Author Archives: Children's Surgery International

After many long hours of travel, the CSI team has all arrived in Hermosillo. We had a very busy day Saturday, screening 126 children at CIMA Hospital. The word has really gotten out about “Rosotros Felices,” and families came from all over the Mexican state of Sonora, many desperately hoping for help for their child.

The words “controlled chaos” get used quite a bit! To the credit of our team, the volunteers from CIMA, and the staff from St. Andrews Clinic, however, the experience was much more “controlled” than “chaos.” At the end of the day, after seeing all 126 kids, the surgery schedule for the week was created: 64 surgeries will be performed on 56 children (a few children need multiple procedures).

You might wonder, “What about all those other kids who won’t get surgery?” While there are always a few children who just aren’t ready for surgery this year, the majority of those not receiving surgery were here so that the CSI surgeons could evaluate their progress and make recommendations for speech therapy or future surgical procedures. This aspect of the mission is very similar to a traditional clinic, and is pretty unique. We are so grateful to see kids year after year and follow their progress!

Ana Karen has undergone eight surgeries since birth, and today at screening was given the joyful news that she has “graduated” from the CSI program. Her mother spoke tearfully about the great care she has received, and how her life has changed so dramatically because of it. Here she is, surrounded by our surgeons. (see Ana Karen in “photos” link below).

Another “graduate” is Perla, who returned for screening day this year as a volunteer and to help with kids. She also came back to say hello to us, and brought us all cupcakes and lots of hugs!

Perla was very young when she first came to St Andrews Children’s Clinic. She had been born with a double cleft lip. Perla was being bullied at school over her appearance, and was shy, scared and withdrawn. Now, years later, she is outgoing, assertive, and smiling all the time. Perla is currently in college and excited about her future! We are so very excited for her, and grateful to all of you who support CSI’s work. making her smile possible!(see Perla in “photos” link below).

We are so grateful to back here with our friends from St. Andrews and from CIMA Hospital, and most of all, surrounded by so many beautiful children whose lives will be changed with surgery. We are in process of completing 20 surgeries today!

Click photos to view some precious images from the first day. Stay tuned to hear more stories of hope and lives changed.

As a continuation of our mission in Vietnam, several of our CSI volunteers returned for a second visit with the girls at The Blossom House in Hanoi after completing a successful surgical week in Thanh Hoa. The Blossom House is a foster home for girls aged 5-18 years run by Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam. HSCV is a non-profit organization founded by Minnesotans Chuck DeVet and his daughter Annetta. The home provides holistic care for girls from families living in extreme poverty.

Our workshop about self-esteem, self-confidence and career dreaming was a hit. We had great conversations and questions, with a focus on positive self-image and self-care. The girls really enjoyed writing positive messages about themselves and their peers. As much as we would like to be the the most exciting act in town, the highlight of the afternoon was a personal video made by Vietnam Idol Kids finalist, Jayden Trinh Jesudhass. The video is a gift from Jaden and his mother to CSI and The Blossom House.

Con Nguyen, CSI Board Member and volunteer, also did an interview with a radio station that highlights CSI’s work in Vietnam. It will air on SAY ME Vietnam 105.4FM on March 29th in Vietnam, New Zealand and Australia. It will be available for podcast soon after the broadcast. We will provide a link when it becomes available to us.

We’ve completed our work in Vietnam.  This week we performed 30 urology surgeries and participated in tremendous collaboration and shared learning, all for the beautiful children and families we serve!  A special thanks to our amazing team – nurses Dody Barr, Amy Pedersen, Laura Peterson, Ana Vazquez Rojas, Barb Wiemann and Norie Wilson; anesthesia providers Natalie Brunk, Anton Rohan and Behnoosh Shayegan; surgeons Yuri Reinberg and Donald Nguyen; pediatrician Dave Tetzlaff; biomed Leon Randall; logistics/medical records Conrad Nguyen and Stacey Brown; IPSAC partner Father Joseph Dao Nguyen; and our incredible translators. Small, but mighty, this team has successfully concluded our multi-year commitment with our partners in Thanh Hoa.

In our four trips to Thanh Hoa Provincial Hospital, nearly 100 volunteers served more than 150 children and families.  We collaborated with dozens of hospital staff – sharing information and working together to increase their skills and confidence to perform more surgeries and provide supportive care to their community.  You know what they say, when you volunteer, you often get more that you give – these children, families and our hospital partners have given us far more than we gave – thank you Thanh Hoa!

