La Paz, Bolivia Surgical Trip

Martin: Anesthesiologists

  Anesthesiologists Tom, John, and Paul 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Here are Anesthesiologists Tom, John, and Paul.

Martin: Lake Titicaca

  The Team at Lake Titicaca 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

On Sunday we took a needed break and headed to Lake Titicaca.  Here we are enjoying the lakeside breeze.

Debbie: Fuels Our Determination

Since 1100 AD, descendants of the Aymara & Inca empires have traversed the expanse of the altiplano, or high plateau, to descend into the crater-like valley of La Paz. Not much has changed. But today the journey for our patients is different. They come in search of the holy grail; on the chance that they will be among the lucky ones eligible for surgery. Ten year old Miguel is among them. His hands are grotesquely swollen and deformed from a rare congenital disease.

His reality stirs a discomfort in us, because we see in him what we might have been. He is the reality that we escaped because we were born, by chance, undeformed. He is a reminder of everything that we take for granted. Children with deformities live robbed of childhood, with no claim on this happy world.

But fate has conspired against Miguel once again. Sadly, he cannot be helped with surgery. As he whispers aching secrets in his mother´s ear, the agonized look of disappointment on her face twists our hearts into knots. It is almost too much to bear. The physical and emotional toll that this journey has taken on Miguel and his mother weighs heavy on our hearts, but their disappointment fuels our determination to carry out our mission.

Fernando: We Somehow Communicate

  Friends Awaiting Surgery 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

I am having such an awesome time. Yesterday, I had me some GI, but other than that, the rest of the team and I are just great. When I am in the OR looking at what is going on, Jeff, Pedro, Tom, Paul, Mary, Dawn or anyone else will stop what they are doing to let me know. I frequently ask questions, and I think they are getting used to me bugging them for answers. Since I was sick yesterday all day long they were constantly asking me how I felt and if needed medicine. I really feel that we have become very close.

Translating for the team is a bit hard at times because I don’t know very many medical terms in either Spanish or English. But we somehow communicate with the locals, which I must say are very appreciative of our services. One thing that I do get kind of annoyed by is how the locals in the hospital keep calling me "Doctor". I do wear scrubs, so I can understand the confusion, but when possible I tell them that I am not a doctor; just an interpreter.

Martin: In Need of Rest

  Martin and Friends 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Today is Friday and the end of the 1st week, I cannot believe how fast the week has gone by. Today we had clinic again and again more than 100 people showed up waiting for surgery. All of the surgeries this week were performed without complications. Our group has worked extremely well together and the local staff has been terrific. The team is tired and in need of this weekend rest, we plan a trip to Lake Titicaca. This evening Dr Jeff, Dr Mary and myself were on the unit doing rounds before going home.

Martin: Adios

  Juan Pablo the Artist 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Our last stop was that of the room of a little boy who just had hand surgery that day. He asked me to come closer so he could tell me something and then wrapped his arms around
my neck in a bear hug. We left the unit at about 7:30 in the evening and the last thing we heard as we left the unit was a little boy far down the hall calling "Martin...addios...... Martin.........."

Debbie: Inexpressible Joy

Bolivia is only a six hour flight from Miami, but culturally it is about as far away as you can get. Each day our love for this place deepens, perhaps because it is the country of our patients. The great rock faces of the magnificent Andes Mountains, women in bowler hats, good-natured haggling in the marketplace, brightly woven textiles and pan flute music will always be among our fond memories. The exotic beauty of this country fuses in our hearts with our patients´ hopes, their laughter, and sometimes their tears.

Their names are a symphony of exotic-sounding names, like Teresa Andrea Cortez Quispe. Teresa is a young child with ancient eyes and a disfigured syndactyl hand, fused together like a mitten. When she enters the clinic, she gives me an awkward smile, like it is something that she is practicing, but has not yet mastered. Her quiet demeanor makes the clinic seem noisy. There is something magical about this child, and I become aware that she watches and observes and knows more than she speaks.

When the doctors pronounce Teresa eligible for surgery, her eyes light up, as if these words hold the answer to her most fervent prayers. Her mother tells me that we have brought inexpressible joy and hope to the people of Bolivia. It is the third time that I have heard it today.

Martin: Dedication and Generosity

I just want to take this opportunity to thank the generous sponsors of this Interplast trip to La Paz, Bolivia, The MDRT Foundation, The Allergan Foundation, and The Danellie Foundation all came together to support this life-changing trip to help the children of Bolivia. The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) is a member-driven international network of leading insurance and investment financial services professionals/advisors; The Allergan Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Allergan, Inc., a technology-driven, global health care company that develops and commercializes specialty pharmaceutical products for the ophthalmic, neurological, dermatological and other specialty markets. The whole team thanks these sponsors for their dedication and generosity to the children of Interplast.

Martin: A Difficult Task

  Boy With Rare Bone Cancer 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Mary (the pediatrician) and I were assigned the task of triaging the patients waiting in the lobby and out the door into the parking lot. Our job was to select patients who we thought our team could make a major difference or change in their lives. We went one by one and interviewed and screened these people, and we had the difficult task of turning many of the prospective patients away. Even though they could benefit from hand surgery, we simply did not have the time to accommodate them. The process was heart breaking.

Martin: Another Clinc Day

  He's a Big Boy 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Today is Wednesday, the third day of working at the hospital.  Monday was clinic day and we had over 100 patients to evaluate and screen.  It was very difficult because most everyone needed our help, but we were able to select a weeks worth of surgeries out of the 100 that came to clinic.  Today, Wednesday was another clinic day and again more than 100 people came to be evaluated by the surgeons.  Both of the surgeons, Pedro and Jeff, had a full case load of surgeries but came in between surgeries to evaluate patients.