Philippines 2017 – Gifts

Gifts, gifts, gifts: today was a day of great appreciation – from us to the local people and from them to us. We went to a kindergarten and met many children who I think are destined to be child models. Singing the ABCs and happy birthday song, we taught them how to wash their hands appropriately. We also handed out watches and other fun accessories which sent them dancing around the school in a full-out party. Others on our team also had tasks related to children in the hospital as we worked together to remove a neck mass in a 7 year old child. He’d had the mass since birth and it concerned his family significantly. Through delicate dissection, we were able to remove the mass which was connected to both a bone in the neck as well as the thyroid gland, leaving him with barely a scar. Other general surgery colleagues worked hard to help children with procedures such as orchiopexy.

After those joyful tasks were completed, we set to another incredible opportunity: gift giving. There is nothing quite like seeing excitement rush over the face of your coworker when you recognize them for all the hard work they have done. We were able to see this expression on more than 90 people today as we distributed gifts to all of the local workers in the hospital and government. Tonight we will continue the trend of giving and receiving with a farewell dinner in our honor hosted by the city of Tagbilaran. We look forward to our final day tomorrow.