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This video was made by Danielle Dunn, daughter of Surgicorps Vietnam 2014 volunteer Joanie Dunn.

Thank you to both Joanie and Danielle for contributing this video to Surgicorps!

The Surgicorps team will be traveling to Bhutan for our 9th trip to this country from April 25-May 5, 2015. We are grateful to our team members for the time, energy and resources they will provide to help improve the lives of our Bhutanese friends! This trip honors the memory of Dr. Sarah Pettrone; an outstanding surgeon, Surgicorps volunteer and Bhutan team member who passed away last year.

Team members hail from several states as well as Canada. They are:  Stephanie Annis, Anne Argenta, Lou Argenta, Michael Best, Cliff Bierman, Mary Bierman, Terry Boyd, Alena Curry, Jack Demos, Linda Esposto, Hillel Kashtan, Prema Krishnamurthy, Sheryl Lamb, William Manteris, Jonathan Ponte, Naomi Quillopa, Robert Schemmer, Warren Schubert, Ginger Sturgeon, Chris Yanakos and Darlene Yanakos.

 

 

 

Recently Surgicorps International celebrated their 20th year anniversary and I just returned home from my 20th mission trip with Surgicorps. As I reflect on this milestone I am compelled to put my thoughts into writing.

It is difficult to find words to describe what Surgicorps means to me. Ten years ago as a college student, I began my journey with Surgicorps. I could never have dreamed or imagined the impact that Surgicorps would have on my life or that I would have the opportunity to travel to eight developing countries to assist in providing medical care to those in need.

My travels with Surgicorps have changed me as a physician assistant and as a person.

I have made many new friends from our country and many others from the various countries to which I have traveled.

When I enter hospitals in certain countries, I feel like I am participating in a homecoming. I find myself hugging and embracing my friends and “family” that I have not seen in a while.

Professionally, I have learned surgical techniques and gained medical knowledge from the very talented, competent doctors, nurses, surgical technicians, CRNA’s, and other physician assistants. This knowledge has carried over and been useful in my professional life in America.

While working closely with medical professionals in various countries, I have learned that there is more than one way of completing tasks and that the “American way” is not always the best way.

I have helped to create many “smiles”, but the patients who have received a new smile have made me smile even more!

Medical mission trips with Surgicorps keep me emotionally grounded and humble and have taught me many lessons in patience.

I have shed tears, acquired many bug bites, and lost weight from traveler’s GI illnesses. However, I would not change one thing about my experiences.

I have witnessed sickness and deformities, dealt with loss, and have seen the results of physical acts of violence provoked by other human beings that I could have never imagined. Helping individuals to “feel whole” again by surgically providing them with the ability to eat, talk, smile, walk, or use their arms, makes me thankful to have been blessed with skills as a PA and to be a volunteer with a group of individuals who share my mindset.

I am truly honored to have had all of these opportunities and privileges bestowed upon me by the age of 33.

Thank you Surgicorps (and the generosity of those that support your mission as donors and volunteers and make these trips possible) for impacting and changing my life forever. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities you have provided for me to help positively impact the lives of hundreds of adults and children. I look forward to traveling with you for many years to come!

Tara Burns

 

On October 31st, a group of 18 volunteers would travel almost 10,000 miles to reach Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was my maiden-voyage with the team, and I joined them as a non-medical volunteer. Although I’d traveled to many faraway places, I would soon learn the difference between traveling, and seeing the world.

We filed in as doctors, nurses, students, medical technicians, coordinators, writers, and interpreters. We arrived with different educations, nationalities, skillsets, cultures, and ages. But when united together, we became one. We became a well-oiled machine that performed life-changing surgeries, and brought hope to less fortunate and disadvantaged individuals. Together we became Surgicorps.

The first day was screening day, the time when soon-to-be patients are assessed for surgery. When our team arrived, the waiting room was swelled to capacity with men, women, and children of all ages. They were eager to be seen, yet waited (some for hours) with patience and good nature. Some were there for the first time and others had returned for second and even third surgeries. Many had severe birth defects; cleft palates, missing ears, and other anomalies. There were babies too young to know that they looked unlike other children, even startling. But their parents were well aware and sat joyfully, while they waited for their child to be seen by the surgeons. Although all communication was done through interpreters, the sentiment in that room needed no translation; hope had arrived.

