Yasothon General Hospital

Today we spent the entire day at the hospital. The morning we conducted interviews and shoot footage of the parents and children who had come to apply for the free surgery. I was happy to see that the Amway folks had though to bring toys and bubble makers. They helped take the anxiety away for many of the patients.

I also ran into a few Americans who had volunteered their time. (A couple were Operation Smile executives) It was nice to have “hometown” people to speak with again. I even made a few new contacts.

The afternoon session consisted of a press conference and some surgeries that required only local anesthetic. We weren’t able to get into the operating room but from all accounts everything went smoothly and quickly. As with most press related events, most of the time was spent waiting, but that gave me time to start, and finish, reading a book.

At the end of the day we piled back into our vans and headed back to the airport. We stopped along the way for dinner. Good food and one of the biggest gatoys I’ve ever seen. She/he was taller than me and I admit I was a little frightened. (She kept eyeing me) From the restaurant we continued to the airport and sat around some more. Then onto the plane, a short flight to Bangkok, waiting for baggage, getting a taxi, driving back home, shower, and then SLEEP.

Operation Smile

Today I flew to the province of Yasothon to cover an event sponsored by Amway Thailand. It’s called Operation Smile. The campaign at it’s core is providing free reconstructive surgery to children and adults who suffer from cleft lips and/or palettes. I covered a similar story last year that was a art exhibition in Bangkok to help raise funds for Operation Smile.

This was my first visit to Issan and I must say it wasn’t what I expected. From the countless times I’ve viewed satellite pictures from the governments Geological Institute, I was sure that a barren and dry land awaited me. I was pleasantly surprised to see foliage everywhere and flowing rivers. (Though parts of the area were heading in the direction of draught conditions)
Read more