 Here at Mending Kids Headquarters, we are in "full" gala mode! A big thanks to the following product sponsors: Jean Paul Mitchell, Andrea Schroder, Cold Fix, and Lucky Strike. All of our attendees will be going home with more than $80 dollars worth of fabulous gifts! A special thanks to our event sponsors: The Cusumano Family Foundation, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Cedars-Sinai, and Robyn Ross This year we honor….. HOPE- Sienna Dugan is a student at Southern Methodist University majoring in Health and Society and minoring in Global Health and Psychology. She has traveled on over 10 medical missions with us and is the definition of a Mending Kids Ambassador. LOVE- MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital has been very generous with allowing teams to deploy staff. The care team led by Dr. Willner had to think ahead and gather the resources needed to care for patients in the underdeveloped communities that we visited. Since that first one-team surgical mission, through the growth of the Mending Kids Guatemala program, to 3 times a year surgical team missions, Miller’s has partnered with Mending kids, providing the use of the surgical instrumentation that has helped provide life-changing surgeries to well over 600 children in that country. They are the premiere example of what a true partnership and teamwork should be. MEND- Dr. Robert (Matt) Bernstein is the Chief of Staff of Shriners Hospitals for Children Portland. Dr. Bernstein is well-known for his charity work and work with Mending Kids and his missions with us to Mozambique, Panama, Mongolia, and Honduras. This Valentine’s Day, treat that special someone to a night of fun & philanthropy. Just "imagine" what a good time we’ll have and with your support how many more children we can save. Be My Valentine
 It has been a passion of mine to help the sick and needy, whomever and wherever they may be. I have also long dreamt of providing help to children abroad. As such, when I was asked to travel to Tanzania with Mending Kids, I jumped at the opportunity, though I was unsure of what to expect. I thought, “I am a nurse who will be traveling with a medical team, but I’ll be serving as non-medical personnel… I hope I can still be of help.”
As it turned out, my experience as a team member of Mending Kids was one of a lifetime. I will forever treasure my experiences helping children who desperately needed it. In my mind, I can still see the faces of the little children as we registered them on their first morning, they seemed very scared and wary. Throughout the week, I became familiar and emotionally connected with these children and their parents, especially as I handed them the toys that we had brought, monitored their vital signs, and tenderly bathed them before their surgeries. Towards the end of the week, many of them came to me to play ball in the hospital’s hallway, to talk about “America” or to just give me a high five. I am beyond thankful to Mending Kids for taking me on this mission as a volunteer and I would do it again if I had a chance. Orquidea Yanira Pollack, MSN
As we ring in the new year, Mending Kids is pleased to welcome the following individuals to our board:
(Pictured from Left to Right)
 Our New Year’s resolution is to save the life of our 5,000th child in 2019!
Join us at our annual Wings "Imagine" Gala on Thursday, February 21, 2019, at 6pm. Your presence and support will help us reach our goal. For tickets click here Thanks to the generosity of you, our donors and volunteers, Mending Kids, to date, has provided critical surgical care to more than 4,000 children worldwide. We are sincerely grateful for one-time donations large and small! The easiest and most efficient way to help us provide stable and continued support is to continue being a part of our Club Kaleidoscope or consider a modest increase in your monthly gift. Your monthly contributions fund our critical work to mend children’s lives all over the world. Stop by our office and see your Butterfly on our Legacy wall. We are forever grateful for your support.
Mending Kids deployed to Guatemala City and provided 85 children with general ears, nose and throat procedures. Mending Kids Lead Surgeon Dr. Namrata Varma, led the 21 person team consisting of 11 medical volunteers; surgeons, surgical technicians, anesthesiologists and nurses along with10 High School student volunteers from MUSE High-School in Calabasas .
The MUSE student volunteers helped out with paperwork, passed out stuffed animals to patients, helped ease the children's nerves before and after surgery, painted the exterior and bathroom of Prince of Peace Girls Group Home and Orphanage, and helped pack our loaned medical equipment. The students seemed to really immerse themselves into their mission work. Many photos were taken with them hugging and cuddling with the patients and their siblings. Within the Moore Medical Center, they had the chance to interact with local volunteers their age. These bilingual Guatemalan volunteers served the purpose of translating in the screening clinic, pre-op, and post-op. This was an opportunity for the MUSE students to connect with their peers, and find commonalities between the two cultures. It seemed obvious that it was a truly life-changing experience for both patients and teens. (Pictured top left, Selly with sibling of patient, top right Xai with patient Kristen, 7 years) Our individual surgical care patients came from Belize, Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru and Uganda. In total, we mended 23 children from overseas countries. Here is a look at some of the lives we've touched... As we end this year, Mending Kids reflects on all that’s been accomplished during 2018. The year was filled with stories of recovery and heartfelt memories. Mending Kids helped save and change the lives of children from all over the world. The surgeries provided varied; colorectal, cardiac, ENT, plastic and burns. Here is a snapshot of some of the lives we’ve touched in 2018: Mending Kids Works With Good Samaritan To Bring Jamaican Boy to U.S. for Reconstructive Surgery12/17/2018
Mending Kids flew out 14-year old, Anthony from Jamaica to Los Angeles this November to undergo a series of facial reconstruction procedures. Anthony fell off of a pick-up truck when he was only 6 years old. The fall left him with a disfigured face. Complex, facial reconstructive surgeries are not amenable in his home country of Jamaica. And, Anthony’s family was unable to fund such a complicated procedure.
Flash-forward 4 years. Steve Miller was vacationing in Trelawny, Jamaica and noticed a boy sitting at the pier. It just so happens that Anthony’s Dad, Bernard works for a rafting tour company and Anthony was waiting for his Dad’s shift to end. Steve couldn’t help but to notice this boy’s face. He went back to his vacation rental and inquired with the house manager if they knew of the boy. They did, and the manager contacted Bernard about Steve’s inquiry. Steve searched for nearly 4 years for someone to take on Anthony’s case. No one would. Until Steve reached out to Mending Kids about 3 months ago. Mending Kids sponsored his flight and made all of the arrangements for him to be seen at both Shriners and Children’s Hospital L.A. While Anthony was here, Steve launched a Facebook Giving Tuesday campaign, which fundraised nearly $5000 to sponsor Anthony’s housing and food. In between appointments, Steve made sure Anthony and Bernard were able to take in some Los Angeles sightseeing and enjoyed quality time getting to know each other. Mending Kids arranged for Anthony’s many appointments while here. It was uncovered that before Anthony could have any reconstruction done, he needed to meet with a Neurosurgeon, because via a brain scan, it was obvious his brain was exposed. This speciality is not a service provided by Shriners. Steve learned of a neurosurgeon, Mark Krieger of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles so Mending Kids arranged for and paid for that appointment. Dr. Krieger advised that Anthony could have his three initial nose surgeries and come back for the neurosurgery procedure afterwards. At this point, Anthony and his Dad had already been here a month and Dad needed to get back to Jamaica so he could go back to work and help support his family. Anthony, his family and Steve remain hopeful that his reconstruction will happen through Mending Kids Individual Surgical Care Program in early 2019. |
Mending Kids is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization registered in California, United States of America.
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