Medical Missions Foundation

Final mission day

This evening we were treated to dancing and song by a sea of people.  The Honorable MP Reagan hosted our group in his home village and we were immersed in hospitality.

On our final day in the hospitals, our final number of surgeries topped out at 147.  Adding to that were 1100 clinical visits--unbelievable accomplishments by some very special people that often worked well into the evening.  That sentiment was echoed in the letter that was written today to the volunteers by one of the Ugandan hospital workers:

"Dear Friends:

On behalf of the children of Northern Uganda, we are so grateful for your services that were offered to our people.  You have made them start smiling again.  You have lightened them from the mood of sadness to happiness.

Please, we give you thanks on their behalf for they may not be able to come in person to give thanks but through prayers they do.  May God Bless You All."

In their own words...our Uganda Mission nurses

Epilogue:  Please see the after picture of the 13 year-old boy that was featured in yesterday's blog.  His mother was joyous beyond words.

We will share our surgical numbers tomorrow but for today's blog we wanted to get some reflective thoughts from some of our nurses and share with you some pictures from the week.  I took a moment to visit with our nurses and the results were...well in some cases beyond words.

"This mission was such a great experience, I don't know how I could top it."

"During this mission I have built bonds and friendships not only with my peers from the United States but also with the beautiful people of Uganda."

"With the work in my OR this week, I have seen cleft repairs that I know we have have truly changed lives in remarkable ways.  It is rewarding to see the profound joy in both the patients' and families' faces."

"This has been the most devasted population I have ever worked with.  Sometimes it is hard to tell the families from the patients."

"The mission has been fun, rewarding, exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time."

"It is an honor to work with the strong levels of professionals that travel on these missions.  They are a cut above and are quietly giving without expecting anything in return."

"And from a nurse that has been on multiple missions, it has been tough emotionally.  You have to have been here to experience it.  The Ugandan people have a strong survival spirit yet they are crying out softly."

"People are the same everywhere.  Mothers are mothers even with a huge disparity in lifestyles, they love their children and are common in many ways."

And finally..."Potatoes beat goat every time!"

Making Smiles

When we began the day today we had already completed 63 surgeries.  It is almost nine in the evening and some of the team is still working.  One of the appeals of participating in MMF missions are the challenges and unusual cases the doctors and nurses encounter that are different from those in the United States.

Dr. Jeff Dillow, first time MMF volunteer, was hesitant before the first OR day to perform cleft palate surgery since he hadn't done one in twelve years, according to Josie Bell, CRNA.  Then he saw the patient population and scheduled four cleft patients.

He went to the clinic again between surgical cases and saw more patients and told his team he had scheduled three more.  Then day two arrived and once again he went out between surgeries, saw more patients and came back and said "I scheduled three more clefts" and once again his surgical team of Josie Bell, Stacey MacDonald, R.N. and Cindy Cummins, R.N. thought he was kidding.  He proceeded to tell then about a 13 year-old boy who needed a bilateral cleft lip repair.  The boy was the "nicest" patient and he was so sweet and kind and would benefit immensely from the operation.  By this time the doctor, who wasn't thrilled about operating on clefts, was beaming with joyful anticipation of making such a difference in someone's life.  According to his surgical team, his enthusiasm is powerfully contagious.

Another highlight of the day was a visit to St. Monica's the home that Sister Rosemary (a CNN hero) and her order run in Gulu.  At the center they care primarily for girls, many of whom were maimed or disfigured in the rebel war.  At their campus is a vocational school, daycare, and rehab center.  We spent some time entertaining the children in the daycare center.

P.S.  Happy Birthday Christie.  Your Mom misses you!

Tuesday: Surgeries and clinics continue

It is Tuesday and the team headed in three different directions after breakfast.  Most continued their important work at St. Mary's Lacor Hospital in Gulu while a small team performed surgeries at Gulu Regional Hospital.

 

Today the clinic team traveled to Awach.   During the one hour drive on red dirt roads, we passed by women doing laundry in the stream by the side of the road.  A stream of children smiled and waved at our bus as we passed them.  When we arrived at the clinic we were astounded by the number of children and their families that awaited our arrival.  The clinic team saw over 200 patients and promised many more that we will return tomorrow.

Monday in Gulu

  To prepare for the mission and to be integrated into the hospital protocol, local Ugandan seamstresses made skirt scrubs for all the female medical personnel.  Dave and Mary, don't they all look great?

 

Many surgeries were scheduled and completed today and the team returned to the hotel for a late night buffet.  Tomorrow the team will work in three different locations.

While working with the art team in the hospital courtyard, Stuart Beals met "Katenga", a 16 year-old with dreams of becoming a doctor.  Unfortunately, he has had to quit school for the time being to help care for his 14 year-old sister.  His parents were killed in the rebel war.  He encountered the art team several times throughout the day and still has hope of someday fulfilling his dreams.

First Day in Gulu

We arrived in Kampala early Sunday morning and hit the ground running 6 hours later.  After a five hour bus ride to Gulu where we crossed the mighty Nile and encountered a family of baboons we arrived at the hospital and began screenings for the upcoming week.  The potential patients were lined up and patiently waited their turn. The hearty Medical Missions Foundation volunteers worked well into the evening and anticipate performing over 100 surgeries in the upcoming week.  An incredible team of 34 volunteers will have many stories to share as we begin this rewarding week.

Mission to Gulu, Uganda

Our inaugural mission to Gulu, Uganda will be October 15-25, 2010.  Thirty-four participants from around the country will take part in this mission.