Friday, February 12, 2010
As the team packs and readies for the trip home, we can’t help but wonder whether or not the Firestone hospital physicians, led by the wonderful Dr. Sherman, will be able to operate in the coming days on many of the patients we have been unable to serve. Every day as the team arrives and departs from the hospital, a crowd of mothers with babies, and fathers with children attempt to get our attention by indicating a hernia or saying “I am sick, doctor”. Hopefully we’ve been able to attend to all of the lips and palates that have sought our help as there is literally no doctor in all of Liberia trained to operate on these conditions. During our stay the Liberian doctors have been able to shadow our Dr.’s, especially Dr. Steve Muehlstadt, to the point where Steve said by the end of the week “these guys will be able to do hernias themselves”. As one of CSI’s foremost missions is to train medical professionals wherever we go, this is great news.
The CSI team has done a great job of conserving supplies and figuring out way to make them last the entire week. Sutures were used sparingly. anesthesia conserved, and IV tubing stretched in order to meet the needs of 4 times the patients we planned for. Out of nametags, we wrote the names of patients on masking tape and affixed it to the front of each child as well as their parent as pre-op always hosted a mélange of patients, parents, younger siblings and guests. In addition, not a single day went by without a number of people making their way past hospital security and up to the bench outside pre-op in order to beg for treatment. Most of the time we were able to accommodate, although often we could not due to human or technological resource constraints.
As we reflect on the people we have been blessed to serve here in Liberia, every team member has remarked at least once or twice about the incredible human kindness and patience in the people of this battle torn country. Perhaps it is a function of living with limited resources, and as a result each gesture of caring and compassion is met with gratitude. Smiles are genuine; words of gratitude come from the heart; tears of thanks are rooted in the souls of these people with “eyes that see a thousand miles” as our team photographer Bill commented. We were especially glad to have the chance to repair hernias in three children from an orphanage. And Dr. Steve even managed to help the son of the man who runs the local woodworking shop, promising to do his best to return in the future to help his other son.
So much of what we have been able to accomplish is directly related to the generosity of Firestone, in particular the vision of Dan Atomitis. Several years ago he started talking to CSI about the possibility of a team coming to Liberia, and following his trip to Hermacillo with a team, Dan kicked into high gear making this week happen. Staff and resources were readied, and the CSI team has been the grateful beneficiary of everything from wondereful accommodations, daily meals, transportation support and most importantly the undivided attention and commitment of the people and facilities of the Firestone hospital. Every nurse, physician and support person pulled out all the stops to be sure trash was emptied, rooms were allocated, regular patients moved, OR’s prepped and professionals tuned to make CSI’s visit the educational opportunity it promised to be. We are thankful to each and every person for going overboard to make the week as productive as possible.
We can’t help but wonder what is next for many of the patients we have come to know. Austin, whose parents abandoned him to live and be raised by his grandmother, has new skin grafts on his legs which were badly injured. Wellington, the little 4 year old boy has newfound use of an arm that was badly scarred by a burn. Stephen and Courage and Morllay and many like them no longer have hernias, and Saturdayma, the 17 year old woman with a cleft lip and palate has been healed and returns to school. The three boys from the orphanage were operated on and we hope to be able to return in the future to help those we could not fit into the schedule.
And as the team left in vans for the airport, we made one final stop at a neighborhood soccer field. Dr. Kofi Boahene and team youth member Anna Koppel hopped out and kicked two brand new soccer balls out to the kids playing on the field. This led to an epidemic of waving hands and screams of “thank you” as we made our way down the road, filled with the hope of returning to this country of wide-eyed children and their parents who love them.
The CSI team has done a great job of conserving supplies and figuring out way to make them last the entire week. Sutures were used sparingly. anesthesia conserved, and IV tubing stretched in order to meet the needs of 4 times the patients we planned for. Out of nametags, we wrote the names of patients on masking tape and affixed it to the front of each child as well as their parent as pre-op always hosted a mélange of patients, parents, younger siblings and guests. In addition, not a single day went by without a number of people making their way past hospital security and up to the bench outside pre-op in order to beg for treatment. Most of the time we were able to accommodate, although often we could not due to human or technological resource constraints.
As we reflect on the people we have been blessed to serve here in Liberia, every team member has remarked at least once or twice about the incredible human kindness and patience in the people of this battle torn country. Perhaps it is a function of living with limited resources, and as a result each gesture of caring and compassion is met with gratitude. Smiles are genuine; words of gratitude come from the heart; tears of thanks are rooted in the souls of these people with “eyes that see a thousand miles” as our team photographer Bill commented. We were especially glad to have the chance to repair hernias in three children from an orphanage. And Dr. Steve even managed to help the son of the man who runs the local woodworking shop, promising to do his best to return in the future to help his other son.
