Category Archives: Liberia

Saturday was a busy and exciting screening day for the CSI team at Duside Hospital. Seeing the faces of staff when we pulled up to the hospital was better than any reunion imaginable. They all remembered the names of those of us who were returning and were excited to meet the new among us as we return for the first time since 2013. As we walked down the halls at the hospital, conducting screening, setting up the ORs and sorting supplies, every uniformed staff person greeted us with a gracious, simple, “Thank you.”

The parents and children waited patiently with the hope of receiving good news from our team. We screened 78 patients, and have scheduled surgeries to start on Monday. The team expects to complete 55-60 procedures. One mother stood up and emotionally expressed her gratitude when she learned that her infant daughter would be receiving medical care from CSI.

We especially want to thank Firestone and Don Darden for the many months of planning that has gone into making CSI’s long-awaited return to Liberia a reality. Post-Ebola, the Duside Hospital has been repainted, including every nook and cranny. The hospital literally shines. Firestone’s Guest House, which is where we stay, has also been repainted and replanted, and all repairs glow.

When the  2013 CSI Liberia team prepared to leave the country, they stored supplies in a hospital storeroom. Of course, at the time we had no idea that the Ebola crisis would hit the region, forcing CSI to cancel missions. The hospital staff diligently guarded the supplies until our return this week. We sorted through the supplies today, and were happy to come upon donations from Dollies Making A Difference, a California non-profit group that creates dolls and bears for children around the world in need of something special. We are so grateful to them, and the many other organizations that have helped us get here.

We ended our day with a presentation from Don Darden about Firestone’s history in Liberia and the role it plays in Liberians’ lives, which is significant. We were joined at dinner by a group of Liberian Firestone employees.

Enjoy more photos from the Liberia trip here.

Our Liberia 2017 team are making their way to West Africa today. To say we are excited to return to Liberia and Firestone Duside Hospital to continue our tremendous partnerships and collaborative work, is a bit of an understatement! There are great needs in the country, as they continue to recover from civil war, and most recently, the West African Ebola crisis. We hope our efforts this week will make an impact on individual children, families, and communities.

The full team will assemble Saturday, Jan. 14 to begin their work – a full day of screening, followed by a rest day Sunday, then right back to it – surgeries, education, training and more during the week!

On this trip, our team of 23 includes pediatric urology and ENT surgical teams and support volunteers who will be working closely alongside our Firestone Duside Hospital partners and guests to conduct about 50 surgeries and countless seminars and educational activities to help our partners build their nursing, surgical and anesthesia care skills. Their dedication and passion for touching the lives of children in need, along with their talents as highly skilled pediatric medical and nursing professionals, is remarkable.

A small advance team has been busy the last few days, organizing supplies sent in advance and supplies left behind from our previous trips. The pre-mission visit to the hospital to see our friends – old and new – was like coming home!

Check back for regular Liberia updates, and explore our new website!

So sad to leave our friends at Duside Hospital and Firestone Guest house.
A  quick goodye and discharging of patients followed by a wonderful send off
ceremony at the hospital.
Lora Koppel, Dave Tetzlaff and Lynn Randall left early to conduct a site visit in
Port Harcourt, Nigeria for CSI.

It is Thursday afternoon and the pediatric ward is abuzz with our final patients
and their respective parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. Many are wearing
fish hats from the Minnesota State Fair which Gander Mountain very nicely donated.
All kids are holding either a doll or teddy bear made by Dollies Making A Difference.
They have a white-knuckle grip on their recovery room bags which also include
books, toothbrushes, a washcloth, beanie baby, a baseball cap nicely donated by
Zephyr and several other items. Thank goodness for the Liberian
peds nurses, as well as Victoria and Patience, the CSI tag team up there.

All surgeries were deemed a success. Our final number of surgeries is 100. Lynn
Randall led the effort of packing up the supplies area. Mary Johnson the OR; Katie
Stewart and Julieann Swanson the medical records area;. Anna Koppel pre-op, with
everyone else helping wherever they were needed. One father and mother stopped
by, their daughter had been discharged -to deliver a framed thank you note to a
couple of CSI team members who had made a significant  difference in the states.

In addition, a huge shout out to everyone at Duside Hospital, from Executive Director,
Joye Phillips to Dr. Lawrence Sherman and all of the many many staff who have been
hijacked to do nothing but help us in very possible way. It is exceedingly inspiring.

Today’s surgeries are over and it was a super successful day. Everyone worked
very hard. Shown here are pediatric patients who weren’t CSI patients,but who love the
Gander Mountain muskie hats and the tv and videos donated by CSI.

