Chongqing, China Surgical Volunteer Trip

Pride In His Work

Pride in his Work
Originally uploaded by interplast.

The surgeons take great pride in their work, and on evening rounds they delight in having their picture taking with their patients. It is fun to watch them make their rounds, since they are in the operating room all day and never get to interact with the patients.

He's So Hungry!

Look at him eat!  He's just going to town.  It's pretty hard to believe that this kid who is plowing through his milk like a mini-juggernaut is the same one from a few posts ago that could barely keep food in his mouth.  One of the things that amazed me about this little guy is his panache.  He doesn't care who is watching him, he just does his thing. 

The upper lip is still pretty swollen, but that will go down in a few weeks.  I'm glad that he had no complications and is free to go home, but I'm gonna miss him.  Whenever I needed a boost I just looked into his room to see what he was up to.  Even if it was something as unexciting as eating (although I generally find eating pretty exciting, especially here in China) he always seemed to be a happy little camper. 

He's So Hungry!

Sweetie Pie

Janet constantly checks on the patients and tells their parents how to nurse their child back to health.  Here she is explaining to the parents of the baby in the last couple of videos how to clean the wound and keep it free from infection.  Janet is an awesome pediatrician, and is so good at relating with the patients and their families.  You can tell by watching the video how she genuinely cares about these kids.

Sweetie Pie

 

Post-Operative Interview

I talked with the same family the day after their child's surgery.  They were really happy, and it's unfortunate that this clip is so dry, because the second I turned off the camera they started bowing, thanking me and really expressing their gratitude.   I do like this clip though because it demonstrates the clear monopoly China has on cute baby hats.  Every baby here has an adorable little hat, and this little guy's cooing sounds just seal the deal.  His aunt came in for the recovery, and she is standing next to the mother.  They live very far away from the hospital, and were eager to have Janet come by to tell them that they could go so they could start the trek back to their village.

Post-Operative Interview

Interview with Parents

I interviewed the parents of the kid who was all bundled up while he was in surgery (see below). They are really nice, genuine people. Ding translated for me, and only a small part of our talk was on camera, but I wanted to get some footage for the blog. These folks are very poor, and the clothes they are wearing are the nicest they own. When they came to Chongqing they didn't want to be seen as poor by us or the other families. What they lack in money they make up for in pride and dignity.

Interview With Parents During Their Child's Surgery

All Bundled Up

All Bundled Up
Originally uploaded by interplast.

This little guy has a pretty intense bilateral cleft lip. He lives over six hours away by bus, and his mother had a cleft that was badly repaired. He has a pretty hard time keeping food in his mouth since his oral cavity connects with his nostrils. Poor little guy.

This picture is a good example of how the parents dress their kids. They are deathly afraid of their kids catching a cold, so they bundle them up in as many layers of clothing as they can find. While it makes for cute pictures, it means that the nurses and anesthesiologists have to spend a bit of time peeling off all of the layers, something the kids don't accept too happily.