ICSF’s 2012 efforts included a record of nine missions to the Philippines alone. Dr. Geoff Williams, ICSF president, comments, “This country is one of the poorest in Southeast Asia. With the Asian predisposition to clefts, and with poor access to reconstructive surgery, these people suffer a very high cleft rate. We’re glad to be able to provide such extensive help to these very deserving folks in the Philippines. Our donors have made it possible for us to expand our services more every year.”
The last two quarters of 2011 saw ICSF serve nine missions to five countries (the Philippines, Mexico, Peru, Kenya, and Pakistan), including ICSF’s first speech therapy mission (see page 2). “The credit for our success in 2011 should be shared by ICSF’s supporters who have really made all of this possible” says Dr. Geoff Williams, ICSF president.
When children with cleft palates receive palate surgery, even the
most meticulous surgical repair is often not enough to ensure normal
speech. In the US and other developed countries, children have access
to speech therapists who can train and teach the patients to speak
normally after palate surgery.
To what extent will ICSF go to help its patients? Just ask
Luzielle. I first met Luzielle in March 2009 when she was three. I
will never forget our first meeting. ICSF was conducting its first
mission to Cadiz, Philippines, and it was our first day at the
hospital. We were in the middle of a long day of patient
evaluations. Nearly all patients had clefts of some kind.
Meet Janet Brigham. At first glance, she is one of the many volunteers who donate their time and expertise to keep ICSF running. A research psychologist at SRI International in Menlo Park, California, with a background as a professional editor and writer, she edits and formats ICSF’s quarterly newsletter.
(This was written in May 2009 in response to a request for information on how we function) Note: although it is now almost three years later, February 2012, we still function on an all-volunteer basis.
Dear Mandy,
We have been moving steadily along for almost three years now. From September 2003, until the latter part of 2006, Geoff financed this work out of his savings.
Most American soldiers, after completing a tour of duty in Afghanistan, return
home to pursue the lives they dreamed of when they were in the battlefi eld—
and well they should. They have put life and limb on the line for the ideals of freedom.
Relationships, school, and family are the goals of nearly all as they return
home—except 26-year-old Marine Sgt. Winston Fiore, that is.
For four years, Dr. Williams has been using a surgical technique he developed to create more beauty in the lips of bilateral cleft lip patients. He presented details about the technique at the American Cleft Palate Association’s 68th Annual Scientifi c Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 4-9. “The presentation was well-received, and afterward a number of surgeons were interested in implementing the technique,” reports Dr. Williams. “I owe a lot to ICSF and its supporters, too,” he adds.
Due to very good continued donor support to ICSF, two new team missions were carried out in April (Hai Phong, Vietnam Children’s Hospital) and in May (Cebu, Philippines Children’s Sanitorium). This brings the total of locations where ICSF serves team missions to seven.
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