Reaching Out

The mission team is made up of medical, dental and outreach volunteers. The relationship between the volunteers is symbiotic. That is, the mission could not meet its goals without all these volunteers and the help and support of the local hospital staff and Rotarians.

There are 6 outreach volunteers this week. They have a very diverse job task. They need to be flexible, resourceful and able to quickly solve problems. They spend a lot of their time with the patients in the wards trying to make the patient's experience a little something special. The volunteers pass time with all the kids and families reading, teaching dental hygiene, doing puzzles, playing games (the overwhelming favorite was a memory game), handing out donated books and trinkets such as handmade wooden cars carved by a group of Colorado veterans. Upon discharge, the volunteers present the patients with a backpack full of goodies donated by Children's Hospital and the coveted "Get Well" card. The card is laminated and has large before and after pictures of the patient. Many of the patients proudly display the card at home.

When the volunteers are not with the patients, they are helping with data input, scanning charts and documents, getting needed supplies, doing what ever takes to make the mission run smoother and spending time out in the community.

THANKS FOR A JOB WELL DONE!

Pediatrics and Recovery Room

Before and after the children go to surgery they spend time in the wards and immediately after surgery they spend a short time in the recovery room. Both areas are staffed by Uplift and local nursing staff and 2 Uplift pediatricians.

Sue Larson is from Boulder, Colorado on her 2nd Uplift mission and our leader or "head of mission". She not only looks after all the patients but also all of the volunteers and keeps us on target so we meet the mission objective. This is a very big job that not a lot of people are willing or qualified to take on. Sue "stepped up to the plate" and will be on the mission both weeks. Sue has the experience to lead the mission as she is very involved at home with pediatrics and administration at a Denver area hospital.

Uplift is very fortunate to also have Dr. Steve Krebs, a pediatrician that hails from Colorado. This is his 1st Uplift mission. He had always wanted to visit the Philippines since he studied the islands in a college history class. He loves working with the Filipino people and finds their sincere friendliness heartwarming. He was quickly impressed with how much is done medically with so little infrastructure or hardware. He summed up his experience best with what he called his "nonsense to make a difference ratio". That is, 90% of what he did here made a difference!

On the Job Training

Raymond Wong and Lisa Lee, both pre-med students in the US, joined the mission for a week in Roxas City. Raymond learned about Uplift from his aunt, Mimi Wong a long time mission volunteer. He jumped at the chance to participate as he has wanted to do foreign travel, make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate and get a 1st hand glimpse of what he hopes will be his future career.

He and Lisa were not hesitant; they immediately got to work and helped the nursing staff on the ward cleaning the patient's incisions. Lisa was a natural, putting the children at ease and often asleep while cleaning their incisions singing all the Disney tunes that she learned as a child. The pair also observed in the operating room and learned first hand how to work with patients and meet their needs.

Both Raymond and Lisa were surprised at how different the children and families were from those in the US. "They were so appreciative, cooperative and dealt well with any discomfort from the surgery." Something that is often lacking at home.

For both this trip has been an experience they will never forget. In fact it has confirmed for them that medicine is the career for them and they have been inspired to do more foreign travel and get more involved with Uplift and other volunteer organizations.

A Well Choregraphed Team

As of Wednesday morning, 30 surgeries had been completed - 28 cleft lip repairs and 2 cleft palate repairs. Most repairs this week will be cleft lips. Monday and Tuesday were long (over 12 hours each) and productive days. These 30 surgeries have been completed by 3 surgeons and a well choregraphed support team. This is accomplished with 2 well equipped operating rooms, 3 surgeons that move from one patient to the next with very little time to rest, 4 anesthesiologists, 3 scrub assistants that help with retraction, suction and the closing sutures, 2 circulating nurses that manage the 2 rooms so that there is only a small amount of time between patients in addition to ensuring that all instruments are sterile and available for the next surgery and 1 coordinating nurse that makes sure there is a constant flow of patients and information between the operating and recovery rooms and the pre/post op ward. The Uplift volunteers are also accompanied by local nurses, assistants and nursing students.

In observing the Uplift volunteers and local Filipino staff work together, you would think they had worked together for years but they are all gathered here from around the world only for this 2 week mission.

Congratulations on a job very well done!

Life on the Ward

Many of us who have been patients in US hospitals know them as mundane places where our normal life has been placed "on hold". Well this is not the case here at Memorial Hospital in Roxas City. The Uplift volunteers get a glimpse of what it is like living in a Filipino family. Life goes on much as usual in the wards. There is a real energy present as the patient's family is their support staff. They provide all the food and care along with their own cots and bedding. At any moment in the ward, there are patients and their families reading, preparing meals, eatting, playing, visiting with Upift volunteers and learning how to provide care post surgery from local hospital staff. Just for a moment you feel as though you have been transported to a local baranguay!

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words - Before / After Surgery

Seeing Double

Of the 79 patients screened, there was one set of twins - Eliza and Ashley both with cleft lips. The girls are darling with big, bright smiles. Unfortunately, Ashley was diagnosed with pneumonia on screening day and her cleft lip could not be fixed. Eliza's lip was fixed on Tuesday afternoon and has had a beautiful result as seen in the pictures. With a little bit of luck, Ashley will travel to Pototan where the mission will be next week and have her lip fixed so that both girls will have big, bright beautiful smiles in 2010!

The Brits are Back

For Annie Hardwick and Liz Barker, both hailing from Merry, Old England - the annual Uplift Internationale mission is something they anxiously await. Annie is back for her 6th mission and Liz her seventh!

They look after the Pre-op Ward with the help of local hospital staff. The ward and the adjioning hallway quickly filled up with Monday's surgery patients and those awaiting surgery on Tuesday. Both Lizzy and Annie make it look so easy. They work closely with the patients, their families and the local hospital staff and always with big smiles.

It is great to have you with us again!

Monday - Mission Team Hits the Ground Running

The first surgeries were scheduled bright and early for 8am. Screenings continued of the remaining patients. This is different than at past missions. Usually surgeries did not begin until afternoon as screenings were performed Monday morning.

All 14 surgeries performed were for repairs of cleft lips. There were 3 surgeons working and they performed 4-5 surgeries each during 10 hours. Normally only 6 surgeries are performed the first day. Congratulations mission team - we are 8 big and bright smiles AHEAD of schedule!

Sunday Screening

The entire mission team made up of 32 volunteers arrived in Roxas City by Sunday afternoon 24 January to hospital halls packed with potential patients and their families. They had gathered early in anticipation of being selected as a patient for cleft lip and/or palate reparative surgery. The head of mission felt there was no sense in waiting until Monday to start the final screening process - so screening commenced on Sunday afternoon. The amount of patients in need was impressive! Prior to our arrival, 180 patients had been pre-screened. From that amount, 79 went through the Sunday screening.

During Sunday's screening easch patient visited 7 screening stations staffed with Uplift volunteers and local hospital staff. At each station professionals evaluated the patient to determine if they were healthy enough to have surgery. Anticipation was the overwhelming emotion for both the patients and the volunteers on Sunday. The small screening rooms and the halls were packed and a buzz! Actually it was Standing Room Only! The patients were anticipating the chance to have their lip and/or palate repaired and their lives changed FOREVER! The volunteers, some of which who have traveled very little outside the US, were anticipating the chance to be a part of making an impact in a land far from theirs and in the lives of people who have had little to smile about prior and have had to endure ridicule through no fault of their own.