Next Adventure - Ready or Not!

{This is a series in posts about our trip to Uganda for the Riley/Rotary Vocational Training Team. To start at the beginning, go to this post. Check out the team blog at rileyinternationalheartmissions.blogspot.com. If you visit the team blog, please leave a comment! The team loves to hear your encouraging words!}

While in the works for a while, I officially bought my first ticket to Africa!

In September, I will be tagging along with a team from Riley Children's Hospital to Kampala, Uganda. This is their 5th trip to the Uganda Heart Institute and the team's trip (not mine - my accounting experience won't get very far in a medical grant :) ) is funded with a Rotary Foundation Global Grant, funds raised by our club at our Annual Gift of Life Auction, funds from the Kampala-North Rotary Club and funds from our District (also through the Foundation). The purpose of the mission is to work with and train the doctors, nurses and staff of UHI to help build their capacity as a fully sustainable Pediatric Heart Center. The Riley and Ugandan teams will also operate together on quite a few kiddos while we're there.

You can read all about the past missions to UHI here.

Here is a brief excerpt from one of the posts which explains the program a little more.

This (Uganda Heart Institute) looks to be the most promising program in all of Uganda and Eastern Africa to care for children with congenital heart disease. Gift of Life International, through the efforts of Rob Raylman, the Executive Director of GOLI, and the first Gift of Life patient ever, Grace Agwaru, started a program of “Our Hearts Are in Uganda” in 2009 to help address the vast needs in this country. Our Riley team, specifically Dr. Turrentine, has cared for several children in Indianapolis from Uganda and in 2010 our team traveled to UHI with the first Vocational Training Team completed in the world under the Future Vision Plan of Rotary International. Each year, our team has expanded and worked together with local Rotarians from Kampala and surrounding clubs to build on the work the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff do at the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI). Gift of Life in turn helps to coordinate 3 other visiting teams from all over the world throughout the year to share their skills and expertise with the wonderful surgeons Dr. Tom Mwambu and Dr. Michael Oketcho, as well as cardiologists Dr. Sulaiman Lubega and Dr. Peter Lwabi and the rest of the nursing, OR, Cath lab, anesthesia, and perfusion staff at UHI who will be mentioned by name throughout the week.

(I've posted before about Gift of Life International and our club's involvement when we brought Baby Sara and her mother Mira to Indiana from Kosova. This is another way the Auction funds are used through a partnership with Riley.)

Don't know much about Uganda? Don't worry. I didn't either. Here's a map...

We'll fly into Entebbe (via Detroit and Amsterdam). Then, we'll drive to Kampala which is the capital city. 

For more facts about Uganda, go here to WorldAtlas.com where I found these maps.

I have a general idea of what to expect as my neighbor and friend, Stephanie, has been the Rotarian Team Lead on all of the trips and is a veteran. Although, with my absolute lack of any medical knowledge or training, I will not be helping on that front. I hope to interact with the families of the kids as well as the local Rotarians. And, of course, I'll do whatever I can to help out with what needs done once we're there. I helped to write this grant and will help write the final report, so I'll be collecting info for that as well.

The very cool thing about Global Grants through the Rotary Foundation is that a partnership is required with another club in the grant recipient's district. We are partnering with the Kampala-North Club so we will get to interact with club members there as well. I hope to visit with Rotarian's and see some of the other Rotary projects happening around the area.

Once we're done in Uganda, a few of us will fly to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The plan is to meet with Rotarians and medical staff to discuss the possibilities of partnering with a new hospital and staff there.

I had to look Dubai up on a map as well.

And, now, in relation to Africa.

I am excited and nervous and anxious and lots of other things right now. Mostly though, I'm excited to be able to see it all happening in person. My biggest hope is that I will have an experience that I'll be able to share with others back at home to further the cause of saving kids lives and changing the future for these families.   

More to come...

Day One has been posted! Go to this post to continue the journey!

Thanks Given - Day Twenty Nine

Another day late. At least I'm consistent...

Today, I am thankful to be a part of Rotary. I know I've said a word or two on here about our group, but it's probably time for more of an explanation. Rotary International is a service organization with a motto of "Service Above Self" with 34,000 clubs all over the world and over 1.2 million Rotarians. The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. One of their largest, and most familiar, initiatives is the eradication of Polio across the globe. Through the Rotary Foundation, individual clubs across the world work on projects that are in one of six areas of focus - 

• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Economic and community development

Source (and to learn more): Rotary International

So, what do we do? And, why am I thankful? Our club meets every Thursday at noon at the local Ponderosa and is comprised of a variety of business professionals throughout the community. Each meeting has a time of Happy Bucks where we each put money in the pot to talk about something, really anything, that has happened in the last week. This money goes towards our many projects throughout the community. Generally, we also have a speaker. 

