Mending Faces-Screening Day
Although my mother has been with Mending Faces for years this is my whole family’s first Mending Faces trip. My brother Bradan and I practiced making balloon animals from the balloons, our grandparents got us. My younger brother Liam did a puppet show and handed out little toys for the kids eagerly waiting for their chance to get checked. At first when we started making balloons for the kids at the hospital, no one paid attention to our hard work. Until one balloon sword Bradan was making popped. All the kids immediately turned to us got up and started asking for the balloons. In a few minutes everyone was waiting eagerly for their turn. It was so fun giving balloons to eager kids some my age. It came with one burden though it was so hard with my little fingers to tie the balloon. Some of the older kids helped us make balloons one girl blew up the balloon and then asked us to tie it so she could make something for a kid who didn’t have a balloon yet and sometimes she would give the balloon to me so I could make balloon animals. It made me feel so joyous to see how much kids took joy with only one little toy.
Day 2 at the hospital:
On day 2 we brought the stuff animals we bought for all the kids at a hot toy warehouse the day before. When we brought the stuff animals to the kids and their family patiently waiting for the minute, they would bravely enter the operating room to get their cleft lip and\or pallet fixed by Mending Faces amazing group of doctors and nurses. It brings me lots of joy to see the kids play happily with the little teddy bears stuffed with fluff waiting to be filled with love and happiness. I thought to myself at that moment, “Wow, I am spoiled with toys.” The bears we gave them will probably be kept nice and clean and full of joy with all the different kids happy to have a toy to play with.
Day 3 at the hospital/ in the Operating Room:
On day 3 we brought some more toys to kids who just came in eagerly waiting for their surgeries that day or the next day. We also gave them friendship bracelets and necklaces to work on while they waited patiently with their eager family in their room at the hospital. Early that morning while my brothers gave toys and played with the kids, my mom and I went to the Operating Room to watch our amazing nurses and surgeon’s fix kids cleft lip and\or pallet. I watched a pallet surgery. It was interesting to see how the surgeon separated the muscle and the tissue and then brought the two sides of the pallet together to fix the kid’s mouth. I threw up because I was watching the nurse suck the blood out of the kids’ mouth with a tube so the surgeon could still see. I followed the tube with my eyes until I saw a bucket of blood and that made me feel nauseous. I told my mom calmy, “I need a break.” “Okay come stand over here” she replied and then I exclaimed embarrassed,” I need to throw up.” So, she took me to the trash can and I puked. Then we went right back in the O.R.
In conclusion, this was an amazing experience and I figured out if my professional soccer career doesn’t work out, I want to be a surgeon.
