During the past three years, I have worked with the Operation Smile Organization here in Thailand. Together we have been able to create the opportunity for a select group of students to participate in the missions to Northern Thailand. On these missions, students work with patients and their families during screening day to help support them as they complete the arduous process of applying for the surgeries. On subsequent days, students provide entertainment and distraction for the children and families while they await surgery or are in recovery following the procedure. Students also have the unique opportunity to to accompany the surgeons into the operating rooms and witness first hand the medical transformation for the children. Often, the surgeons invite my students to stand next to them while they explain the procedure and the steps they are following.
Each time I take a group of students on this trip, it is life changing. Students look at themselves differently, their lives differently, they see the world in new ways. It is a remarkable experience.