As both a Lions member and an Operation Smile medical volunteer, it was with great excitement that I joined other Australians to travel to Iloilo in the Philippines for a medical mission sponsored in part by Lions. Along with approximately 60 volunteers from around the world we went to provide free surgical care to children and adults with cleft lip and palate conditions. It was our aim to change as many lives as possible in the short time we were there; one smile at a time!As a volunteer working in a foreign country, it is very important to me to treat everyone with dignity. While on an Operation Smile mission I am committed to giving exceptional care to all my patients and their families, and working with colleagues to allow the best outcome for all. During the 4 and a half days of operating, 116 lives were successfully changed through surgery. It is always an amazing feeling when a patient, whatever age –baby, child or adult—comes into your operating room. Often they come in with so

much fear in their eyes, but then you see them reunited with their family with their surgery completed. It really touches your heart when you see them greet their loved ones for the first time following surgery. The last patient to be operated on in my room was a 64 year old gentleman, married with 7 children, and the only member of the family to have a cleft lip. He had not been invited to one of his children’s weddings because his facial deformity was seen as an embarrassment. He was so excited that he had the opportunity to have his surgery. When it was over we gave him a mirror to see himself. His eyes said it all! His tears flowed and every time he looked in the mirror he would cry. Apparently he was still crying when he went up to the ward afterwards. This is what makes our job so rewarding! As volunteers, we give our time and skills, and in a relatively short time, we can change so many lives.In the countries where Operation Smile does its missions healthcare is expensive and unaffordable for many people. Here in Australia we

have Medicare and a free hospital system, but many people around the world, including in the Philippines, don’t have that luxury. By supporting the Lions Australia Operation Smile Project, together as Lions we can continue to make sure that life-changing surgical care can be made available to children who are waiting for their chance to smile!

A Lions Member and Medical Volunteer Mission to Philippines, Joan Macrow

Message from ChairmanSince the start of this great Lions Australia project in 2010 we have worked hard, through Operation Smile Australia, to improve the quality of life, for many youngsters who have suffered from either cleft lips, cleft palate or other craniofacial problems. At this stage your Lions Australia project

has helped more than 4500 young people throughout South East Asia, China and India.For 2018 it is anticipated that there will be another 18 missions undertaken throughout these countries and Morocco, which need assistance in treating these medical issues.The generous support of you Lions,

Lioness and Leos Club members throughout Australia has ensured the great success of this project and we, because of this wonderful support, intend to seek an extension of this project for another three years at the Geelong Convention in 2019. We would really appreciate your support along the way.PDG David Floyd Chairman.

Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018

Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018

China

When Happy, out-going Yi Miang was born with a cleft lip and palate his family was shocked, “how did this come from me?” his Mother Lu Gong’e asked herself. Gong’e has twin daughters who were born without clefts which made it hard for her to understand how this could have happened to Yi Miang.

Yi Miang’s parents were always told that cleft was operable however, not at the hospital Yi Miang was born at. They began to search for hospitals that could operate on young Yi Miang, however, no hospitals nearby had the resources or specialists to do so. An Operation Smile representative visited Yi Miang’s village to spread the word about the upcoming mission in Lincang. Excited by the prospect of her son receiving a free, safe surgery Lu Gong’e along with her Mother-in-law accompanied Yi Miang to the mission site. After a 20-hour bus journey they arrived to the mission site and were surprised to see so many other children like Yi Miang waiting to be screened.

Australian medical volunteers gave Yi Miang a full medical evaluation and he was cleared to receive a surgery. Australian surgeons operated on Yi Miang’s cleft lip.

After Yi Miang’s surgery his Mother and Grandmother were amazed with the change in his face. Five months post op Yi Miang and his Mother travelled to another Operation Smile mission site in Bijie City, hoping that Yi Miang would once again be screened and cleared for surgery, this time to close his cleft palate. The happy one year old was cleared and received a surgery. While at both mission’s Lu Gong’e took lots of photos of the doctors, nurses and volunteers and hopes to show them to Yi Miang when he is older so that he can see all the people who changed his and his family’s lives forever.

Lu Gong’e hopes that her son will grow up strong, healthy and will have a kind heart and a desire to help others, the way that the Operation Smile volunteers have helped him.

