(Photo: Operation Smile)November 1, 2007
By FANNIE SUNSHINE
The Mirror (North York, Ontario, Canada)
From the time she was a teenager, Jody Chatterton wanted to serve on missions with Operation Smile, an organization providing free facial reconstruction surgery to children and adults in Second World and developing countries.
Chatterton, a certified child life specialist at Humber River Regional Hospital, finally fulfilled her dream last year when she travelled to Kenya with Operation Smile for a two-week mission.
Now Chatterton is packing her bags for another two-week mission with the organization, this time to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
"I figure, who goes to Cambodia?" said Chatterton, who leaves Monday. "I really like the fact it has a rich history. I thought, where better to go?"
As the mission's child life specialist, Chatterton will be in charge of creating child-friendly areas at the surgery site, prepping patients for blood work and assisting with self-esteem issues, she said.
"It's all plastic surgery, such as a cleft lip or palate, and it will be a big change to who they area," she said, adding the age of patients range from four months to adulthood.
And Chatterton won't be leaving for Cambodia empty handed. After sending an e-mail to co-workers to see if anyone wanted to donate items for the patients, Chatterton was overwhelmed by the piles of toys and games.
"I can't even take all this stuff," she said, laughing. "The response from staff has been overwhelming."
Chatterton credits her employment at a multicultural hospital such as HRRH with preparing her for the Cambodia mission, noting many of the 150 patients expected for surgery don't speak English.
"Everyone will receive a general physical and then we have to determine who gets done for surgery," she said. "We can only take the most high-need patients."
Details
- Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children's medical charity. Dr. William P. Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, a nurse and clinical social worker, founded the organization in 1982.
- Operation Smile was launched with its first mission to the Philippines in 1982. Operation Smile currently supports international and local medical missions to 25 countries.
- Operation Smile partner countries include Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.
- Since 1982, more than 100,000 children and young adults have been treated by thousands of volunteers worldwide and thousands of health-care professionals have been trained globally.
- For $240, Operation Smile can change a child's life by giving the gift of a surgery. Revenue in excess of surgical costs is invested into sustainability programs, empowering Operation Smile partner countries to treat more children on their own and making people's investment go even farther. The complete Operation Smile model is an investment of $750 per child.
- Visit www.operationsmile.org for details.
- Operation Smile
Chatterton, a certified child life specialist at Humber River Regional Hospital, finally fulfilled her dream last year when she travelled to Kenya with Operation Smile for a two-week mission.
Now Chatterton is packing her bags for another two-week mission with the organization, this time to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
"I figure, who goes to Cambodia?" said Chatterton, who leaves Monday. "I really like the fact it has a rich history. I thought, where better to go?"
As the mission's child life specialist, Chatterton will be in charge of creating child-friendly areas at the surgery site, prepping patients for blood work and assisting with self-esteem issues, she said.
"It's all plastic surgery, such as a cleft lip or palate, and it will be a big change to who they area," she said, adding the age of patients range from four months to adulthood.
And Chatterton won't be leaving for Cambodia empty handed. After sending an e-mail to co-workers to see if anyone wanted to donate items for the patients, Chatterton was overwhelmed by the piles of toys and games.
"I can't even take all this stuff," she said, laughing. "The response from staff has been overwhelming."
Chatterton credits her employment at a multicultural hospital such as HRRH with preparing her for the Cambodia mission, noting many of the 150 patients expected for surgery don't speak English.
"Everyone will receive a general physical and then we have to determine who gets done for surgery," she said. "We can only take the most high-need patients."
Details
- Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children's medical charity. Dr. William P. Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, a nurse and clinical social worker, founded the organization in 1982.
- Operation Smile was launched with its first mission to the Philippines in 1982. Operation Smile currently supports international and local medical missions to 25 countries.
- Operation Smile partner countries include Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.
- Since 1982, more than 100,000 children and young adults have been treated by thousands of volunteers worldwide and thousands of health-care professionals have been trained globally.
- For $240, Operation Smile can change a child's life by giving the gift of a surgery. Revenue in excess of surgical costs is invested into sustainability programs, empowering Operation Smile partner countries to treat more children on their own and making people's investment go even farther. The complete Operation Smile model is an investment of $750 per child.
- Visit www.operationsmile.org for details.
- Operation Smile
2 comments:
Jody Chatterton and Operation Smile,
Please accept our heartfelt welcome to Cambodia and our profound gratitude. We wish you every success in your humanitarian endeavour in our country.
Best wishes
Dear Jody,
Thanks for your kindness.
Your are doing job instead of lazzzzzy health Minister here. He does not care about this issue but whenever he gets a very litle cold then he would fly to Bankok for checkup.
Please have a day in Cambodia and do your best to scold my Health Minister...
Regards
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