Quang Ngai, Vietnam 2010

Linh

Quang Ngai, Vietnam-Liliana Vazquez, Interplast Communications Technology Coordinator.

Linh is four years old and very studious. She came to the hospital to be evaluated with her backpack on and ready to head to school as soon as our team scheduled her surgery.  Linh was born with ptosis, a congenital birth defect which causes the eyelids to sag and could interfere with vision development.  A day before surgery, patients are told not to have any food or water until after their procedures.  When Linh awoke after her surgery she was very hungry, so our coordinator/translator Theo (pictured with Linh) gave her some bread from the team’s break room.  Linh loved the bread.  When she returned two days later to have her eye checked and bandaged removed, the only way Theo could talk her into letting the surgeons examine her eye was by bribing her with more bread.  Once she was cleared by the doctors, Linh took her bread, threw on her backpack,waved goodbye and left with her father straight to school.  It was rewarding to witness that with one simple surgery Interplast played a critical role in making sure Linh’s studies are never affected because of the condition she was born with. 

Quan

Quang Ngai, Vietnam-Liliana Vazquez, Interplast Communications Technology Coordinator.

Quan’s family happened to bring their adorable 1-year-old son to the hospital a few days after all patients had already been evaluated and scheduled. Luckily for Quan, who came to be known by some of us as “the baby with the cute sweaters”, a patient had just canceled his cleft lip surgery for the following day. After ensuring Quan was healthy enough to undergo surgery, the team gladly added him to the schedule. Here are two pictures I took when we added him to the schedule and a day after his surgery, looking adorable as ever in the most fashionable sweaters we saw on any patient.

Tan Tho After Surgery

Quang Ngai, Vietnam-Liliana Vazquez, Interplast Communications Technology Coordinator.

Tan Tho’s surgery was one of the longest procedures the team performed during our trip.  His nearly six-hour surgery consisted of placing a skin graft taken from his leg onto his neck to release his neck contracture.  When one’s body is burned the skin contracts in an effort to close the wound.  When not treated correctly, these wounds become contractures which can lead to deformities. In Tan Tho’s case, his neck contracture kept his head tilted to the side and his mouth partially open.  After his surgery and with medical clearance, Tan Tho continue his recovery at home under the care of his parents.  A week later he returned to hospital to have his dressings changed by the team.  The improvement in Tan Tho’s posture was undeniable; he could now hold his head up straight and fully open and close his mouth.  As the surgeons removed his dressings, Tan Tho asked to be given a mirror so he could see his skin graft.  Despite the functionality a skin graft can offer a burn patient such as Tan Tho, they are difficult to look at so soon after surgery.  Tan Tho didn’t seem to mind this fact; he wanted to see and understand his surgery.  After handing him a mirror, he took one look, thanked the team and without saying another word allowed them to once again cover his graft so it could continue to heal. 

Photo by Zane Williams

More Stories from Quang Ngai

Quang Ngai, Vietnam-Liliana Vazquez, Interplast Communications Technology Coordinator.
I’ve been back from Vietnam for two weeks now and as I sort through photographs I feel increasingly privileged to have had the opportunity to witness the work Interplast does first hand.  With that in mind I wanted to share a few more patient stories that stand out in my memory as I revisit the two inspiring weeks I spent in Vietnam.