A NEW SMILE FOr

Yi Miang

Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018

November, 2017 November, 2017 February, 2018

3 4 1116 187 111

PHILIPPINES INDIA PHILIPPINES

As one of 7 Operating Room nurses, I worked in a theatre with team members from India, Russia, Kenya, Canada and myself from Australia. Although only a few days prior we were complete strangers, we came together to create a great team that worked so well together. With safety as our main priority, we

were able to overcome

language barriers and power outages through professionalism, skill and open mindedness. Reminiscing on the amazing 6 days of surgery in Haldia and the 187 life changing surgeries that we performed, I feel overwhelmed to have been a small part of it. One patient that stays with me is a 19-year-old lady with a young child and husband whom had her cleft lip repaired under local anaesthetic. She was very nervous and that potentially lead to the seizure she had prior to starting surgery the first time. This seizure threatened her being cancelled from the list. But with much consideration by the surgeons and anaesthetists, they established a safe way for her to receive the life changing

surgery that she deserved whilst under close medical supervision. The team went above and beyond to have her receive this surgery, and hers and her family ’s life is now changed forever thanks to Operation Smile and the highly skilled professionals providing the care.

AN AuSTrALIAN vOLuNTEEr IN India, BrIONY hENEGhAN NOvEMBEr 2017

uPDATESmISSION

Lions Australia Operation Smile Project Update April 2018

Lions AustrALiA operAtion smiLe project mission History

Thanks to the help of Lions, Lioness and Leo Clubs, there are 4592 new smiles in the world!

You can be part of the Project: Together we can change the lives of more children.

If your Club would like to make

a donation please follow the

instructions below.

Donations by cheque: Payable to “Lions Australia

Operation Smile Project”,

care of the Brisbane Holland

Park Lions Club,

PO BOX 42,

Holland Park,

QLD 4121.

Donations by EFT: Brisbane Holland Park Lions

Club, Everyday Account.

BSB: 484 799

Account Number: 5057 422 42

CambodiaWorld Care - Sonny Jay march 2010

8 1

World Care - ElizabEth June 2011

8 1

China(FEngkai)

november 201111 158

india(bhUdanESWaR)

november 20123 118

China (FEngkai)

october 20133 120

india (kolkata)

January 20142 129

China(zhangiaJJiE) July 2014

1 93

China(ziyang) october 2014

3 103

Philippines mega mission

5 SitES June 20158 633

United States naval hospital

august 20153 81

ViEtnam(hUE/hanoi)

april 20168 177

PhiliPPinES(CEbU)

June 20163 105

China(liUyang)

august 20161 71

PhiliPPinES (CaVitE)

September 20164 86

india(PanSkURa) January 2017

4 179

PhiliPPinES(lEgazPi) Feb/mar 2017

3 69

China (daFang) april 2017

1 80

india (dURgaPUR)

PhiliPPinES(iloilo)

PhiliPPinES(CEbU)

PhiliPPinES (baColod)

may 20173 139

august 2017

november 2017

February 2018

7

3

1

140

116

111

march 201013

PhiliPPinES (CaVitE)

india(haldia)

august 2017

november 2017

5

4

100

187

China (linxia)may 2017

1 78

india(haldia) may 2017

4 157

China (yingJiang)

march 20171 60

PhiliPPinES (manila)Feb/mar 2017

2 96

China(linCang, yUnnan)

november 20166 89

China(Jinan)

September 20161 85

ViEtnam(QUang ngai)June 2016

1 97

World Care - JESSiCa loWa Png april 2016

8 0.5

China(yingJiang)

november 20151 73

China(mEngzi)

october 20151 44

China(linxia)

September 20151 97

United States naval hospitalJuly 2015

5 42

myanmaR (nay Pyi taW) march 2015

3 161

World Care - JESSiCa loWa Png September 2014

8 0.5

Cambodia(SaVy RiEng)July 2014

21 87

China (ChEngdo)

november 20131 112

ViEtnam(hanoi)

September 20132 14

PhiliPPinES (daVao)

march 201230 9

China(kaShgaR)august 2011

8 128

mercy Ship dili - EaSt timoR2010

23 57

108

Lions Australia Operation Smile Project. Holland Park Lions Club, PO BOX 42, Holland Park, QLD 4121