I felt particularly drawn to the burn patients, many who were unsightly. Maybe it was in the knowing that they weren’t born this way. Maybe it was in the knowing that at one time they knew how it felt to look normal or even beautiful; that at one time they knew how it felt to “fit in.” That first day, in screening, we were only required to record the physical source behind the burns; cooking with kerosene on an open flame, a lit cigarette falling into a gasoline can, acid burns, and an electrocution that left a man without arms, or toes. The burn patients understood that there was no magic wand for all of their disfigurements, so they came to see the Surgicorps team in search of a new normal. They underwent surgeries to restore lips that had been seared off, or release fingers that were fused together. One young man was unable to raise his arms when he arrived. Three days after surgery, he proudly posed for pictures with his hands on his hips and a big smile on his face.

Through the help of our interpreters we got to know the burn patients; a group of individuals that didn’t know one another when they arrived, but were tightly intertwined by the time they left. We gave them an opportunity to tell their stories and to talk about how different life was for them now; to talk about the “new normal”. One woman showed us a photo of an exquisite bride on her wedding day. It was a picture of herself, one that was taken before the accident that burned her face beyond recognition.

The group felt comfortable, and safe, when in the company of each other. Opening up about things that they hadn’t spoken of before was like a warm bath to them; a liberating release of emotion. When together, they felt like they “fit in.” They spoke freely about feelings of rejection, and embarrassment in the outside world. Some spoke of feeling helpless, and reliant on family for the simplest of things. The man without arms dreamed of having a single hook one day to replace just one of his arms. He wanted nothing more than to feel independent. When asked what they would hope for, if given three wishes, their selfless answers surprised us all. They wished only to be accepted in a world where physical appearance matters most. They wished this so that they might become employed again, and provide for their families. They wished not to be a burden.

That which does not kill you, will indeed make you stronger, and the patients that we helped are a testament to that. It was a joy to see the happiness in their faces, and the confidence that was restored to them after surgery. I will miss my new friends in Vietnam, and hope to see them next year on our return visit. The trip was life changing, not just for the people that we helped, but also for ourselves. It was as much about what we took home in our hearts as what we left behind.

Are you a student in the medical professions interested in going on a trip with Surgicorps?  Click here to see if you are eligible for the Surgicorps Student Scholarship!  The scholarship is awarded annually and covers $1,000 of the recipient’s travel costs.

6th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament Benefits Surgicorps® Intl

September 8, 2014
Loch Nairn Golf Club
Avondale, PA

On Monday, September 8, 2014, the Loch Nairn Golf Club  will be the site of the 6th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit Surgicorps International in loving memory of Hank Smedley and Jackie Baird.

Join us for a great day of golf and support Surgicorps. This 18-hole tournament includes: prizes, green & cart fees, refreshments on the course, individual and team contests, and a cocktail hour and a buffet dinner complete with awards for the day’s winners!

Registration: 12:00 PM
Shot Gun Start: 1:00 PM
Cocktails, dinner and coffee bar: 6:00 PM
$145.00 per person – includes cocktails & dinner
$65.00 – cocktails & dinner only

Golf and/or be a sponsor! Sponsorships begin at $125 and include tee signage on the course and the Clubhouse that will be on display for one week. For more information call 412-767-4185 or 610-268-0824. Or e-mail: info@surgicorps.org.

Deadline for registration and sponsorship is August 18, 2014.

One of the many exclusive opportunities of the Golf Tournament is the chance to win a one week-vacation in a fully-staffed, four- bedroom villa at the Skibereen Villa in Jamaica, West Indies. Suggested donation: $35 per ticket or 3 tickets for $90.

Please consider joining us at Loch Nairn for golf and/or supporting this wonderful event as a sponsor.

To register or become a sponsor, please download and print the Golf Registration Form and mail with your check (payable to Surgicorps International) to Surgicorps International, 3392 Saxonburg Blvd., Suite 400, Glenshaw, PA 15116.

See photos from past tournaments on our Facebook page.