palates an unequaled level of care.  Dr. Doriot has dedicated himself to seeing children through as many procedures are needed to give them the smiles that they deserve.  The Friends of Barnabas OMF Team travels two times per year to perform surgeries at hospitals in San Pedro Sula and Siguatepeque.

FOBF is also thankful for the assistance of The Smile Train.  Smile Train grants have assisted The Friends of Barnabas Foundation's OMF team by funding the many costs associated with surgeries for children. 

To date the OMF program has changed the lives of 170 children.

In partnership with Children's Medical Center of Dallas, The Friends of Barnabas Foundation has organized three Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Missions and three screening teams.  Children referred through FOBF's Mountain Medical Teams have received corrective surgeries or catheterizations.  The experience and efficiency of the team has also allowed them to care for referrals from other agencies.