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It’s been three months since our team has returned from Vietnam.  As with all of Surgicorps’ trips, it was one filled with joy, and with sorrow. On screening day, the physicians walk into a room bursting with children that have cleft lips and palates, missing ears, and faces distorted from disease. There is never a shortage of dreadful and disfiguring burns; most are due to lack of proper kitchens and dangerous surroundings in rural homes. Performing life-changing surgery on people so desperately in need brings joy to everyone.  Occasionally a patient must be turned away because of high risk, or because the hospital lacks the proper facilities necessary to proceed.  When the doctors have to turn someone away, for any reason, there is no greater sorrow.

Surgicorps introduced a new vision program on this trip, and I was privileged to be a part of it.  A team of six non-medical volunteers, spent three days at a Vision Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  Hundreds of people made their way to us, many by foot, for the chance to be fitted for a simple pair of eyeglasses.  Through the generous support of Dr. Larry Butler and the Global Brigade University of Pittsburgh students, 2,000 pairs of distance glasses were donated and then tediously bagged, according to strengths.  This was in addition to 600 pairs of readers that we carried in huge duffle bags.

With Godspeed (and the help of interpreters) the six of us took a crash-course in basic optometry and learned how to refract eyes, chart the findings, and fit people with both distance and reader glasses.  Not uncommon in many developing countries, most of the patients that we screened did not speak a word of English. Local students who studied at the clinic helped us to screen and direct the sea of people that waited, some for hours, in the hopes that they would see clearly again.

Many of these people had never been to an eye doctor before, or even had their vision tested.  Our eyes watched in amazement, as some of them were able to read text for the first time in years, or look across a room that would suddenly come into focus.  We cried with them over the sheer joy of having their eyesight improved, something that is so basic in the United States.  They hugged and thanked us, as if we had performed a miracle.

With the simple gift of distance glasses, people were jubilant as they walked about the room. We learned that one woman hadn’t been able to read her beloved newspaper in over a decade.  Some of the elderly were suffering from cataracts, so without surgery they couldn’t be helped in this modest setting.  They graciously left with a smile and a thank you, and for them we had a table of sunglasses.  No one went home empty handed, least of all, us.  We flew home with smiling eyes, knowing that 775 people had renewed confidence.  They were able to read again, learn again, find employment again, look at photos of their grandchildren again, or just recognize and wave to a friend across the street.

                   

 

Tshering, a 28 year-old mother, brought two of her three children to the Paro District Hospital, in Bhutan.  It was screening day, and they joined the scores of patients crammed into packed hallways, waiting to be evaluated by Surgicorps’ surgeons.  Leaving her six-year-old boy Nima behind, Tshering traveled for two days by bus to reach the hospital.  Sonam, her five-year-old boy, and Pema, her lively two-year-old girl, were tucked by her side.  With Bhutan having no plastic surgeons in the country, patients wait months or years to be treated; many will never be seen.

In 2010, Tshering was pregnant with her first child when her husband came home drunk, accused her of infidelity, then beat her and set the house on fire. She was able to escape but suffered severe burns that kept her hospitalized for two months. Her husband remains in jail. Tshering went on to have two more children and supports the family by working as a nanny. She works seven days a week, taking two buses each way to her job. Rising early each morning to prepare all the meals for her three children, Tshering must then leave them at home to care for themselves. Nima helps Sonam when he comes home from school, and together they play with Pema until their mother arrives late at night to put them to bed. With a smile on her beautiful but sad face, Tshering explains that she receives no support from her extended family.

Surgicorps treats many burn patients, as over 3 billion people worldwide are using open flames to cook and to heat their homes. In early 2015, Sonam was burned while sleeping, when a kerosene lamp spilled on him. He suffered severe burns to his legs and perineal area, and can’t stand upright due to the contractures from his wounds. With the significant recovery time necessary for perineal surgery, coupled with the lack of suitable care at home with mom working, the doctors opted to only graft the small area on his leg. Sonam will hopefully return this year for the bigger procedure, which will undoubtedly change his life.

After his graft, Sonam eagerly joined in playtime with the other children on the ward.  Despite his obvious disability and constant pain, Sonam was full of resilience and limped to catch up with them.

Tshering was hoping for surgery on her own burn scars last year, but was urged to come back in 2017 when she would have others to help with her children while recovering. She did not complain nor become angry, but rather, she thanked the surgeon and then went back to caring for her little ones.

Much like all the others in that crowded waiting area, Tshering and Sonam have experienced unimaginable pain, loss, and sadness. Through it all, these stoic people exhibit courage and bravery.  They are grateful for the opportunity to be given a life-improving surgery.  Many will have surgery, but some cannot.  No matter what the reason, when they are turned away, they leave the hospital with a thank you, and a smile.

Surgicorps will be in Bhutan from April 22 to May 2, 2017 for our 11^th trip to Paro District Hospital. Please stay tuned for updates and pictures from the ground and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Congratulations to the raffle winner of the travel package!  Jane Dixon won a week stay at an RCI vacation exchange network and 2 jetBlue tickets. Enjoy your trip and thanks to all who supported the raffle! Our Annual Report highlights some of the impact and outcomes your support makes possible. We hope you’ll read and share the report with pride. If we’ve received your year-end donation, thank you again. Your contribution is already at work, helping to make sure we’re staffed and supplied to effectively meet the needs of our patients. There’s still time to make a difference and help to prepare our teams to do more in 2017. You may renew your support online — Donate — or mail your check payable to Surgicorps to 3392 Saxonburg Blvd, Suite 400, Glenshaw, PA  15116. Happy Holidays and the very best to you and yours in the year ahead,

Jack Demos Founder Liam Carstens Executive Director

Linda Esposto Director of Programs and Logistics DeNese Olson Operations Manager

Surgicorps International is packing for our 13^th trip to Vietnam from October 28th-November 8th with 29 medical and non-medical team members. This will be our final trip of 2016.