So much of what we have been able to accomplish is directly related to the generosity of Firestone, in particular the vision of Dan Atomitis. Several years ago he started talking to CSI about the possibility of a team coming to Liberia, and following his trip to Hermacillo with a team, Dan kicked into high gear making this week happen. Staff and resources were readied, and the CSI team has been the grateful beneficiary of everything from wondereful accommodations, daily meals, transportation support and most importantly the undivided attention and commitment of the people and facilities of the Firestone hospital. Every nurse, physician and support person pulled out all the stops to be sure trash was emptied, rooms were allocated, regular patients moved, OR’s prepped and professionals tuned to make CSI’s visit the educational opportunity it promised to be. We are thankful to each and every person for going overboard to make the week as productive as possible.
We can’t help but wonder what is next for many of the patients we have come to know. Austin, whose parents abandoned him to live and be raised by his grandmother, has new skin grafts on his legs which were badly injured. Wellington, the little 4 year old boy has newfound use of an arm that was badly scarred by a burn. Stephen and Courage and Morllay and many like them no longer have hernias, and Saturdayma, the 17 year old woman with a cleft lip and palate has been healed and returns to school. The three boys from the orphanage were operated on and we hope to be able to return in the future to help those we could not fit into the schedule.
And as the team left in vans for the airport, we made one final stop at a neighborhood soccer field. Dr. Kofi Boahene and team youth member Anna Koppel hopped out and kicked two brand new soccer balls out to the kids playing on the field. This led to an epidemic of waving hands and screams of “thank you” as we made our way down the road, filled with the hope of returning to this country of wide-eyed children and their parents who love them.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Surgical Days
Our 4th day of surgery is in its final hours; 11 year old Solomon was just called into Dr, Steve Muehlstedt’s OR to correct a hernia, and the staff is beginning to pack up supplies before tomorrow’s last day. As mentioned before we sent over supplies anticipating 60, and as of today we’ve screened 198, operating on over 80% of them. Spirits are high as the CSI volunteers pass each other in the busy hallway; a patient being wheeled out of the OR passing another coming out of recovery headed to the Firestone Hospital’s pediatric ward for a night of sleep and observation, passing Joel our Logistics coordinator keeping staff lubricated with waters, bags of Oreos and fruit cups. Every single team member has gone above and beyond to deal with the literal menagerie of walk-ins, post-op patients, parents, hospital staff, pre-ops being screened among throngs of those utilizing the Firestone hospital apart from the CSI program.
As patients have left the OR, the nursing staff in the recovery room (Doris Osuroah and Mary Bye) has cradled the newcomers with open and competent arms. Only after they’ve stabilized are the patients sent downstairs to be received in the ward by the team of Patience Kankeh, Jennifer Kreiman and Denise Hutson. Parents and grandparents in that area are relived to see the first glimpses of their child’s new smiles; hernias gone and grafts newly placed. This afternoon we had a chance to interview a young 11 year old gentleman by the name of Austin, who has kept us in awe with his artistic abilities by drawing fabulous portraits. Austin’s parents separated and then left him to be raised by his grandmother who makes a living selling red peppers. One month after she received him he was hit by a motorcycle while walking along the side of the road (most Liberians get from place to place by walking at the roadside). Austin suffered severe damage to his legs, and the large public hospital told him his legs would need to be amputated. His grandmother refused to believe that no other alternative existed, and so sought help from a number of other clinics but they were too expensive. She then heard team member Lora Koppel interviewed on the local radio station and came to our first day of screening. A team headed by Dr. Boahene performed a right posterior thigh skin graft utilizing the patient’s own skin. Both he and his grandmother are thrilled, and look forward to starting life together.
More later….
As patients have left the OR, the nursing staff in the recovery room (Doris Osuroah and Mary Bye) has cradled the newcomers with open and competent arms. Only after they’ve stabilized are the patients sent downstairs to be received in the ward by the team of Patience Kankeh, Jennifer Kreiman and Denise Hutson. Parents and grandparents in that area are relived to see the first glimpses of their child’s new smiles; hernias gone and grafts newly placed. This afternoon we had a chance to interview a young 11 year old gentleman by the name of Austin, who has kept us in awe with his artistic abilities by drawing fabulous portraits. Austin’s parents separated and then left him to be raised by his grandmother who makes a living selling red peppers. One month after she received him he was hit by a motorcycle while walking along the side of the road (most Liberians get from place to place by walking at the roadside). Austin suffered severe damage to his legs, and the large public hospital told him his legs would need to be amputated. His grandmother refused to believe that no other alternative existed, and so sought help from a number of other clinics but they were too expensive. She then heard team member Lora Koppel interviewed on the local radio station and came to our first day of screening. A team headed by Dr. Boahene performed a right posterior thigh skin graft utilizing the patient’s own skin. Both he and his grandmother are thrilled, and look forward to starting life together.
More later….
