 |
 |
|
Summary of WSFI mission in Phrae, Thailand - March 2003
In March 2003, fifty members of the WSFI participated in a week-long mission in a northern province of Thailand called Phrae. The group consisted of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and support personnel from California, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Quebec, Canada, all of whom paid their own way and donated their time and services. The mission was hosted by the surgical staff at the Phrae Provincial Hospital. Preparations for the mission (planning, gathering supplies, and screening patients) took 15 months. The team performed 120 operations which ranged from more routine procedures such as hernia repairs, cleft palate corrections, removal of burn scars, and thyroidectomies to more special procedures such as repairing genito- urinary malformations and repair of a perforated ulcer in an elderly patient. The courage of the patients themselves is not to be overlooked. The patient pool consisted of the underprivileged and villagers from remote areas who were neither accustomed to advanced medical care, let alone previously exposed to surgery. Many were very young or very old. Most were brave and trusting, or at least seemingly so in their absolute silence while waiting to be wheeled into the OR. The children were given plush toys and shoes (brought over from the U.S.) to keep them cheerful, and to distract them from any fear. There was remarkable camaraderie and good will between the WSFI team and the Thai doctors and nurses. The local doctors and nurses praised the genius of the WSFI surgeons. The WSFI was grateful for the generosity of the Governor of the province and various organizations that sponsored the elaborate dinners and entertainment for the team each night. Two WSFI members took back a special souvenir from Thailand – they were married in the "Lanna" (northern Thai) tradition. Some team members participated in local festivals and others undertook additional charitable work as the surgical mission drew to a close, including donating livestock to farmers and donating toys to schools for the underprivileged. The mission was a success. Many people with perplexing deformities got another chance. A little boy whose fingers were melded together on both hands will now at least have use of a free left thumb. People with cleft palates, some of whom previously received partially successful corrections, will now be able to speak, eat with ease and smile. Folks suffering from pain and malfunctioning organs (caused by tumors) who had simply resigned to living out whatever few days remained in pain will now live in relative comfort. Here are just a few of the dedicated people who made it all possible! |
||||||||||||
 |
    |
|||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