First, wow what a full day of screening we had from the crack of dawn until the end of the day Sunday. We arrived at Duside Hospital first thing in the morning where patients had begun lining up at 3 in the morning. Surgeons Eric Moore, Dave Vandersteen, Janelle Fox and Dave Andrews screened 107 patients and they will operate on close to 90. Medical records created a chart(yay Katie Stewart and Julieann Swanson): vitals were taken (yay Victoria Vandersteen, Anna Koppel, Patience Kankeh, Mary Bye and Amy Hassenstab:pre-op physicals were performed by pediatricians, Paul Melchert and Dave Tetzlaff. CSI Board member Con Nguyen and videographer Nolan Morice took some fabulous video of the entire situation as well as gathered wonderful patient stories. Logistics co-lead Leon Randall(with Con Nguyen) unpacked and moved furniture and did all he could to get us fed, as well as back and forth from the hospital to the guest house. As clinical lead Lora Koppel floated everywhere and answered 348 questions. Fantastic Jill Moore and Margaret Boone helped set up the OR’s and then went above and beyond putting together all the patient recovery room bags. Mary Johnson, Jodi Pelkey, Tracey Ryersee and anesthesiologist, Raj Sarpal also did OR set up. Firestone executive Don Darden was in full gear at the balloon machine making all the kids ecstatic. Of course Lynn Randall and Dan Chow were getting the anesthesia organized. On top of it all, hospital administrator Joye Phillips was doing just about everything from organizing logistics, moving furniture and even making a few beds!!

At the end of the day back at the Guest House we were treated to a lecture by Ed Garcia, Managing Director of Firestone Liberia who recounted what life was like in Liberia while he was here during the onset and surges of the war in the 1990’s.Also, Liberian born and Denver-practicing attorney, Gerald Padamore, who represents many multinationals including Firestone and the Liberian government spoke about Liberia’s history vis a vis the United States. The medical records team with the help of some other noble volunteers cranked until after midnight getting the charts organized, sorted, photos attached etc.

It is now midday Monday and the first day of surgery is in very full swing. 4 operating tables are being used constantly, with Duside’s Dr. Sherman participating and learning. I have been moving from mother to grandmother to father to brother to aunt- whoever is the kind soul who has brought in the patient- capturing the stories of the journeys that have brought in the patient-capturing the stories of the journeys that have brought them here. 7 year old Ruth’s mother sells used clothes and has spent her child’s entire life trying to find someone to repair the cleft palate she was born with. Ruth is very bright and in fact is in the grade ahead of her twin sister,despite her problems speaking. Her mother said, “It breaks, my heart that the children at school make fun of her. They say, “we can’t understand you- you talk through your nose, Ruth.” As a result Ruth is now begging her mother to let her drop out of school.

The team arrived at Monrovia’s Robertson Field in  two shifts last night, all in great shape. Firestone officials were at the airport to meet us, whisk us through customs (only one suitcase is AWOL supposedly arriving sometime Saturday)
The Firestone Guest House staff prepared a wonderful welcome dinner with many senior Bridgestone and Firestone Liberia staff as well as senior hospital executives.
Thanks to a donation by CSI Partner Michael Silvio of 50 soccer balls we got out the hand pumps and blew up 20 to distribute on Saturday.

The Firestone Guest House staff prepared a wonderful welcome dinner with many senior Bridgestone and Firestone Liberia staff as well as senior hospital executives.
Thanks to a donation by CSI Partner Michael Silvio of 50 soccer balls we got out the hand pumps and blew up 20 to distribute on Saturday
Three other team members are due late Saturday. It is very, very warm and the sky looks heavy with impending rain which we are secretly hoping for. There is something magical about falling asleep to the sound of rain pelting the metal roofs.

Today was a “recovery day” but in reality the team is doing so well nobody had to take a nap.

One group started bright and early visiting Monkey Island which now is home to many gorilla-sized primates which were used for HIV testing by the US in its quest for a vaccine.
Everyone gathered at noon for a very special VIP presentation by the US Ambassador
to Liberia, Deborah Malac. She greeeted us with a warm welcome filled with thanks for our efforts.

Saturday afternoon the group split into two groups, one going on a tour of Monrovia taking in the urban grit of Liberia’s capital city. The other visited teh Frances Gaskin Orphanage. We had the opportunity to distribute soccer balls which were donated by CSI Partner Michael Silvio;puzzles, dolls, signed soccer balls and books donated by Crocus Hill School, a preschool in St Paul; de- worming pills and dumdum suckers.

Dr. Dave Tetzlaff coordinated the donation of 300 pairs of shoes donated by Soles4Souls.
Debra Frasier (author of the terrific children’s book,”On the Day You Were Born) donated crowns and books. There was even a tent celebrating Children’s Reading from the Minnesota State Fair.

Off to bed to get ready for an early morning of screening at the hospital! Everyone is very excited as word is we have a very full day of very needy patients.

Videographer Nolan Morice, Co-founder of Line Break Media in Minneapolis which produces marketing and films for “all causes seeking justice”, is volunteering his firm’s time by filming for CSI in Liberia. Here he “lends” his expensive camera to an orphan who pretends to make a video. Highlighted in the lens is the writing from the Firestone truck, our sponsor who provides transportation, housing, food and sponsorship for our time here.

Medical Records volunteer Katie Stewart distributes soccer balls that have been signed by her students at Crocus Hill Preschool in St. Paul. We want to give a special shout out to Crocus Hill School which moved locations this year and donated 30 + boxes of “No longer needed but really appreciated at the orphanages CSI visits” goodies.