Outside of our meetings, we work on all kinds of service projects. We take apples to all of the teachers in the local school district once a year. We raise money for fresh water in other countries. We ring the bell to raise money for the local Shop with a Deputy at Christmas. We pick up trash on the highway. We sponsor exchange students - both inbound and outbound. We put up pergolas on the local bike trail. 

Our largest, signature project is the Gift of Life program. I talked a little bit about it in this post. We have a huge auction every year to raise money for the program which funds heart surgeries for children around the world. This year, we are the sponsoring club for a Vocational Training Team heading out for Uganda tomorrow. One of our club members is the team leader and will take over a team of doctors and nurses to train the surgeons in the hospital there more about heart surgeries on children. That is what you call a sustainable project! You can follow their progress and cases on their blog. This is a photo from last year.

I am so proud to be a part of a club that does so much good in our local community and around the world. What a better path toward world peace than healing the sick, feeding the hungry and giving water to the thirsty. I am thankful to be a part of such a generous, hardworking club.

Day Five! Operating Day! Rotary International VTT 2014 - Kampala, Uganda

{This is a series in posts about our trip to Uganda for the Riley/Rotary Vocational Training Team. To start at the beginning, go to this post. I am running about a day behind on my posts. Check out the team blog at rileyinternationalheartmissions.wordpress.com. If you visit the team blog, please leave a comment! The team loves to hear your encouraging words!}

Can I just say how nice everyone is in Uganda? The friendliest people I have ever encountered on my travels! Hugs and handshakes and always a smile! I just had to mention that because it is so encouraging and pleasant. Everywhere we go and everyone we see!

Today was the first operating day. We started early and left the hotel at 7AM with a goal of the first patient’s incision at 9.

Patience is their first patient and is 6 years old from Gulu. This is in Northern Uganda and a war torn region. We have heard from several people here that they are so happy that we selected a child from that area. She was already back in the prep room when we got there and was very scared. She does not speak English which has to be harder. Patience's dad, Tony, looks on...

Sheila carried her back to the OR around 8AM which was great timing and right on track for their goal. (I have a video of this too but will have to wait for a better signal!)

Steph and I changed into scrubs (my first time!) and hats. These are the scrub hats we ordered and had screen printed with both Rotary’s logo and Gift of Life International. They look great and everyone loves them!

Then, it was into the ER we went. What an experience! I still had my camera in reverse mode so I decided to snap a picture anyway.

They made the first incision at 9:10AM! This is a great improvement over previous trips. Here are a few photos of the procedure. I watched a lot from the monitor and really was just amazed. I asked about a million questions and could have asked a million more I think.

Dr. Turrentine observing... 

Look at their team! 

The UHI scrub nurses preparing...

The Riley scrub nurses observing...

This is the monitor by which I watched the surgeries. 

I have mentioned before that this is the 5^th trip for the Riley team. Obviously, I was not here on the previous trips, but by reading the blog and just hearsay, it is clear that things have come a long way. There were times where only UHI doctors and nurses were scrubbed in! This is a training mission so this is a big deal. In fact, Dr. Turrentine, the Riley surgeon, did not scrub in AT ALL on this first case! This is only the second time in the 5 years this has happened. Major progress!

This is a photo out the window in the hallway of the hospital. The OR, ICU and ward (where the kids and parents stay before and after surgery – more about that later) are all located in a square. The new operating room is in the two-story building and the old part of the hospital is the building on the right.

Sheila made Build-A-Bears for all the kids! How cute!

Rob, with Gift of Life International, arrived on the scene with Grace.

I did a lot of back and forth and a lot of watching. Patience came back to the ICU. Everyone seemed very pleased with how well everything went! And, her parents seemed so relieved to see her. After a little while, she was introduced to her bag of goodies brought all the way from Indiana!

Meanwhile, I ran back to the hotel for a computer donated to a nurse, Harriet. Harriet is a nurse at an HIV clinic that she travels almost two hours to every Monday and stays through Friday every week. Her six year old daughter, Esther, came along and fast became my friend. She grabbed my hand in the parking lot and snuggled into my arm. She didn’t let go until we got back to the car. So sweet!

I went down with Rania to get Barbra for her operation. Barbra was so ready! Her big smile said it all! Barbra’s mom was not so excited though. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to send my kids back with strangers for such a big operations.

I also went with Steph to screen Frederick for tomorrow’s surgery. He’s a shy one but very cute. And, his parents were all smiles. These moms and dads are all so grateful for this opportunity for surgery here. Surgery can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 here and is just unattainable for some without sponsorship. According to Grace, there are likely over 1000 kids on the list waiting for surgery who cannot afford it. The government is working toward funding but currently, there is not much of a system for it. Heartbreaking. 

