Dr. Juan P. Sanchez, Jr. of the Rotary Club of San Francisco del Monte was recently named Rotarian of the Year at the 2009 District Awards Night of Rotary International District 3780 (Quezon City). The ceremony, held recently at the Philamlife Auditorium in Manila, recognized him as head of the surgery team for the first-ever Rotary Mobile Surgery Unit.

The QC Rotary District Awards Night had the theme “A Celebration of Service for the Dreams Made Real” and was hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Eastwood and Greenmeadows. In a message given at the program, District Governor Alexander P. Cureg said that it was a fitting celebration not only of the dreams made real by the Rotarians in 2009 but also of the real heroes who had enough vision, mettle and stamina to make them come true.

Sanchez and his team specialize in performing surgery on indigent patients, using local anesthesia to reduce both the costs of the operations and the risks to the patients. Their unit has operated in the communities of Quezon City, as well as other locations such as Marikina City, Bacolor in Pampanga, San Mateo and Cainta in Rizal, and Hagonoy in Bulacan.