Midge Nelson, Yvonne Legge, and Ted Alex came to our July 15, 2025 meeting to educate us about Rotaplast International which provides reconstructive surgery and care for cleft lip and palate, burn scarring and conracture, and other deformities
Midge, Yvonne, and Ted gave us a good overview of what Rotaplast is and does by recounting their 2024 mission to Faridabad India.
Midge Nelson (President, Portsmouth Rotary)
Since it was founded in 1993, Rotaplast has conducted over 600 surgical and educational camps in 26 countries where they served more than 21,000 patients. Their motto is "Saving Smiles, Changing Lives.
Yvonne Legge (Past President, Portsmouth Rotary)
There were 9 volunterrs from the Portsmouth club. Ted served as Mission Director and has been on 5 of these missions.
The statistics on their mission to India alone are amazing. There were volunteers from the U.S.A., India and Egypt. Those included 5 Reconstructive Plastic Surgeons, 3 Pediatricians, 4 Anesthesiologists, 1 Orthodontist, 1 Dentist, 4 Operating Room Nurses, 2 Post Anesthesia Care Unit Nurses, a Covid Safety Officer, and 10 non-medical volunteers. 78 surgical procedures were performed on 51 patients. They worked 12-15 hour days. The total value of the professional services provided amounted to nearly US $445,000. The effect on the lives of the people they served is immeasurable.