Steph and I were aware of a Rotary meeting on Monday evening, and at the last minute, (which with traffic is actually an hour in advance for a meeting 2 miles away!) we realized we didn’t have a ride. Just when I was looking up how to walk there, I looked up and saw a man at the nurses’ station in a suit with what looked like a Rotary pin. Steph tracked him down and he was a member of the Kampala-North club checking on the kids! Rotarian Sam was so kind and drove us to the meeting and back to the hotel afterward. And, I’m so glad that he did. What looked like a straight road trip was definitely not as easy as it looked!

Here I am riding with Rotarian Sam...

This was a special meeting in which the Monday clubs in the area (6!) got together for fellowship. The meetings here are so much more formal than we’re used to but very lively just like ours! They celebrate birthdays with a big cake cutting ceremony. We estimated between 150 and 200 Rotarians in one room! And, I met more of the people who I had emailed – this time President Jane of Kampala-North. So glad we were able to do that. Rotarian Sam said that usually, they hang out until 10 or 11PM on those nights! Steph and I headed back to the hotel around 7:30 though so we could meet the team coming back.

Our knight in a shining Rotary pin. Wear your pins people! (Man, I look tired in this picture!) 

The six Kampala Monday Club Presidents...

After a late dinner and some blogging, I was just about beat and fell right to sleep around 11. Big plans for exercising tomorrow morning! J

Gift of Life - Brought to Life

So, I had to go back through my posts to see if I have ever talked about Rotary. You can find all posts in which it is referenced here. But, I am sad to say, I haven't really talked about what we actually do as Rotarians. And, actually, the true details will need to be saved for another post. Suffice it to say, it's an awesome civic organization in which we've met a ton of new people with caring hearts. And, it's the reason I eat lunch at Ponderosa every Thursday. :)

One of the club's main fundraising efforts each year is for Gift of Life. Gift of Life International is a large organization that works on getting children all over the world life saving operations for heart conditions with tons of support from Rotary Clubs across the globe. Each year, our club puts on a huge auction to raise money for the same cause. (I'm sure my Rotarian friends would be able to put this all more eloquently, but honestly, I'm not sure of the connection between GOL International, our Rotary District and our club.) The auction raises around $50,000 a year and our club has saved the lives of a bunch of children due to this one night and all of the hard work that it takes. I will say this post will not do any of this justice...

We have also sent a vocational training team from Riley Hospital to Uganda two times in order to train Ugandan surgeons and staff to do the same surgeries as we do here. You can check out their blog for day to day updates about their trip. They are able to operate on more children while there for the same costs as flying one child here. And, the training the doctors and nurses receive while there makes it possible to do even more surgeries once we leave.

Every once in a while, though, we bring children to Indianapolis. This year, it will be five children. And, by we, I mean our club's Rotary District. This year, a member of our club, Stephanie, is the District Gift of Life chair. Fortunately for me, we are Stephanie's new neighbor. Sunday night was the night the new baby and her mother arrived at the airport from Kosovo. I went along for the ride, leaving the house after my normal bedtime... 10:15. Their flight was due to arrive around 11:30. We waited there with some other Rotarians.

Suzanna and Monica watched down the long hallway to try to see her. Monica ended up hurdling the couch once she saw her coming. :)

It was sometime during this wait that I realized what Mira (the mother) must be going through during this time. I know we work really hard at putting together the auction and getting the items and it can be very stressful at times. However, the stress and uncertainty of this woman's situation certainly outweighs all of that. She boarded a plane, alone, with a five month old for a 24 hour travel day. Then, she arrives in a foreign country and is not able to speak the language. She rides with a stranger to a strange place and has to eat strange food for the next six weeks. Meanwhile, her baby is operated on by a stranger too. I become very overwhelmed when I put myself in the same situation. I don't know that I would have the strength or courage...

Finally, they arrived. It was great to see them.

I snapped this photo while we were picking up their bags.

Stephanie putting Sara in the car seat.

We took them to the Ronald McDonald House and arrived there around 12:30AM or so. I have never been there, so that was an experience too. I can't imagine what comfort this place must give families when they need to be close to a loved one in the hospital. We got her settled into her room, made her bed and Sara's bed (she wasn't so sure about the pack and play). Then, we left to let her sleep. Once home, I tossed and turned all night - thinking about what a great thing Mira is doing and how scared I would be and praying for peace for them.

