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Aside from the serious business of screening 98 new patients to evaluate how the doctors might be able to help them, there is the excitement of reunion in the air as well.  Doctors and volunteers look forward to seeing the progress of former patients returning for additional treatment.  The Surgicorps medical team looks forward to seeing the Bhutanese hospital staff and the guides and translators who work so closely to make the 10-day mission a success.

In 2018, Surgicorps treated 59 patients with conditions such as cleft lips and palates, burn scars, injuries from bear maulings and other afflictions.  Some of these conditions are worse for having gone untreated for years and even decades.  There is no practicing plastic surgeon in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Sonam is 6 years old now, finishing first grade and playing hard with other kids at school.  He lives with his family 2 days from the hospital by bus journey.  He is a loveable, personable boy who suffered terrible burns on his upper posterior legs when he was just 4.  Sonam, his sister Pema and his mom Tshering have become friends of the SI team, because they are lovely and because we have seen so much of them at the Paro Hospital.  See Surgicorps 2016 blog post:  https://surgicorps.org/2017/01/11/a-mothers-fierce-love-bhutan-surgicorps-2016/

Dr. Jack Demos has performed procedures on Sonam three times now, releasing scar contracture and removing scar tissue so that he can straighten his legs and regain mobility and flexibility.  Just before the surgery this year, he was kicking a soccer ball around in the waiting area, a happy, active kid.

                       

 

After this surgery in May 2018, Sonam was observed, bandaged and his leg placed in a splint so he would keep it straight for at least 6 weeks so the skin grafts heal. He remained in the hospital for nearly a week before being carefully loaded into a small cab with his family to start the long trip home.

Oh, and he had a very special visitor – Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck – while he was recovering!!

Lugay’s story is tragic and moving.  Lugay went out early one morning about 2 and a half years ago to retrieve firewood and was attacked by a Himalayan black bear.  Her cub was nearby.  Lugay’s horrific injuries from being bitten and mauled were on his head and face.  He was able to kick the bear away and escaped.  He ran 10-15 minutes to get home, calling his wife Euden on the way.  She met him and immediately took him to the hospital via ambulance.  He has had 11 surgeries and spent 9 months at a specialty hospital in India, spending all of his $9,000 savings, which had been intended for a new house.

Lugay has great support in two grown sons who are helping with his farm and a very loving wife.  Their genuine affection was apparent, even in Bhutan where people do not typically publically display tenderness for each other.

Doctors were able to improve Lugay’s facial injuries and appearance by remodeling his upper lip and removing a piece of plastic that had been inserted in his nose.  He will require additional medical treatment to repair a slit in his lip and Surgicorps would like him to return next year for follow up.

Euden said that her husband was more important than a new house and Lugay said immediately that the work on his face doesn’t have to be perfect, but when he is more functional, he intends to earn enough money again to build her that house.

This is Lugay and Euden a few days post surgery.

Pema Lhamo is a 12 year old who was burned accidently by a big pot of hot water when she was 7 years old.  She lives in Thimphu now, but her parents had relocated to Australia for several years to obtain degrees in education.  Both are educators and speak English very well.  Pema has had three skin grafts already in her young life and Surgicorps was able to provide her with occupational therapy in the form of chest scar remodeling. Pema’s parents will ensure that she is treated and is as comfortable as possible given the extent of the scarring on her chest.

The people of Bhutan are patient, deferential, stoic and unassuming.  They are lovely.  Most of the folks have so little compared with those of us who live in the US. These patients and their families express deep appreciation that Surgicorps makes an annual “trek” to bring hope and caring medical treatment to improve their lives.  It is humbling and moving to be a part of Surgicorps!

Surgicorps will embark on the second surgical mission to Astana, Kazakhstan from June 16 – June 23, 2018. There are a total of 12 team members including 6 from Pennsylvania and 6 from other states. Surgicorps will partner with the Asyl Bala Foundation in order to provide services at the University Medical Center, affiliate of the National Research Center for Maternal and Child Health in Astana.

The veteran team members include Bill and Donna Bookwalter, Lori Ellis, Betty Hearne, Derrin Jarvis, Paul Kim, Guy Leone, and Ron Stiller. Surgicorps founder, Jack Demos will be the Medical Director and DeNese Olson, our Director of Operations and Outreach, will serve as the Trip Coordinator. Tamara Rychok will be our Medical Coordinator. Welcome to new volunteer Neil Sachanandani!

We look forward to returning to Astana and providing services to many patients in need.  Please follow us on social media for trip updates and pictures.

Safe travels Team Kazakhstan!

 

Surgicorps will embark on our 12th visit to Paro, Bhutan from May 5 to May 15, 2018. A total of 15 talented team members including 6 from Pennsylvania and 9 from other states (California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York) will participate in fulfilling our mission of providing free surgical and medical services to people in need around the world.

