Uplift Internationale

Jaime Yrastorza to receive the 2012 Asian American Heroes of CO Award

Uplift Internationale — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:43:34 +0000

Jaime Yrastorza, D.M.D., will be receiving the 2012 Asian American Hero of CO Award on Saturday, May 26 at 10 a.m. at King’s Land Restaurant.

Click the link here to view the full story: http://asianavenuemagazine.com/2012/asian-american-heroes/

Jaime Yrastorza calls himself an active Rotarian and a proud American citizen. Dr. Yrastorza left his home in the Philippines in 1950 after graduating from high school. He earned his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate in dental medicine from Washington University. Then he received specialty training in oral-maxillofacial surgery from Georgetown University. Dr. Yrastorza maintained a private practice in Wheat Ridge for 35 years before retiring in 1995.

In 1989, Dr. Yrastorza founded Uplift International, an organization that gathers a team of medical professionals and volunteers to travel to the Philippines yearly to provide care to children born with facial deformities, primarily clefts of the lip and palate. The volunteers provide care at no cost to families.

“It is a haven for healthcare experts who want to share their expertise in care of the impoverished,” said Dr. Yrastorza.

Dr. Yrastorza also served as program consultant in oral-maxillofacial surgery for the Phillippines for the United Nations; he helped organize and develop a training program with his expertise for a hospital in Manila.

Dr. Yrastorza said his work is fueled by awareness that there are countries in the world that have a high number of impoverished individuals and the U.S. has an abundant source of individuals who could participate in this wisdom. A father to five and a grandfather to 14, he encourages people to take advantage of the many opportunities the country has to offer.

“This is a country that is full of opportunities to achieve your dreams and a country that gives commensurate awards for hard work,” he said.

Gala Benefit Dinner and Auction – October 6, 2012

Uplift Internationale — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:24:45 +0000

Uplift Internationale will be hosting our annual gala benefit dinner and auction on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at the Denver West Marriott from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. If you are interested in sponsoring a table, purchasing a ticket, or donating … Continue reading →

Emissary Trip – May 2012

Uplift Internationale — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:22:21 +0000

Three of Uplift Internationale’s board members will be heading to the Philippines in mid-May for an emissary trip to decide the location and dates for the 2013 mission. They will be meeting with Rotary clubs, governors and other dignitaries during the trip. Megs Lunn, UI Executive Coordinator for the Philippines and Myroslav Harasym, volunteer from the 2012 mission, will be joining them on parts of their journey. UI will begin recruiting for the 2013 mission in late May/early June. Check back to see where our group will be headed to mend faces…one child at time in 2013.

Sunday

vol2012 — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:37:39 +0000

Final blog from the Philippines! The last remnant of our week two mission team is here in Manila awaiting our second of three flights headed for Denver, arriving about 1:15 am Monday morning. A little over a week ago our whole team flew into Tagbilaran on the island of Bohol as strangers to the locals and to the new members joining our team from New York and Manila. Within hours of landing the Rotarians embraced us, our personal luggage, and almost 40 fifty-pound crates. They gave us a hugely entertaining welcome party making us all warmly welcome if not immediate friends. As the team focused on getting our operating units functioning properly, we all settled into a week doing what each of us does best. Most of us will come back home with life-changing stories-certainly of our patients and their families but often of ourselves as well. We received overwhelming support of the local medical personnel in the hospitals and cities in which we worked, the Philippine and Colorado Rotary Clubs that personally cared for us, and the Uplift Internationale Board of Directors and its advocates. What a privilege it is to have this heart-felt support to allow each member of the Operation Taghoy Mission 2012 team to use his and her God given skills to do what Uplift Internationale has done for 23 years-mending faces, one child at a time.
-Dr. Jerry Capoot

Hospital searches for future missions

vol2012 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:08:47 +0000

Whenever there is time, we try to search out hospitals nearby to evaluate for possible future missions. However, out of the blue a Dr. Grace Lim, sought us out to invite us to see a private hospital owned by her and her physician husband. Steve, Patti, Megs, and Jerry were picked up by Dr. Grace and took a 2 hour drive along a beautiful coastline to her hospital. It was surprisingly modern. We all felt this place could serve us well for a mission perhaps as early as 2013. Dr. Lim promised to start right away to seek out opportunities to recruit children with cleft lips to give us some idea as to what reasonable likelihood there is to have enough patients for next year. We are cautiously optimistic and very encouraged by her enthusiasm and “can-do” attitude. As soon as we return home, if our email exchanges warrant, we will include Dr. Lim’s hospital on our Emissary trip next summer. Jerry Capoot, MD

The mission

vol2012 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:54:09 +0000

Our mission has been a wonderful experience by all – team members as well as patients. Patients have come as far as five hours away just to be evaluated for surgery. Most have been accepted a few were not due to heart disease, TB, and infections. Some young adults with cleft palate are regularly rejected by missions because the surgery would not improve their speech. However we were able to serve several teenagers and young adults due to the expertise of our surgeons. One of our lead surgeons, Doctor Hector Santos, has a clinic in Manilla and we were able to refer a few to his clinic where he is conducting a study of the best way of treating the older cleft palate patients. We all felt very good about the mission and truly feel blessed to be a a part of this mission.

vol2012 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:13:42 +0000

Wow. What a week it has been. We have not been able to update the blog as frequently as we would have liked as internet access has been less available than we anticipated. Our second week, in Tagbilaran, is complete. We met many incredible patients, their families, Rotarians, hospital staff, and people in general. I think I speak for all of us when I say that the Filipino people are truly one of a kind. Their kindness and generosity is inspiring. Being a part of this mission and helping these children to have lives where they are no longer bullied out of school and are able to later find employment has been nothing short of life-changing.

vol2012 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:06:21 +0000

Week Two

Bret Scott — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:17:16 +0000

Yesterday, Sunday, February 12, 2012 was the mission’s first day in Tagbilaran and the beginning of the second week of our mission. The day was spent screening patients and planning the schedule for the upcoming surgeries. In the evening our mission group attended a welcoming party thrown by the Rotary Club here in Tagbilaran. We had a wonderful time at the celebration and we were given the opportunity to meet all the members of the local Rotary Club. Today, the 13th of February, the mission is completing 13 surgeries on patients ranging from 6 months to sixteen years of age. We are also continuing to screen patients on a drop-in basis. So far all is going well and we are excited for the days to come.

O.R. Staff hard at work

Bret Scott — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:28:40 +0000