Stephanie went back over to the hospital to be with Mira and Sara for their first pre-surgery appointment. Not having a translator was hard I'm sure but they started using the Google Translate app on her phone. I didn't think too much of it, but they had to call in a formal, official translator when it came down to the real medical sign off stuff. Mira only speaks Albanian and there is not an official translator in all of Indiana.

Here is a great picture of them in the hospital together.

Today, Jack and I took a trip over to see them. When I arrived, she was talking back and forth through the Google translate program with another family staying there. I think she was happy to have some socialization! We stayed and talked there a while and watched the kids play.

Eventually, I took her over to the community kitchen and asked if I could make her lunch. (All through the translate app on the phone.) Stephanie had told me she liked noodles, so I made mac and cheese. She liked it. Maybe comfort food is the same in any culture. :)

She is able to communicate with her family over instant messenger but we have not been able to get video chat up and running yet. I think I finally have it set up so it may work now. I was able to take a video of her and Sara and let her send it to her husband and family. She chatted a long time on the computer, which I can tell she appreciated.

In the meantime, I took photos. :)

Jack was really enthralled with her. I told him last night we were going to see a baby today and he talked about it non-stop. He got down and talked to her and she "talked" back. He was so sweet with her and kept saying "Mama, she's talking to me!" Here's a little video (please ignore the over protective woman in the background - she seriously needs to settle down...)

Sara will have surgery on Monday. I'm going to try to make it over again sometime during the week. It sounds like she will be in the hospital for at least a week but probably 10 days. So, Jack may not be able to visit again until later in their stay. I'm hoping to take the girls too. Mira and Sara are here until mid-September while she recovers.

I think it's important to help form a loving heart in our own kids. There is no way to teach them this without hands on experience. They won't need to wait to go on a mission trip in junior high to see that people need our help and our compassion. I want them to see mom and dad doing these things as they grow older not just talking about it. So, they'll come with us again when we set up for the auction and now they'll have a face to put with all of the hard work. And, so will we. :)

                                       

Day Six - A Tough One - Rotary International VTT 2014 - Kampala, Uganda

{This is a series in posts about our trip to Uganda for the Riley/Rotary Vocational Training Team. To start at the beginning, go to this post. Check out the team blog at rileyinternationalheartmissions.wordpress.com. If you visit the team blog, please leave a comment! The team loves to hear your encouraging words!}

Today was a long and tough day. Immediately upon arriving at the hospital, a 3 month old baby,  who was scheduled for surgery this morning started doing poorly and the team got her down to surgery in a hurry. There are more details on the team blog, but she did not make it through despite their unrelenting efforts.

Although I didn't expect that something like this would happen, I certainly knew it was a possibility. I'm not sure that makes it any easier. I was so encouraged, however, by the team and their efforts to do everything in their power to fix Baby Shanel's heart. Even though the results were tragic, the training continued throughout the day as they dealt with a tough situation.

The day was consumed mostly by Shanel's situation. However, there were a few other notable events and I will share them here.

Patience moved from the ICU to the Step-Down Room and walked there all by herself. Quite a bit of pain, but she did it!

Barbra was able to move over to the step-down unit too. Although, this is a photo of her eating breakfast with her mom in the ICU. 

They gave them sunglasses and Barbra decided to wear hers to take a nap once in the step down unit! 

The girls donned surgical hats for a while too. This is one of the first times we saw Patience crack a smile. 

Barbra's smile never went away but it is seeming to get a little bigger! 

Around noon, the Kampala-North Rotary Club had scheduled a press conference. One thing I have definitely noticed about Rotary here is that it is so much more formal. I mean, really, really formal. So, even though I tried to sit in the back, the Rotarians insisted that the Immediate Past President have a spot at the head table. For those of you who know me, you know I'm fine with being in front of a crowd. But, I do have a very hard time with on-the-spot speaking without notes. I'm assured I did fine. I kept my part short just in case. :) 

From left to right... Rob Raylman, Executive Director of Gift of Life International, Dr. John Omagino, Director of Uganda Heart Institute, and a Director from the Health Minister's Office.  

And a shot of me, Steph and Rob looking over toward the MC. The press conference was also very formal with the first Ugandan speakers announcing they would, in the interest of time, dispense with the typical protocol. I was the first speaker from the US, so I just gave it my best shot. 

The team headed back to the hotel around 9PM and we each went to our rooms for a late dinner of snacks from home. Comfort food. Such a sad day. I kept putting myself in Shanel's parents' situation and how it would fee to wait all day for the results of surgery. I watched for much of the time in the OR as the team worked for hours to save little Shanel and I stayed there until the end. By observing this team of true professionals, I gained a new understanding of how important these missions are for these children. Just how close they are to death. Immediate surgery was Shanel's only chance at life and they gave her every chance they could. 

Rest in Peace Baby Shanel...