We have ten previous Surgicorps volunteers: Michael Best, Diane Bremer, Merelise O’Connor, Naomi Quillopa, Warren Schubert, Aamir Siddiqui, and Ron Stiller; plus Surgicorps founder and trip Medical Director, Jack Demos; and Trip Coordinators DeNese Olson (Surgicorps staff) and volunteer Mary Bernacki.

Joining these experienced folks, we welcome six new volunteers: Sandy Abdelahad, Kathleen Coy, Ayse Fidan Genc, Toni Harris and Emily Mlot. We look forward to once again serving our friends in Bhutan at the Paro Hospital, providing life-improving surgeries to many patients and continuing relationships and experiences that reward everyone involved.

Please follow us on social media for trip updates and pictures. Safe travels, Team Bhutan!

Vietnam 2017 by Derrin Jarvis

I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the 27 team members who traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in October 2017 to volunteer at the Odonto Maxillo Facial Hospital with the group Surgicorps International. The group was comprised of medical and non-medical volunteers with an aim to provide free surgical and medical care to those in need. This trip was Surgicorps International’s 15th trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Throughout the week the group successfully ran three operating rooms and completed approximately 65 plastic reconstructive surgeries on Vietnamese patients.

I specifically remember one patient, a young 13-year-old girl that had sustained severe burns from a propane tank explosion and my encounter with her. She had scars and contractures all over her face and arms, and barely half of a scalp of hair. I developed a habit of holding the children’s hands while they were receiving anesthesia; about to fall asleep and have foreigners who spoke an unknown language cut into their skin and alter their body. As I stood next to this little girl holding her hand, I noticed tears streaming down her face and a pure look of fear in her eyes. She began crying and withdrawing her arm from the anesthesiologist as he attempted to place an IV. Finally, an interpreter became available and told us that the small girl was saying the she was scared of the needle from the IV. I immediately felt an overwhelming rush of emotion, and felt tears welling in my own eyes as I realized that this was a normal thing for a child to be afraid of: a needle. But this little girl had sustained more pain and fear already than would be expected in any person’s lifetime. As she drifted off to sleep, I continued to hold her hand and held back the tears, being humbled by the strength within this small child.

I feel very lucky that I was able to lend my skills in the service of others as a part of Surgicorps’ mission to Vietnam. Unfortunately there are many people, like this young girl I met all over the world who have suffered more than most of us can imagine. As healthcare providers, we can make a massive difference in other’s lives. If you cannot travel to another country like Vietnam and volunteer skills, please consider providing a warm smile or a comforting touch to your next patient—it may make all the difference.

Visit: www.surgicorps.com

Surgicorps will embark on the first surgical mission to the Independent State of Samoa from February 23 to March 2, 2018. There are a total of 15 team members including 7 from Pennsylvania and 8 from other states. Surgicorps will be working at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Apia.

The veteran team members include Anne Argenta, Christine Bowman, Tomasina Boyd, Tara Burns, Lori Ellis, Jim Fleck, Nancy Gilbert, Michele Misher-Harris, David Kim, Allison Krefetz, Guy Leone, Karen Pitbladdo, and Judy Traister. Surgicorps founder, Jack Demos, will be the Medical Director and Linda Esposto, our International Field Work Manager, will serve as the Trip Coordinator.

We look forward to our first surgical mission in Samoa and providing services to many patients in need. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for trip updates and pictures.

Safe travels Team Samoa as you set out to change many lives!

                                                                            

 

When Surgicorps arrives at the CURE Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, families travel from all over the country to see surgeons that change the lives of their injured children. During that week, limbs that are contracted with scars from burns, snakebites or other injuries are released, enabling children to walk, and use their hands.  In turn, they can return to school, play, and grow up to be a vital member of their community.

Healing takes months, and without correct positioning and exercise during the healing process the problem can return. What happens after the doctors leave?

Surgeons correct the anatomy, and it is the job of the Occupational Therapist/ Certified Hand Therapists to teach the patients and families what to do to get the best result from the surgery. The therapists fabricate custom splints to position a limb that had surgery so the contracture will not return.  They may be called “hand therapists”, but they make splints for legs, necks and shoulders too. Last year over 80 children benefited from their expert services in Lusaka alone.

The OT’s work with the children and families a few times during the week to provide instruction in taking care of the splint, how to massage a scar to keep it soft, and in specific exercises to get the most motion possible. If needed, they can make assistive devices to help children with limited grasp, hold a fork or spoon, or write.  They teach the staff at CURE how to do this for all children that come to the hospital. For those children who live too far away, the Surgicorps therapists provide email contact to answer questions, solve problems, and help guide the parents through their six-month journey to full recovery.

The success of splinting and home therapy is seen a year later when Surgicorps returns and familiar faces appear, showing off the triumph of their operations. It is heartwarming to know that such a dedicated team of people from far away continents can work together to bring life altering changes to the children of Zambia. It’s the smile on the faces of these children that keeps us coming back!