From PACU nurse Laura Peterson:

1 day of screening and 4 days of surgery.
Just like that, it’s a WRAP!
So many emotions walking out of Thanh Hoa Pediatric hospital a few hours ago, knowing I’ll never see these faces again, or walk the mile back every afternoon to the hotel. I’ll never prep another kid for surgery, use a translator for 100% of the process, watch family wait on the other side of the glass doors, or see sleepy little eyes wake up from anesthesia.
Not these kids anyhow.
This trip was something special. Something I can’t quite yet find the words for.
Someday I will.
This week was put together perfectly. Everything went without a hitch, and a huge credit needs to be given to our translators. They were AWESOME. So many thanks to these guys for the last week of work they did for us.

So, so many thanks.

See all the photos from our 2017 trip to Thanh Hoa here.

We had a fabulous second day of surgery. There were zero complications, plenty of happy kids and grateful parents.

Looking at our collections of pictures, you don’t see the anatomical change of a urology surgery. What you do see is the smile after a parent or child looks under their cover to see a penis that wasn’t before visible, or an opening where it finally belongs. They can feel like other kids, maybe for the first time. A 4-year-old told me “I hope you fix it”– well, we did!

The Vietnamese culture is beautiful in the way they value family. It is common for not only mother and father (Ma/Bo) to be there for their baby’s surgery but both grandmothers (Ba Noi/Ba ngoai), as well as uncles and aunties (Co/Chu). After 3 collaborative missions to this site, my Vietnamese is improving with help from the local team.
-Stacey, Medical Records and Logistics

Drs. Donald Nguyen and Yuri Reinberg are the urology surgeons traveling with CSI this week in Vietnam. Most of the surgeries they will perform on this trip are complex urological procedures, mostly for young boys. Sometimes these are “redos” from previous surgeries that were not completely successful for various reasons. Both surgeons are working alongside local urology surgeons. They collaborate and share knowledge throughout the surgical process.

Donald reflects on how “spoiled” we get in U.S. hospitals – “we can do everything with the most skeleton back table with the simplest instruments and sponges! We are using modest, but classic, equipment. Side-by-side OR tables that were classic in olden days, like at Boston Children’s where Hardy Hendren, considered by most as the grandfather of Pediatric Urology, would operate on two patients at the same time, going back and forth between the tables.”

In Thanh Hoa, Donald and Yuri are working in one operating room, with two tables. It’s busy, and interesting. There are endless opportunities for learning, as the room is filled with CSI and Vietnamese surgeons, anesthesia professionals and OR nurses.

From CSI nurse, Laura Peterson:
Each day gets a little more familiar than the last. You start to connect with these kids, their families, their stories. You learn where they came from, how far they traveled, if they have siblings, and get a better appreciation for the life-changing surgery the day will bring.
It feels like we aren’t doing enough, but in this culture surgery means the WORLD.
Each family asks us to make their child “perfect” {seriously}. And the first day I was confused- WHO CARES if he/she is perfect?
I don’t get it.
But without surgery – they would be shunned.
Because of Children’s Surgery International, they will get to hold jobs, have a family, and “become something”. A normal part of Vietnamese society. {I hate the word NORMAL but it’s the best way to describe this}.
Now I get it. Let’s go day 3… time to give these kids the WORLD. ✨

See lots of photos from the day here.

This marks CSI’s 4th surgical trip to the pediatric Provincial Hospital in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam. We are pleased to have developed ongoing professional and collaborative relationships with our professional colleagues in the hospital. We want to thank our partner, IPSAC (International Pediatric Specialists Alliance for the Children of VietNam), for their ongoing support.

CSI’s multi-year commitment to Provincial Hospital has allowed our surgeons to follow children over time, providing critical follow-up care for urological as well as cranio-facial surgical care. We place a high priority on education and collaboration with local health professionals. By sending volunteer teams on a bi-annual basis CSI surgeons, anesthesia professionals and nurses have an opportunity to build on previous learning.  Our goal this week is to complete these final urology surgeries and to ensure that our Thanh Hoa partners have the skills and confidence to provide surgical care for even more children in their community.

From CSI volunteer nurse, Laura Peterson:

Meet Bach. He had quite the day.
Today he learned how to blow bubbles.
Tried orange Sunkist for the first time.
Learned a secret handshake.
Mastered the Mickey Mouse iphone game
All between having surgery, and waking up like a champ.

-AND-
He became the first kid here to make me cry. In a good way ?.

Mission work is a strange thing. You do so much good, but it never feels like ENOUGH.

But those bubbles? To him, they were more than enough. Perspective came today — in the form of this 3 year old, one dimpled cutie pie.

View more photos from the trip.

