So No Child Must Wait

An International Team

From Dr. Michelle Spring, Interplast Webster Fellow:
(Piura, Peru)

We are working very well together. We have a very experienced team; everyone is laid-back and not easily stressed. We are also an international team—Karina is the anesthesiologist from Uruguay and Helena is our Swedish interpreter.  They are both doing an amazing job considering how exhausting it is to communicate in a foreign tongue all day.

I was exhausted after the first day of clinic where we saw approximately 140 patients.  Of the three surgeons present, my Spanish is the weakest. There was no interpreter that day to mitigate the situation but I managed to successfully communicate with the patients.  Despite that I am enjoying my experience here.

We’ve worked on many cleft palates and I have given a lecture to the medical students who showed interested in obtaining a medical residency in the United States. Today, the other team members are giving talks to the local nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists, respectively.  Then we are going to the beach!

Recovering and Calm

Recovering and Calm
Originally uploaded by interplast

Arif, age 2, was calm and cuddly with volunteer nurse Kim after his surgery to release the burn contracture on his left hand. Six months ago, he fell on the ash pile outside his home and was severely burned. As the burned healed, the skin contracted and he was no longer able to use his hand. Reconstructive surgery will give him greater function and the ability to grow up, learn to write and play with other children.

Interplast Nurses in Dhaka

Interplast Nurses in Dhaka
Originally uploaded by interplast

From Interplast nurses Sandi (Ontario, Canada), Frankie (Washington state), Liz (Oregon) and Kim (Michigan)

Bangladesh is a site to behold: the smells, the people, the curiosity, the stares, the transportation, the pollution, the garbage, the generosity, the kids. It is all overwhelming. They have a simple way of life and the people seem to live day to day, sleeping in the rickshaws---or wherever they can. We feel like celebrities wherever we go: being pointed at, stared at and the kids wanting their picture taken, then to look at their photo afterwards on our cameras. It is rewarding to see their faces when they see their photos. If we really thought about how poor this country is, we would leave right away and be sad, but the people have lives here and are making it work---there is a sense of community and socialization that sometimes is lost in our Western civilization.

Building Surgical Capacity in Bangladesh

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Originally uploaded by interplast

The number of plastic surgeons in Bangladesh has more than doubled in the last few years. The growth is largely due to the post-graduate program in plastic surgery Dr. Shafquat Knundkar began in 2000 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Ten of Bangladesh’s 15 plastic surgeons are Knundkar’s former students. Currently, there are 15 residents (or registrars as they are called here) in his plastic surgery unit at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, with another 60 medical students or general surgery residents (more junior students) who wish to pursue plastic surgery. Once all of these students graduate, Bangladesh is expected to have 75 more doctors who can help with the tremendous need for reconstructive surgery here. Knundkar’s vision and determination in establishing this program is building sustainable, surgical capacity in the most densely populated country on earth. Interplast is very proud to support his work by bringing a surgical team to help with the backlog of cases and provide hands-on training to these wonderful residents. Shown here are two residents assisting Dr. Sally Langley, volunteer plastic surgeon from New Zealand, while several others observe.

Tonmoy, the Artist

Tonmoy, the Artist
Originally uploaded by interplast

Three years ago, Tonmoy, age 11, excitedly ran into his kitchen, bumped into the stove and boiling water spilled upon him, severely burning 60 percent of his body. The doctors told his parents that his chances of survival were very small. His father used almost of all the family money for his treatment, even taking the child to India. Now, his parents have very little money, but they have a charming and bright young son who has regained his health, although not all of his mobility. “I cannot climb trees,” Tonmoy told us in perfect English. Because of his burn contractures, his arm can only be raised to below his shoulder. Reconstructive surgery could release his scars and allow him to raise his arms above his head once again. We hope we can get him on the schedule this trip, but if the team runs out of time, Tonmoy will still be able to receive free life-changing surgery from Dr. Shafquat Knundkar, Interplast’s Surgical Outreach Director in Bangladesh. By focusing on empowerment programs like teaching and supporting local surgeons, Interplast has created year-round access to reconstructive surgery in Bangladesh and eight other countries. Tonmoy, a talented artist who goes to a special school for gifted children, is shown here showing off the perfect shading on a coloring project; however, Tonmoy’s specialty is painting landscapes and portraits.

Who Deserves Care?

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Originally uploaded by interplast

On one of our first days, the team was told that a failed suicide bomber was in the hospital and needed treatment. His bomb had detonated prematurely, loosing most of the exploding power that was planned for foreigners; the result was damage to only the bomber’s limbs, but not death. Most Interplast team members are used to the ethic that they should treat anyone in desperate need of care, regardless of who they are or what they have done. However, it did bring up interesting discussions about who is deserving in a country of such overwhelming needs. After the man was examined by Interplast doctors, under the watchful eye of the police guarding him, it was determined that he did not need surgery at this time for his fracture and wounds. There was nothing for the Interplast team to do.

Not Surgery, But Hand Therapy

Not Surgery, But Hand Therapy
Originally uploaded by interplast

Some of the patients seen in clinic did not need surgery, but did need hand therapy. Rina, an 18-year-old soon-to-be nursing student, was hand therapists Nancy’s and Mohan’s first patient. Mohan Randol, (shown in photo with Rina) from Interplast’s Surgical Outreach Center in Nepal, has come to Dhaka to learn from Nancy Chee and to help the team with its patients. He is one of the few hand therapists in all of Nepal.

Thanking the Team

Thanking the Team
Originally uploaded by interplast

“I will never forget your team,” said Unmea, excited that she will have new functionality, the ability to hold a pen and pick things up with the fingers of her right hand. She is here with her mother and Dr. Mary Hermann, volunteer pediatrician.

Ability to Grasp Things

Ability to Grasp Things
Originally uploaded by interplast

Unmea was not exactly a breach baby, but her delivery was difficult as she was not in the right position. To correct her position, the doctor reached inside and pulled her arm to turn her. Consequently, since birth, Unmea has suffered from Erb’s palsy, her wrist limp and slightly twisted. Without being able to lift her wrist, she is not able to use her thumb and a finger to pinch, to pick things up. Reconstructive surgery to move and tighten tendons can give her that ability.

Unmea was one of Interplast’s first patients in Dhaka this year---and one of the most beautiful and brightest. At 17 years old, she is studying to become an economist.