With the help of Enrique Duerksen's contact, we were able to use the infrastructure of the „Sonrisas Program“. Our team consisted of Dr. Oliver Wingenbach as a specialist in plastic surgery and team leader, Dr. Zeynep Altayli as a specialist in plastic surgery, PD Dr. Dr. Rita Depprich as a specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Dr. Sabine Kneist as a specialist in anesthesiology, anesthesia nurse Holger Reinwald, and Georg Jung, who was a medical student at the time. Our team was supported by local doctors Dr. Pablo Ramirez, Dr. Enrique Ojeda, and Dr. Ruben Ivana Zawadski.
After a long journey, we arrived in Paraguay tired and exhausted. Customs clearance took longer because we were carrying both instruments and medicines in our luggage. After we convinced the customs officers of our humanitarian mission, our driver also arrived with the necessary paperwork.
After a drive of several hours, we arrived in Colonia Friesland, a settlement of Mennonites who had immigrated from Germany. The colony has a well-equipped hospital with operating rooms.
Beforehand, word of our humanitarian mission spread throughout the region via radio and word of mouth. As a result, we were able to begin our clinic hours and surgeries immediately. We treated many patients with cleft lips and palates, reconstructive ear, nose, and facial procedures, skin and soft tissue tumors, burn scars, and hernias. Together with PD Dr. Dr. Rita Depprich, we made a great interdisciplinary team. In 9 days, we operated on a total of 68 patients.
We were supported with outstanding dedication by the hospital team and Dr. Ruben Ivara Zawadski, Chief Physician of the hospital, both during the work on-site and after our departure in the follow-up care and wound management of the patients.
