Children's Hospital Boston in Ghana

Helping outside the hospital walls

We are so proud to be a part of this trip not only for the medical aspect of this mission, but also for the amazing community outreach that has taken place. So far, we have been able to touch the lives of children in the Trede School thanks to St. Raphael Elementary School in Medford, MA. A local orphanage, which is in the process of starting a school for their children, ranging from 2 months to 25 years old, was provided with supplies thanks to the Upham Elementary School in Welsley, MA today, and on Thursday we will be bringing school supplies and books to a local village school that were donated by the Robinson, Jordon Jackson and Qualters Middle Schools in Mansfield, MA.

With all of these supplies and some toys from the last trip, we were also able to donate to the hospital's primary school, the hospital's day care, another village school right outside of Kumasi, and the Missionaries of Charity Shelter, which provides housing and food for the area's poorest mentally and physically disabled children and adults. While visiting this shelter today our group was told that a freezer was in desperate need. We discussed this as a team and quickly decided to pool our money and donate enough for a new freezer. The shelter will receive it by the time we leave Kumasi on Saturday.

Today and yesterday, a group of us went to present our donations, and although the need seemed overwhelming, each place was so very grateful. We were all able to tour the grounds, visit with the children and take in a little something different from each place. These experiences will stay with each and every one of us, and we certainly are grateful to have had a chance to be part of this gift of giving. The plan for this group is to continue to give to these community schools in the hopes that the young children will grow and contribute in great ways to their own community.

This group is here for 10 days, twice a year to help dozens of children by repairing their heart conditions. The hope is that by working with KATH hospital and donating to these schools, shelters and orphanages, we can impact thousands of families in the years to come.

- Krystal and Jeremy Small

What day is it?

It's a frequent question as our week moves forward here in Ghana. Let's see, we left on Thursday, arrived on Friday, set up the OR on Saturday and started operating on Sunday. In the OR, it's easy to lose track of time. Our days are long. We get up at 6 am, arrive at the hospital at 7:30, find the instruments, set up the OR and get ready to start the first case. We're used to preparing for emergencies. Here, they take the form of lights flickering, no power to the pump equipment and mosquitos in the OR (they're hard to catch!).

As we meet the patients, their eyes say it all - dark brown and "as big as saucers" as my mother used to say. They try to be stoic, but their eyes show anticipation, fear, hope and trust, as we prepare to change their lives forever. And they smile, unsure of the journey they are taking. Do they know what we do behind those closed doors? They take the pre-medication and come into the OR, ready to go to sleep. They lie very still and look around our strange environment, questioning with their eyes, but saying nothing. Mom and or Dad stand by politely, just watching and waiting. They are entrusting their child, their life, to us, and that is all that matters. Their child's heart is broken and we will do the best we can to fix it.

Today is Tuesday - our third OR day. Lisa brings the patient into the OR and I say, "Hi, my name is Patti. What's yours?" She smiles, says a quiet hi and we share a wave. I go to set up the instruments. She hopes to feel better soon, but I already do.

Patti Galvin, OR nurse

Technical difficulties

When you're around all the incredible machinery it takes to perform cardiac surgery and care for the children after they've had it, it's easy to forget that we're in a third world country. But there are times when we're reminded just how much we take for granted that we'll have consistent access to technology in the U.S.

Internet access here is spotty at best and the computers are typically several years old (that doesn't include the "Internet cafe" in downtown Kumasi where I tried to do some work yesterday; it had computers from circa 1984 and an Internet connection of a similar vintage).

This applies to the hospital as well. During the first surgery on Sunday, there was a brief brown out that had everyone from Children's looking around in disbelief (it didn't have any impact on the surgery) and when the team arrived at the OR yesterday morning, they found that there was no power to the bypass machine. The problem was quickly solved, but it was a not-so-subtle reminder of the challenges this team - and any other group of clinicians doing similar work throughout the world - face when they take on these missions.   

To me, it makes the work they're doing even more amazing.

- Matt Cyr

PS - The aforementioned technical problems have kept me and others from posting today, but now that we've gotten them sorted out, I think we'll be adding several items tonight (it's 7:30 pm here now), so stay tuned.