ReSurge International Blog

Carlos: Volunteer Extraordinary

Piura, Peru- Kristin Stueber, ReSurge volunteer surgeon.

When we arrived the first day for clinic we were enthusiastically greeted by a gentleman who I met here in Pucallpa three years prior.  He was in his volunteer’s smock, looking very professional.  I decided to find out more about him.  At first he did not want to talk about himself, but I worked on him and finally got the story.

He was born in Peru, 75 years ago, to parents with a Chinese background, and he later married a woman from Japan.  After working many years in Peru in business administration, he moved to Japan until he was ready to retire.  To get his pension for the time worked in Peru, he had to return. That was eight years ago and he has not yet cleared the paperwork.

To avoid getting bored at home he started volunteering at the hospital.  He had received much help from others during his life and he felt it was time to give back. 

As he so eloquently puts it, "A person who doesn't live to serve, doesn't live."

Andy

Piura, Peru- Kristin Stueber, ReSurge volunteer surgeon.

Andy is a four-month-old who was born with a cleft lip and palate.  Because his mother is too young, he is in foster care. Today we did the first of several procedures to reconstruct his deformity. It’s the first step in giving Andy a second chance at life.

She Loves Those Babies

Pucallpa, Peru-Emily Ulm, ReSurge volunteer nurse.

One of our PACU nurses on this trip, Yvonne, is a mother of two grown sons.  She brags about these sons and often talked about how much she loves them and missed them when they moved away from home.   She has a heart of gold and a true love of children.  I saw this in particular when the younger patients arrived.  Yvonne’s face would light up whenever a baby was around and she couldn’t wait for them to be done with surgery so that she could recover them in the PACU.  On one particular occasion I entered the PACU as she was just about to give a baby some water by syringe.  Just that simple task was a joy to Yvonne and I could see it in the way that she treated that baby.  This is one woman I would love to have looking after me or my family members. Our patients were indeed lucky to have nurses Yvonne and Cynthia on this trip in the PACU. 

Twenty Thousand Cleft Patients Treated By Local Doctors in Partnership with Smile Train

In partnership with the Smile Train, we've just treated our 20,000th cleft patient at one of our eight cleft surgical outreach programs! From our very first surgical patient Antonio, who received treatment in 1969 for his cleft lip, we’ve been thrilled to help transform lives through access to free quality reconstructive surgical care.

"Just as cleft surgery transforms the lives of patients, Smile Train has worked with us to transform the world by making cleft surgery accessible to many more patients. We are very proud to be partners with Smile Train as we work together to heal cleft patients,” said Nicole Friedland, ReSurge chief development officer.

Whether it’s the first or the 20,000th patient, the impact of this life-changing surgery is no less for the individual who receives it. We are proud to call our 11 surgical outreach directors our partners in changing the world and strive for the day when no patient in need is without access to reconstructive surgical care.

We Met Our Match!

We are happy to announce that not only did we meet our $50,000 match—we doubled it! Thanks to your support and donors like you, we have raised over a $100,000 in addition to the $50,000 match from two anonymous donors. That’s more than $150,000 raised since November 15!

However, we are not done yet. ReSurge still needs your help to provide support for our patients that need us most. Your gift today will make a lifetime of difference for a child in need of reconstructive surgery. Help children like David, pictured above and donate today.

Working Together

Pucallpa, Peru-Emily Ulm, ReSurge volunteer nurse.

Our team works very well together. We spent the first couple of days really bonding. It seems that we all enjoy each other's company, which allows the team to run smoothly. We have also received a lot of help from Dr. Anderson from the local hospital we are working in.

All in all, this first week has been very successful. The skills of our surgeons are amazing and I always love it when that final stitch goes in and we can all see the final product.

I am looking forward to even more good things in the upcoming days.

International Volunteer Day

"On International Volunteer Day, we recognize the dedication of volunteers, their admirable spirit of service, and their wide-ranging efforts to promote the goals of the United Nations. With the world population having surpassed seven billion this year, we must tap every person’s potential to help others. Everyone can make a difference. Volunteering matters." —Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Since 1969, ReSurge has counted on the unwavering dedication of volunteers to help reach thousands of patients around the world. Today, we’d like to take a moment to applaud their work and thank them for years of service, not only to ReSurge, but also to the patients they’ve helped treat and provide hope to for more than 40 years.

From all of us at ReSurge thank you for your hard work and inspiration.

How Two Cats Helped Rocio Prepare for Surgery

Pucallpa, Peru- Fran Cunniffe, ReSurge associate director of medical education and outreach.

Rocio was born with a congenital hand deformity 10 years ago; she cannot use her index finger which makes it difficult for her to write and draw. Our surgeons determined they could operate on her finger to straighten it for her, so Rocio checked into the hospital for surgery this morning. She was very scared about getting an IV before surgery, so I sat with her and showed her some pictures of my two cats (KP and McLovin) to help distract her while our anesthesiologist started the IV in her hand. It turns out she likes KP the best. We gave her a coloring book while she waited to go into the OR, and she had a great time coloring and looking at pictures of "gatitos" (cats in Spanish).

Helping Patients Get Evaluated for Surgery

Pucallpa, Peru- Emily Ulm, ReSurge volunteer OR nurse.

This is my third trip with ReSurge as a volunteer OR nurse. On the first day of my previous trips, the head OR nurse and I unloaded boxes of supplies and set up the operating rooms for surgery.  This year, due to a delay in the shipment of our supplies, I had the privilege of helping out during clinic day evaluations (when patients are evaluated for surgery).  I helped with some of the paper work as well as calling patients when it was their turn to be assessed.  As English is my first (and only) language, I can only imagine what my poor Spanish sounded like to the patients. But I managed to call them and get them into the room for assessment.

One boy in particular (pictured above), gave me a kiss on the cheek before entering the assessment room.  He must have been almost 15 years old and my heart just melted.  I was not sure if he was just very polite, or very appreciative of being able to see us, or both, but I was very touched.  The warmth of the people in Pulcallpa is amazing.  The hotel staff and the hospital staff are very hospitable; it is very comforting to be here.

We are 25% of the way to our Goal!

The giving season is in full swing and ReSurge International is pleased to report that we are 25% of the way to completing the year-end giving match of $50,000!

We need your help to help us complete the match. Thanks to the generosity of two anonymous donors, your donations to ReSurge International from now until the end of the year will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000.

This year your donations to ReSurge International are more important than ever. The economic downturn has affected most non profits and we are no exception. Please help ReSurge continue to help our patients that depend on us for support.

With your help, your donation today can be doubled in value! You can make a difference in the lives of patients with the click of a button.

Please make your gift today.