Quy Nhon, Vietnam 2011

Tears of Joy

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

There are moments that are so emotional and rewarding during a ReSurge surgical trip that one can hardly describe them. Tonight, in the recovery room, a mother openly wept in happiness and gratitude for the surgery that her 11-year-old son had received. She explained through a translator that she had tried 10 times to get the gaping holes in her son’s upper lip repaired. Ten times she had been refused. He is pictured here before his surgery. This time, Dr. Bob McGrath checked the child’s heart condition more thoroughly and gave permission for anesthesiologist Dr. Mike Flynn to give anesthesia. Dr. Joyce Chen, assisted by a local doctor, performed the miracle of bringing the huge clefts on both sides of his upper lip to closure. There was not a dry eye in the recovery room when his mother composed herself, brought her hands together and bowed to each person who had helped her beloved son.

True Compassion

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

Kim Satterlee is not only the trip coordinator and translator, but she is the heart and soul of our Vietnamese ReSurge trips. I have been on two surgical trips to Vietnam and find her endless energy and ability to communicate and comfort the patients totally awe-inspiring. She was born in Vietnam and was shocked by the poverty and deprivation when she first returned. She donates time and funds and her wonderful energy and humor to help the children in Vietnam with defects that might otherwise never get treatment.

The Girl With The Beautiful Dresses

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

This is little Viet. Her claim to fame among the many patients we saw and operated on in Quy Nhon is that she wore some beautiful dresses. In clinic she had a pink dress and for surgery a lovely yellow dress. She was so calm and collected in the recovery room that we handed her a mirror when she woke up after surgery.  She seemed to approve of the beautiful revision Dr. Joyce Chen had performed on her cleft lip. We explained that the little blue marks around her nose would go away.  She was a delightful patient and a lovely young lady.

It Pays To Wait

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

This is Bao Duy. Bao missed clinic day but was brought in three days later by his mother and grandmother (pictured above).  Our schedule was full for the eight days we were able to operate in Quy Nhon.  We told the relatives to bring him back every day during the week and we would try to fit him into the schedule. Bao’s operation has to be done in three stages in order to get the best results; otherwise, the skin above his eyelid would be pulled too far and risk exposing the cornea. Dr. Kristin Stueber, with the help of anesthesiologist and team leader, Dr. Richard Gillerman, managed to fit Bao into the busy schedule. Dr. Stueber removed the middle 1/3 of the hairy nevus. If left alone it could have turned malignant.  We told his mother to make sure and bring Bao back to the clinic for the next two years so we could complete the reconstruction of his face.

When Bao awoke after surgery, he loved the juice nurse Yvonne Schimmel gave him; she could barely keep up with his ferocious thirst. I think Bao’s family decided their wait was worth it.

See you next year, Bao!

Thi After Surgery

A few days after her surgery, Thi came in to have her dressing changed. Above is a photo of Thi (middle), shortly after. Only a few days after surgery and with a new dressing, Thi did something she wasn't able to do before ... she lifted her head and smiled for our camera.

Thi

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

Thi is a beautiful 16-year-old who lives near Quy Nhon on the East Coast of Vietnam. I first met Thi late one evening as she was recovering from a six hour surgery on her burned neck. I was feeling tired and hot and a little sorry for myself until I heard her heart breaking story.

A year ago, Thi was cooking squid for the family using oil over a fire to deep fry the family meal. The oil was running dry so she asked a friend to add some more. Unfortunately, the oil spilled over the side of the pot and onto the fire, engulfing Thi’s dress and body in flames.

Dr. Joyce Chen took on the enormous task of trying to release Thi’s neck burn contracture by taking skin from another part of her body and grafting it onto her neck. Dr. Chen asked the local burn surgeon, Dr. Phung, to help her with the surgery.

I saw Thi in the recovery area and took her up four floors to her room where her anxious family awaited. She was very stoic and composed and thanked us as we fed her water from a syringe.

The ward was hot and humid and full of patients and families. Thi’s room was small with 10 other beds cramped into it.  Thi did not seem to mind, she was just pleased that she might be able to raise her head again, like any other beautiful 16-year-old girl.

Early Morning Zumba in Quy Nhon

Quy Nhon, Vietnam –Katherine Aspesi, ReSurge volunteer PACU nurse.

I am amazed by how many people exercise in Quy Nhon! We walk along the boardwalk every morning and it's full of people walking and running. I walk about a mile and a half every day and came upon a Zumba class of 40 women that promptly begins at 5 a.m. every morning. They welcomed me with open arms and I just can't believe the hospitality and social nature demonstrated by this community. I haven't danced this much in a year!

Coloring Calmly

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

This beautiful little girl’s name is My. She spent her time happy as pie in the crowded ward coloring away with a big smile. Unfortunately, My was born with a cleft palate. As she was brought into the waiting room prior to surgery, she sensed something was about to happen. Suddenly, she changed into a little fireball. It took all her mother’s strength to hold on to her. Pediatric anesthesiologist, Dr. Joyce Phillips, calmed her down and after a successful surgery performed by Dr. Stueber she was back to her calm self.  My will be going home in a few days with a reparied palate and some lovely art.

An Unexpected Dilemma

Quy Nhon, Vietnam – Michael Flynn, ReSurge volunteer anesthesiologist.

It takes a lot of equipment to get a ReSurge team functioning thousands of miles from its base in California. The team meets at the airport in San Francisco, where some airlines graciously allow us one to two large boxes along with each suitcase. The team’s journey to Quy Nhon, Vietnam was no exception.  Twenty-eight heavy boxes were loaded onto the EVA flight to Taiwan. After a 15 hour journey, the team had a four-hour layover and then one more three and a half hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay.

For safety reasons, the boxes containing all our equipment were taken to the hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.  There is always a point when traveling with the boxes when I almost despair, as it seems we will never get them to their destination. This occurred the next morning back at the Ho Chi Minh City airport. We had placed all the boxes on trolleys in the intense heat and headed to the Vietnamese airline counter. It was at that point that our coordinators and translators, Kim Satterlee and Hoa Ton returned with worried expressions on their faces. They were very upset. They had just been informed that the “big plane” had left very early that morning and that our afternoon flight to Quy Nhon was too small to carry any boxes. This represented a major dilemma, as we need the equipment to do our pre-op clinic and to set up the operating room for surgeries. We had three hours in which we had to arrange safe alternate transport for the boxes and catch the afternoon flight ourselves.

Fortunately, we have a tireless wonderful local partner, Dr Hien, who has been working in collaboration with ReSurge for many years. She came to our rescue!  Within two hours we had a truck loaded with the boxes, ready to face the 16-hour journey to Quy Nhon. The next morning, at our hotel in Quy Nhon, we received good news: the truck had just arrived and was ready for off-loading! The reward was we were able to host clinic for over 100 patients, and surgeries were started the very next day, thousands of miles away from our home base.