So No Child Must Wait

My time with APROQUEN

Originally uploaded by interplast

Managua, Nicaragua- Maribel Markines, Interplast volunteer visiting educator.

Visiting APROQUEN has been a true blessing; the staff is compassionate, the center is well established and their interdisciplinary team is ideal for the holistic approach necessary in burn treatment. During my visit we worked on techniques to help prevent the formation of contractures and team building activities. It’s been very rewarding to see the staff adopt the new team building concepts and truly realize that their work is made easier because of the help they provide each other. Some would even hug every day before rounds in the mornings! I hope my time here has helped the staff come together as a stronger team as they continue their mission to deliver the best care for the children they serve.

Pedrito

Managua, Nicaragua- Maribel Markines, Interplast volunteer visiting educator.

 

Today I met Pedrito and was immediately captured by his sweet nature. One would never know the tragic story behind his burns. Pedrito is 2 years old and was both abused and neglected by his parents. After he suffered his burn (to which I still don’t have full details) he and his brother were taken to live at an abused children shelter. Today, Pedrito is recovering well and the success to his recovery is due to the wonderful staff at APROQUEN, the shelter where he now lives, but most importantly to Pedrito himself, who is very cooperative and a smart little boy.  At one point during my visit, he even took the Vaseline gel (good for keeping burn contractures moisturized) and started massaging his legs on his own. Pedrito has gained full functionality and mobility of his legs and is able to do daily activities on his own, like putting on his shirt.  At the end of our therapy session Pedrito gave me a warm hug!

Jefferson

Managua, Nicaragua- Maribel Markines, Interplast volunteer visiting educator.

Jefferson is an adorable 2-month-old who was burned while sleeping in his home. The candle that was lighting the room tipped over engulfing the mattress Jefferson was sleeping on in flames. I worked with a team of physical therapists, nurses and his mother to exercise Jefferson’s burn contractures.
The next day Jefferson’s hip was looser and his fingers were back to their normal position. Jefferson was even able to give me a beautiful thank you smile.

Games as therapy

Originally uploaded by interplast

Managua, Nicaragua- Maribel Markines, Interplast volunteer visiting educator.

This 2-year-old also had the misfortune of falling into a pile of burning trash. Six weeks ago he received surgery to release his burn contracture. Prior to his surgery, his hand was pinned shut which made it difficult for him to use and very painful. During his therapy today we incorporated some games to facilitate the use of his hands and fingers. A day after our therapy session he was better able to pick up items around him!

Felix

Originally uploaded by interplast

Managua, Nicaragua- Maribel Markines, Interplast volunteer visiting educator.

Felix is a playful 3-year-old whose arm was badly burned when he fell into a pit of burning garbage.
He and his mom live in a shelter while he receives his rehabilitation treatment here at APROQUEN. Today, I spent time teaching his mother how to correctly massage his arm and worked with Felix on his hand therapy to better allow him to use his fingers.

Heading to Managua

Managua, Nicaragua- Maribel Markines, Interplast volunteer visiting educator.

My name is Maribel Markines, and I have been a physical therapist for 18 years. Currently I work at the Tampa General Hospital where I have been working for 10 years. This is my first experience going on an Interplast trip as a visiting educator to Asociacion Pro Ninos Quemados de Nicaragua (APROQUEN) in Nicaragua. 

Star Sticker!

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Quy Nhon, Vietnam-Fran Cunniffe, Interplast medical education and outreach coordinator.

Today we were supposed to operate on a brother and sister, both with polydactyly (extra fingers). When we did our morning rounds, we discovered that only Manh, the 3-year-old boy, had shown up with his parents. His older sister could not bear the thought of missing even a day of school, and her parents decided to put off the surgery. Manh was excited for his surgery though, especially after our translator Emma told him she would give him star stickers after his surgery. We successfully removed his extra thumb, and the very first thing he said when he woke up from anesthesia was "star sticker!" Here he is proudly displaying his stickers.

Alice

Originally uploaded by interplast

Quy Nhon, Vietnam-Fran Cunniffe, Interplast medical education and outreach coordinator.

Alice, our fabulous pediatrician, unfortunately broke her ankle over the weekend. Our chief surgeon Ben sprung into action and performed a reduction on the spot, and made a temporary splint with his backpack. He was able to put a cast on her foot as soon as we got back to the hotel on Saturday, and the hotel lent us a wheelchair so she can still get around. All this has not stopped her from taking care of our patients though!

Transforming boxes into an operating room

Quy Nhon, Vietnam- Karina Rando, Interplast volunteer anesthesiologist.

On every trip Interplast provides the necessary equipment and supplies to offer excellent quality service to its patients. All the equipment and supplies are transported by plane from San Francisco in nearly 30 big boxes.  After the team arrived in Saigon, the boxes were taken to Quy Nhon by truck.

The local Hospital in Quy Nhon generously let us use some of their operating rooms.  Even though we were provided with the two operating tables, oxygen and lights, most of the equipment was transported (as on every trip) in the boxes.

After many hour s of hard work, the empty operating room was transformed into a safe and fully functional operating room where we performed all our surgeries.  All the equipment and supplies we needed to provide high quality anesthesia and surgeries were available.  

At the end of these two weeks all our equipment was carefully packed back into the boxes. Every team member helps in this process and watches after our precious boxes until each one is safe back to San Francisco, so that they are available for the next trip!

Coloring Stress Away

Originally uploaded by interplast

Quy Nhon, Vietnam-Fran Cunniffe, Interplast medical education and outreach coordinator.

Many of the children we operate on are very nervous before surgery. Imagine how they feel - they are taken away from their parents by people they do not know, and are not sure what to expect. Ronald McDonald House Charities helps us not only by supporting many of our programs, but also by providing us with coloring books and crayons to send on trips. The kids love to draw, and it definitely calms them before surgery. Karina, one of our anesthesiologists, (shown above) treats every child like her own. The kids love her!