Hamiltonian anesthetist Alan Goodey is an Interplast volunteer who has been visiting Samoa for many years. One of the lucky recipients of surgery has been six-year-old Daniel.
It was a great outcome for the young boy, opening up a brighter future that will include less chance of social exclusion, better speech development, ease of eating and drinking, and more.
But his story illustrates the challenges of treating conditions that in countries such as New Zealand are dealt with quite early in a child’s life.