Non-profit plastic surgery group celebrates a major milestone.
The international humanitarian group Rotaplast just added an impressive achievement to their resume; the group recently performed their 15,000th reconstructive surgery, which is just the latest in a long line of free surgeries that have changed the lives of those who received them.
In February of this year, the life of an infant girl in Mali, West Africa, was changed forever. Her family brought her to the capital of Mali in the hopes that they could receive free surgery to repair her cleft lip and give her a shot at a better life.
Her family’s prayers were answered by the non-profit organization Rotaplast, whose mission is to provide free plastic surgery in missions across the globe to those who need it most.
Her surgery was performed without a hitch by Dr. Sibrand Schepel, and a day later was sporting a brand new, healthy smile.
Rotaplast International, Inc. was founded in 1992 by Dr. Angelo Capozzi in collaboration with the Rotary Club of San Francisco, and then-president Peter Lagarias. Their first mission was to La Serena, Chile in 1993 to treat children with cleft lip and cleft palate whose families could not afford the corrective surgery.
Since then, the group has expanded exponentially, drawing on the time an expertise of 500 medical volunteers around the world, from plastic surgeons, to nurses, dentists, paediatricians, and more. Their stated goal is to eliminate cases of untreated cleft lip and palate among children worldwide by 2025.
As a non-profit organization, Rotaplast relies on the generosity of doctors, medical equipment companies, hospitals around the world, and everyday people making donations to this noble cause. If you’re interested in helping children all over the world smile, visit their website and consider making a donation.