What an awesome screening day! From bouquets to fist bumps and kisses, we were warmly welcomed by hospital leadership and families. Turnout was great, and we screened nearly 60 patients in less than six hours. Strong collaboration with the CSI team and local hospital staff resulted in low wait times for children and their families and a smooth-sailing screening day. Thirty children are scheduled for life-changing urological surgeries this week. Many patients returned from previous missions for follow-up and got a clean bill of health and are doing very well. What a treat to see familiar faces.

The OR and anesthesia team worked hard today getting prepared for the first surgery day tomorrow. You can imagine what goes into setting up a pediatric operating room. Thanks to well-planned packing from Minnesota and expert CSI team members, they make it happen!

Some of the CSI team members attended a local church this evening. They were recognized as guests and foreign health workers during the two-hour Mass and were even treated to a home-cooked meal by the church caretaker. All the food is grown/raised in their region. Spicy ginger beef with cabbage and scallions, crab, minced vole (not mole, even smaller guys) on rice cakes and clam soup. A great way to prepare for the first day of surgery tomorrow!

Musings from CSI volunteer surgeon, Dr. Donald Nguyen:

I am doing it, finally, taking a plunge into a vast unknown adventure. I am going back to Vietnam on a surgery mission trip to lend my skills and trade to help children and babies with urological conditions in the country where I was born!

In the much larger scheme of the universe, my contribution to solve the healthcare situation in Vietnam probably amounts to a tiny sliver of hope for these children where their country’s health care expenditure is minuscule compared to the US. But I must, even when it’s only a few babies in a week’s time that can receive an operation that may affect them and their lives positively.

There will also be children and parents who will be met with utter disappointment and hopelessness because a mission team can only do so much without a high technological and extensive post operative care that these far advanced and complex cases require.

Because of the multi-year commitment of CSI volunteer teams, along with the implementation of strong teaching initiatives, we are encouraged that more Vietnamese children will continue to receive high quality surgical card from local surgeons, pediatricians and nurses.

For more photos – click here.

Thank you, Children’s Surgery International for another adventure to Vietnam, where we will be performing urology surgery on children in need.

Our team traveled from various starting points around the globe. We all met up in Hanoi and then took a bus for an additional four hours to Thanh Hoa, Vietnam. The long air journey was filled with excitement, plus a couple of calls to duty. Both flights heard pages overhead “is there a doctor or nurse on board?” Nurses Ana and Laura helped a dehydrated hypertensive woman by starting an IV and administering fluids and medications. Our new CSI colleague, pediatric urologist Dr. Donald Nguyen, didn’t hesitate to help a woman who had fainted. He performed vitals and assessment in a dimly lit airplane aisle.

Hanoi is a busy, interesting city. We awakened to fog, bustling streets and a loud monotone voice broadcasting announcements through the streets. After checking with our local guide, he confirmed our thoughts – each area of the country is split into districts, and the government gives instructions every morning through loud speakers located on most street corners.

Our team was also joined in Hanoi by IPSAC’s Father Joseph, Thanh Nguyen and our highly skilled translation team Hoàng Tuấn Khang, Joey Do, Minh Hang Hoang (and others). We breathed a sigh of relief that we finally arrived and can really get this mission started! We can’t wait to meet our patients, their families and see our local colleagues. We will try for some sleep, and we will be ready to start seeing kids and families in the morning!

By: Stacey Brown and CSI Vietnam team.

It’s the final day in Liberia for our CSI surgical team. Children walking to school greeted us along our route to the hospital this morning, as they have done everyday. Today we surprised them by tossing soccer balls out the bus windows. They were ecstatic to say the least. It was a thrill to see there happy faces.

CSI team members continued our education mission with two classes today. Operating room nurse Nancy Corcoran taught CPR to about 50 Liberian healthcare professionals. She donated two adult and two child CPR mannequins to Duside Hospital. Mission clinical lead Lora Koppel, RN taught a class in pediatric pain management. Our ENT and urology surgeons made their final rounds, checking on post-operative children, and we said a final farewell to our patients and their grateful families.

Over the course of  the week, our team evaluated nearly 100 children, performed 57 surgeries (41 urology plus 16 craniofacial), and performed 15 various other procedures and observations.

Children and their families traveled from as close as the Firestone property and as far away as the furthest borders of Liberia, with some traveling up to four days to reach us. Resources have been severely limited in Liberia since the civil war ended 20 years ago, made only more drastic following the recent Ebola crisis. According to the Liberia Medical and Dental Council, there are currently fewer than 300 MD’s in the entire country.

The resiliency and joy of the people of Liberia is remarkable. Despite the significant challenges they face as a result of poverty, unemployment, disease, and lack of what most people see as essential resources – they are quick to share a loving, joyful and open spirit.