We will once again partner with Odonto Maxillo Facial Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Our team this year includes: 17 members from Pennsylvania, 2 from Arizona, 2 from Massachusetts, 2 from Minnesota and 1 each from Missouri, California, Texas, New York, Colorado and Maryland.

Return team members include Thanh Armagost, Tu Armagost, Neal Armagost, Anne Argenta, Andrew Berenato, Mary Bernacki, Bill Bookwalter, Will Bookwalter, Alena Curry, Joan Dunn, Lori Ellis, James Fleck, Alex Hutchinson, Paul Kim, Duc Pham, Jimmy Ricciardi, James Terman, Judy Traister and Charles Yang.

We welcome several new team members this year as well:  Donna Bookwalter, Christine Depenthal, Carla Lavrusky, Belinda Lee, John Merrill, Megan Natali and David Nelson.

Jack Demos will lead the team as Medical Director and Linda Esposto, our Director of Programs and Logistics, will ensure things run smoothly on all fronts. Liam Carstens, our Executive Director, will make his inaugural trip to Vietnam.

Best wishes team Vietnam 2016 as you set out to change many lives. Stay tuned and follow us, for trip updates and pictures, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

Surgicorps is set to leave for our 6^th mission trip to Zambia from September 17^th-24^th with 23 medical and non-medical team members. We look forward to partnering again with Beit CURE International Children’s Hospital in Lusaka. Our team this year includes: 10 members from Pennsylvania, 7 from Massachusetts, 2 from North Carolina, 2 from Nevada, and 1 each from Virginia and Zambia.

Our returning volunteers include Janet Belitsky, Cliff Bierman, Mary Bierman, Christine Bowman, Tara Burns, Lori Ellis, Rama Joshi, David Kim, John Lagnese, Peg Lagnese, Michele Misher-Harris, Richard Montilla, Bernadette Montilla, Scott Pearson, and Courtney Retzer Vargo.

A warm welcome to several new team members this year as well:  Mutande Chisanga, Meredith Deaton, Courtney Garbee, Yuen-Jong Liu, and Stephen Vargo.

Jack Demos will lead the team as Medical Director and Linda Esposto, our Director of Programs and Logistics, will be overseeing all aspects of the mission. DeNese Olson will be our Trip Coordinator.

Although all volunteers pay for their own airfare and accommodations and generously donate their time and skills, Surgicorps has additional expenses not covered by volunteers.  Please consider visiting our Bon Voyage 2016 Team Zambia Crowdrise campaign here and help us to fund this gap.

Thank you team Zambia for helping Surgicorps serve people in need in Lusaka. Stay tuned and follow us, for trip updates and pictures, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

During my three years as an interpreter for Surgicorps, I’ve heard a lot of things that formal Spanish classes and medical translation textbooks simply didn’t prepare me for: a toddler cursing at me in K’iche’ when I had to restrain him from ripping out his IV, two young girls staring at me incredulously when I responded that no, I was not married yet even though I was already 17, and an 80 year old man revealing to me that the secret to a long, healthy life was eating lots of frijoles.

But perhaps the declaration that stuck with me most came from a kindhearted man who had traveled 5 hours to find help for his son who was born with a cleft palate. When I asked if he had any questions about his son’s upcoming surgery, he shook his head and replied, “No. But I would just like to thank all of you for leaving your jobs and your families this week to come to Guatemala. There are so many here who need help, but so few who are willing to provide it.”

This sobering quote put a lot of things into perspective for me. First, I realized how much I take for granted living in a place with such abundant medical resources. When my wisdom teeth started to cause problems, I had my choice of 5 surgeons within a 10 mile radius of my home. When I broke my arm, I was casted that same night. And when I feel something as minimal as a sinus infection coming on, I have the privilege to drop into any of the 15 urgent care clinics in my town and receive an antibiotic. When you are used to such accessible medical solutions, it takes a quote like that to realize that most of the world does not share this same luxury.

And secondly, as I looked at this man holding his son and heard his words repeating in my head, I realized that there was nothing else I would rather do with my life than to be one of “the few” and help those whose circumstances hinder them from receiving the care they need and deserve. After that moment, I knew that I could never be content working in a place where I was an option: one out of 5 doctors in a 10 mile radius that could all treat the same problem, while knowing that somewhere else in the world, I would be someone’s only chance at finding help.

If it weren’t for my time with Surgicorps, I might never have chosen this path. But through these trips, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by volunteers who have shown me what it means to be one of “the few”: selfless, kind, and hardworking medical and nonmedical personnel who invest their time to help those who need it, and who exemplify what can be achieved by using their talents for the good of others. Each year, we see more than 100 patients who travel for hours to receive care for life­altering deformities and life­threatening conditions, care that they could not access otherwise. For these people, volunteers like those at Surgicorps are their only hope for a better life.

Although the efforts of “the few” are not enough to heal the whole world, they are enough to make a lasting difference. With each trip to Guatemala, I am continually amazed by what a team of just 30 caring individuals can accomplish in just a week’s time, and by how many lives are changed in the process. My experience with Surgicorps has inspired to continue this type of work, not just for one week out of the year, but for the rest of my life. And with a career built on my Spanish skills along with my medical training, I can only imagine all of the quotes I have yet to hear, both comical and life­changing.