So No Child Must Wait

Surgery Can Give Greater Mobility to a Child

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Originally uploaded by interplast

Shorna's eyes and smile capture you. She is a beautiful 5 year old. A little less than a year ago, Shorna had a dish towel hanging from her arm that caught the flame of the family's oil lamp, their only source of light in their home. Instantly, her arm was engulfed in flames, her mother explained to us. The result was a horrible wound and Shorna being pulled from school, where she was in her first year. And now, she suffers from a burn contracture that will not allow her to straighten her arm. The Interplast team has scheduled her for surgery to release her contracture and give her greater freedom of movement.

Residents Learning Interplast's Safety Protocols

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Several of the plastic surgery residents joined Interplast for its review of safety protocols before surgery.

Preparing for Surgery

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Before Interplast starts surgery, team members discuss the protocols and procedures in case an emergency happens. Dr. Fred Mihm, volunteer anesthesiologist, leads the team through the “scenarios,” the established emergency protocols set by Interplast medical advisory committees over the years.

"Education Is Our Focus"

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Dr. Jean La Belle uses every moment possible as an opportunity to teach. “Education is our focus. It’s why we come,” said La Belle. Interplast works to increase the supply of trained doctors who care for the poor year-round in some of the most underserved regions of the world.

Examining Patients Thoroughly

Examining Patients Thoroughly
Originally uploaded by interplast

After the surgeons examine patients to see if reconstructive surgery is an appropriate treatment, Dr. Mary Hermann, volunteer pediatrician, and Drs. Scott Douglass and Marshall Jones, volunteer anesthesiologists, evaluated the patients to see if they would be healthy enough for safe surgery. Pictured here is Dr. Marshall Jones with a potential patient.

Some Children Not Healthy Enough for Surgery

Some Children Not Healthy Enough for Surgery
Originally uploaded by interplast

Unfortunately, some of the children were not healthy enough for surgery, like this little girl. Hopefully, with iron supplements for her anemia, her health will improve and she will be able to have surgery to repair her hand.

Examining Patients at Clinic

Examining Patients at Clinic
Originally uploaded by interplast

At clinic, Dr. Sally Langley and Dr. Jean La Belle examined 60 patients to decide if surgery would be appropriate for their hand injuries and deformities. Many of the residents observed and discussed the cases.

Clinic in Dhaka

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Originally uploaded by interplast

On Sunday morning, after very few hours of sleep, Interplast began clinic to evaluate patients. The hallways outside Shafquat’s office were teeming with potential patients and their families.

Surgery Residents to Observe and Work with Team

Surgery Residents to Observe and Work with Team
Originally uploaded by interplast

Dr. Shafquat Khundkar, Interplast’s surgical outreach director, introduces the plastic surgery residents to the Interplast team. Approximately 8-10 residents will be receiving hands-on training and lectures for complicated hand surgeries, while observing and working with volunteer surgeons Dr. Sally Langley and Dr. Jean La Belle.

Unloading Medical Supplies

Unloading Medical Supplies
Originally uploaded by interplast

After traveling for 24 hours or more, team members unloaded boxes at 3am, Saturday at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where we will be working for the next two weeks.

Arriving in Dhaka

Eleven medical volunteers, two coordinator / translators and I arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh to provide free reconstructive surgery for children and adults with hand injuries.

Dr.Shafquat Khundkar, Interplast's surgical outreach director, met us at the airport.  Khundkar (center) is talking with Nancy Chee, volunteer hand therapist and team leader, and Dr. Jean La Belle, volunteer plastic surgeon.  Nancy and several of the other volunteers are returning to Bangladesh, having been here with Interplast in 2003, 2004 and/or 2005.  Interplast was not able to come last year because of the political unrest associated with the student protests.

Through the Eyes of a Volunteer

    Interplast Volunteer Lou Vito 
    Originally uploaded by interplast

Interplast volunteer Lou Vito, currently participating in the Chongqing, China trip, is keeping a personal blog and online photo album in order to keep friends and family updated on his time in China.

We encourage you to check out his blog “2007 China Interplast Blog,” as well as the growing collection of photographs he’s taking along the way.  Above is one of his photos and we will post a few of his on this blog as well.

A Rewarding Experience

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  Originally uploaded by interplast

From Dr. Michelle Spring, Interplast Webster Fellow:

The people in Chongqing are amazing and fascinating, but I feel that right now children are the most interesting part of China for me.  The overall experience is overwhelming. It is hard to describe the feeling of seeing children and their parents, and then being able to fix something that is so obviously devastatingly deforming. 
I can't even figure out how it makes me feel.  I don't know if I could do any single thing that is more rewarding emotionally. I feel honored to be involved in this work alongside such a great team, from America and China, who care about helping these beautiful people.

The need here is incredible; there are so many children with clefts.  It's a little disconcerting to be in Chongqing, a city of 31 million people, and Beibei, the suburb with 100,000 people, and see so many children with congenital deformities.   

Chongqing is bathed in fog every day; you cannot see the sky at all.  Supposedly it is not smog, but I have my doubts.  It is actually depressing for me—I need to have sunshine.  The sheer volume of people is overwhelming.  All of that being said, the people are very friendly and outgoing—especially the ones who travel days and hours from the rural parts of China to see us.   

The China Population Welfare Foundation (CPWF) has treated us royally and took us out for a "hot pot" dinner last week that is very typical of Chongqing.  Most of us did not try the duck intestines (or as it was said, the "end of the duck's inside").   The very common Sichuan peppercorn has a unique taste and is actually an anesthetic—your whole mouth goes numb if you eat one.
We took care of a child who was orphaned as a baby and abandoned at a Buddhist temple.  The monk who brought the child in gave each of us a jade Buddha necklace as a thank you.  Everyone is very grateful for our help, which is nice.

Interplast Pioneer Dick Jobe Dies

Dr. Richard Jobe, an Interplast pioneer and board member for 25 years, died on October 20, 2007. Interplast is deeply saddened by the passing of one of our great founders.

Jobe served as Interplast board president for two years of his 25 years on the board. He also served on Interplast's surgery and medical services committees. Jobe led and participated in numerous surgical trips around the world with Interplast and other groups, including to Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Burma, Laos, Bostwana, Lesotho, Pakistan and Tunisia. He also co-founded and led EARTHSPEAK, a nonprofit organization building speech training programs to follow cleft palate surgery.

Jobe received his medical degree from Stanford University and specialized in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He was Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Stanford Medical School and helped found the Stanford Cleft Palate Clinic. Jobe maintained an active private practice in Northern Santa Clara County for 40 years.

For more information about Dr. Richard Jobe, please see the San Francisco Chronicle's article.

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Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Sponsors Surgical Trip to China

Our first surgical team trip to China―of the year―left on Friday, Nov. 2, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). With a 16-hour flight ahead of them and a brief layover in Hong Kong, the Interplast medical  team left San Francisco Airport headed to Chongqing, China, where they will be performing life-changing surgeries for underprivileged children in that region.  

Please visit this blog for updates on the progress of the team and stories of the patients they encounter.

Interplast is grateful for RMHC’s continued support. Interplast depends on generous donors like RMHC and volunteers who donate their time to heal bodies, change lives and empower communities.