I plan to join the MMFC trip to Guatemala City May 30th - June 8th 2026 to assist and provide subspecialty care for patients with cleft palate, cleft lip, microtia, and other craniofacial abnormalities. The mission will focus on providing surgery and immediate post operative care to these patients. MMFC routinely travels to Guatemala and provides a continuity of care beyond the brief one week mission. As a resident, I will help coordinate care and assist in the OR.
The population includes impoverished children in Guatemala City who otherwise have no access to the subspecialty care they require for their complex health care needs. I have studied and spoken Spanish throughout my education and am excited to utilize both my medical and Spanish language experience on a mission. Additionally, as an otolaryngology resident planning to pursue a pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship with a focus in craniofacial abnormalities, this mission captures the patients and pathologies I anticipate to encounter in my future practice.
MMFC's mission is to provide free surgical, dental, rehabilitative, and nutritional care to impoverished children and young adults in countries throughout the underdeveloped world, and to establish sustainable centers of care in the communities where we are privileged to serve. There are many medical missions available to provide corrective surgery to patients, but the key to MMFC is sustainable care that provides assistance beyond the one week trip.
I had the privilege of traveling alongside two outstanding mentors, Dr. Zahrah Taufique and Dr. Robert Ward, to provide specialized cleft and craniofacial care to children in Guatemala City at the Moore Center this past May. The experience was both professionally rewarding and personally transformative, reinforcing the profound impact that surgical care can have on patients, families, and communities.
Over the course of the trip, our team (ENT, Facial Plastics, and OMFS) screened over 70 patients with cleft pathology. Our ENT team, we performed a total of three unilateral cleft lip repairs, one bilateral cleft lip repair, seven primary palatoplasties, including two revision palatoplasties for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI).
One of the most remarkable aspects of the experience was witnessing the gratitude expressed by patients and their caregivers. Many families had traveled significant distances to seek care, leaving siblings with other family members. Despite these challenges, they arrived with hope and optimism, trusting our team with the care of their children. Their appreciation was evident throughout every stage of the process—from preoperative consultations to postoperative follow-up visits. Even simple interactions, such as explaining the surgical plan or reviewing postoperative instructions, were met with heartfelt thanks and genuine kindness.
The cleft lip repairs were particularly meaningful. For the children undergoing unilateral and bilateral cleft lip reconstruction, the procedures represented a life-changing milestone. Following surgery, parents were often overwhelmed with emotion as they saw their child's repaired lip for the first time. The immediate aesthetic improvement highlighted the power of reconstructive surgery to restore normal facial appearance and reduce the stigma that many children with craniofacial differences experience. Watching caregivers react with joy and relief served as a powerful reminder that these operations have effects extending well beyond the operating room.
The seven palatoplasties performed during the mission underscored the importance of timely cleft palate repair in supporting speech development and feeding function. For many of these children, access to specialized surgical care would otherwise have been delayed or unavailable.
Among the most memorable cases were the two revision palatoplasties performed for velopharyngeal insufficiency. These patients had persistent speech difficulties despite previous interventions and were experiencing significant challenges with communication. Remarkably, both patients were able to appreciate improvements in their speech almost immediately following surgery. During postoperative rounds the following day, they enthusiastically demonstrated changes in their voice quality and resonance. Seeing these children recognize and celebrate their own progress was one of the most rewarding moments of the trip. It provided a tangible reminder of how functional reconstructive procedures can directly affect a child's confidence, social interactions, and future opportunities.
Beyond the clinical and surgical experiences, the mission highlighted the value of mentorship and collaborative learning. Working closely with Dr. Taufique and Dr. Ward provided an invaluable opportunity to refine surgical skills while gaining insight into the broader principles of humanitarian medicine. Dr. Taufique first traveled to Guatemala as a PGY-2 and has since made humanitarian trips a routine part of her practice. I am grateful for the shared experience and hope to follow in her footsteps. We saw her post op lip repairs and were able to perform their staged palate repair on this trip, demonstrating her commitment to the continuity of care despite the long distance.
I was also able to learn from our entire mission team. We had Guatemalan medical students act as translators and assist in the OR, our anesthesia team was from the U.K. giving a different perspective on care and training from my own, and OMFS providing a different aspect of care from my own specialty including bone grafts.
The trip highlighted how relatively short-term interventions can have lasting impacts on speech development, social integration, educational opportunities, and psychosocial well-being. The experience reinforced my dedication to pediatric otolaryngology, craniofacial surgery, and global health, and it strengthened my desire to continue participating in humanitarian outreach efforts throughout my career. I am grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to the care of these children and look forward to building upon the lessons learned during this unforgettable experience.