Our week ended with a moving closing and farewell ceremony, which was attended by the Liberian Vice President and the U.S. ambassador to Liberia. A Liberian drum and dance group provided entertainment. Expressions of gratitude were shared by members of the CSI team and Liberian hospital and government officials. It was hard to discern who was more grateful – them or us!

We certainly are grateful to Don and Janet Darden, along with Firestone Natural Rubber, for hosting us in Liberia again, and for all the support provided. Their ongoing commitment to CSI is much appreciated. We look forward to returning in 2018!

 View photos from the entire trip here.

We have had a wonderful, emotional and successful last two days of surgeries here at Firestone Duside Hospital! Thanks to the generosity of Lube Tech employees and the Bame Foundation, all of Wednesday’s surgeries were supported by Lube Tech! Some of the children and families whose lives were changed thanks to Lube Tech’s generosity, include:

• Three-month-old Pauline came to us with a painful umbilical hernia. Her mom, Catherine, told us she heard CSI was coming and they’ve been waiting anxiously for us to arrive. Catherine is unemployed, and dad is a rubber tree tapper for Firestone. They have very little money. She told us she was very scared at first but now is grateful and happy we could help her daughter. Catherine said as we were leaving her and Pauline: “Please come back so you can help others.”
• Habakkuk’s cleft lip surgery was so successful and his appearance so transformed even his mother almost didn’t recognize him afterward. In the recovery room after surgery, she fed him his first real bottle of formula, and he took it like a champ. Mom Ruth, 19, and Habakkuk traveled more than 4 hours to get here – she is so grateful: “Thank you Thank you!!!” she said.
• One of the most heartbreaking stories we heard this week was about five-year-old Daniel. Daniel has an inguinal hernia. He came to Firestone Duside Hospital with his father Stephen – they traveled two days by bus and spent their savings to get here. He heard about us from his sister who heard about it on the radio. Daniel’s parents can’t find steady work (unemployment in Liberia is at least 75%) and any money they make goes to feed the family and pay for housing. They’ve been saving up for three years, hoping CSI would one day return after the Ebola crisis ended. Daniel’s surgery was successful and he will live pain free from this moment on. His dad Stephen says “Thank you to the whole family of Lube Tech for coming here and helping him.”
• Thirteen year old Marie came to us with a large mass in her neck. ENT Drs. Phillip and Jon Robitschek spent three hours in surgery with her. Unchecked, we can expect the mass would have become even more large, painful, and increasingly subject to infection. Marie came through the surgery brilliantly, and is now recovering in the pediatric ward.
• Korpo and Peter are siblings, brought to us by their mother. Her husband is a driver for Firestone. “Thank you so very much for this very happiest of days!” she exclaimed.
• Nine year old A.B. came with his aunt Gorma, A.B. was born with a cleft lip. He is mocked at school and has difficulty eating and speaking. His aunt heard about the mission on the radio. She’s very happy: “For my “son” I say thank you!” Now that he has received this surgery, he will likely return to his mother who he misses very much.

In addition to these amazing life-changing surgeries, the CSI team has been busy working alongside their Liberian colleagues, providing education and training. Each day includes lectures and hands-on training at all stages of care. Topics included airway management, pain management, facial nerve disorders, caring for the child with hypospadias, pediatric urology and more.

More photos from Liberia.

How can you pick something about today to highlight, when every moment has been spectacular?! How do you choose one patient to feature, when each precious face has made life so much sweeter?

This is my first experience with Children’s Surgery International AND my first trip to Liberia, which is amazing because I am Firestone’s very own Mrs. Don Darden. My husband is the Director of Administrative Operations for Firestone Natural Rubber Company, and is here in Liberia almost as much as he is home!

Today was my chance to be in the operating room with the CSI staff and our Liberian patients! The first patient was Habakkak, a sweet, tiny 3-month-old baby boy. He was having a unilateral cleft lip repair. I watched as ENT Drs. Phillip Chaffin and Jon Robitschek worked their magic and perform what most certainly was a life-changing operation on such a little one.

Next up was AB, a 9-year-old boy having the same type of surgery. He had been mocked in his community, and has had significant difficulty eating and speaking. When his aunt came to the post-op room to see him after surgery, she smiled the most radiant smile. “Now, AB can go to school,” she said. He has never attended school because of his medical problems!

These dedicated CSI medical professionals give up the comforts of home to travel great distances (using their hard-earned vacation days) and donate their services so children – and sometimes adults – can live a better life! To see these doctors and nurses carrying their young patients in their arms to and from the operating room is something I will never forget! CSI is making a difference in Liberia and across the world. I just hope I get the chance to serve with them again very soon!

– Janet Darden, CSI Volunteer

more photos from Liberia.