York Town News
Donate new and used eyeglasses this week as part of local doctor's mission to Guatemala
By Melissa Wood
Sarah Holland
Holland will join a team of surgeons, nurses and other medical professions, working from Jan. 20 to 28, as part of Children of the Americas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing necessary medical and surgical services to indigent children and their families throughout the world.
"It's a very little known group and they do such wonderful things," said Holland.
This will be her second trip. Holland traveled to Guatemala three years ago while she was a resident at the University of Pittsburgh.
"I would've gone back every year, but had three children," she said.
Holland will join two other plastic surgeons in Guatemala City and operate pretty much for five days straight. She said treating cleft lip and cleft palate will be the surgeons' main focus and explained that certain populations have a genetic component where they have higher risk of children born with these facial deformities.
Holland said the most satisfying thing about treating cleft lips is that immediately after the operation there's a dramatic change in the child's appearance.
"It's incredibly rewarding," she said.
On the first day, the doctors will see hundreds of children to schedule surgeries and determine which children are healthy enough to have the procedures. Sometimes children who aren't healthy enough due to malnourishment will be provided with support to get healthier and will be treated the following year.
Other children, whose conditions are beyond the scope of what the doctors can do in Guatemala, may be brought to hospitals in America for treatment.
"It's focused on taking care of a child with any kind of deformity," Holland said.
Holland said the organization Children of the Americas is willing to go into more remote areas to treat children. For instance, on her first visit to Guatemala, Holland's group performed surgeries in a horse stable that had been converted into a community health center.
This year they will be working in a hospital.
Holland, who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and fellowship trained in craniofacial surgery, called the mission to Guatemala one of the most fulfilling things she's ever done.
"It puts our world into perspective," said Holland. "You're reminded how blessed we are and how much we really have."
As part of her trip, Holland is collecting eyeglasses for "Eyeglass Afternoon," an event where Guatemalan mothers, who earn their living by sewing and weaving, are given glasses to aid them in their work. Local residents may bring glasses to Holland's York Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Center and they will receive a 10 percent discount on aesthetic service packages.
For more information, visit www.childrenoftheamericas.org or contact Holland at 351-3001 or www.yorkps.com.