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The full CSI lIberia Team, with the support and encouragement of Dan Adomitis and the Firestone Company, is on day two of surgery on the most kids ever screened in the history of our organization. The able screening team ( comprised of youth volunteers Anna Koppel and Emmi Brytowski as medical records staff, Patience Kankeh, Denise Hutson, Doris Osuroah, Jennifer Kreiman and Mary Johnson as nurses, Dr.'s Dave Tetzlaff, Kofi Boahene and Steve Muehlstedt on physical examinations, Lora Koppel as clinical lead managing the group, Joel Johnson managing logistics and interfacing with the exceptionally helpful and efficient hospital staff and Sally Lannin on medical records managemnet, photography and youth coordinator) screened a total of 134 on day one and an additonal 60 the following day. This is a record for CSI , and an idication of the increditble need in this part of the world. Sadly, we had to turn away at least an additional 100 patients, many who traveled very far, because of a lack of space on our already 12 hour schedules. Due to the overwhelming need for hernia removal, burn care and othe procedures, we hope to be able to return sometime in the near future to attend to the unmet need.
While we have seen a number of cleft lips and palates, we have also been surprised by the incredible need for hernia work, Also, never before have we seen so many children who have suffered serious burns. Apparently a common style of cook stove in Liberia involves a wok-like pot two feet off the ground, filled with hot oil, We've seen between 20-30 children and young adults who have everything from burned hands, to burns over a large percentage of their body. Those with smaller areas we've been ableto treat;others we have had to turn away due to a lack of time and techonology for the more complex procedures. As this is being typed, Dr. Kofi Boahene is performing an 8 hour mandibulectomy surgery on an 11 year old boy named Joseph who has a large tumor which has covered his jaw and side of his face. Without surgery, the tumor will continue to grow, eventually covering his entire mouth, making it impossible for him to eat. Dr. Boahene is taking a bone from the boy's leg, shaping it with metal reinforcement into the shape of a jaw bone, and inserting it into the boy's face. This procdure is somewhat uncommon even in the U.S. and it is by sheer good fortune that a surgeon on our team happens to have experience with this complex proceedure. Dr. Bob Wood has performed a number of cleft lips,palates, as well as a scalp skin graft on a burned little girl, and repair on a child with burned hands. Dr. Steve Muehlstedt has performed a large variety of general pediatric surgeries ranging from hernias that have grown to a size and location seldom seen in our country, to a child born with a double rectum. Dr. Jason Pope has been efficiently moving from operating room to operating room overseeing the administration of anesthesia with Lynn Randall as well as Denise Blankenship and Beth Janeczko. OR nurses Mary Johnson, Leon Randall and Charlee Kimmes have the operating rooms fully outfitted to manage the range of procedures we are encountering. They are reminding all of us to use the supplies we brought sparingly( anticipating 60 patients maximum) as we need them to strech for use on 160+ patients, most likely.
In the next day or so we will report on the good work of our post operative staff who are working overtime to keep up with the non- stop flow of patients being carried out of the OR's after successful proceedures.
While we have seen a number of cleft lips and palates, we have also been surprised by the incredible need for hernia work, Also, never before have we seen so many children who have suffered serious burns. Apparently a common style of cook stove in Liberia involves a wok-like pot two feet off the ground, filled with hot oil, We've seen between 20-30 children and young adults who have everything from burned hands, to burns over a large percentage of their body. Those with smaller areas we've been ableto treat;others we have had to turn away due to a lack of time and techonology for the more complex procedures. As this is being typed, Dr. Kofi Boahene is performing an 8 hour mandibulectomy surgery on an 11 year old boy named Joseph who has a large tumor which has covered his jaw and side of his face. Without surgery, the tumor will continue to grow, eventually covering his entire mouth, making it impossible for him to eat. Dr. Boahene is taking a bone from the boy's leg, shaping it with metal reinforcement into the shape of a jaw bone, and inserting it into the boy's face. This procdure is somewhat uncommon even in the U.S. and it is by sheer good fortune that a surgeon on our team happens to have experience with this complex proceedure. Dr. Bob Wood has performed a number of cleft lips,palates, as well as a scalp skin graft on a burned little girl, and repair on a child with burned hands. Dr. Steve Muehlstedt has performed a large variety of general pediatric surgeries ranging from hernias that have grown to a size and location seldom seen in our country, to a child born with a double rectum. Dr. Jason Pope has been efficiently moving from operating room to operating room overseeing the administration of anesthesia with Lynn Randall as well as Denise Blankenship and Beth Janeczko. OR nurses Mary Johnson, Leon Randall and Charlee Kimmes have the operating rooms fully outfitted to manage the range of procedures we are encountering. They are reminding all of us to use the supplies we brought sparingly( anticipating 60 patients maximum) as we need them to strech for use on 160+ patients, most likely.
In the next day or so we will report on the good work of our post operative staff who are working overtime to keep up with the non- stop flow of patients being carried out of the OR's after successful proceedures.
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