Rotaplast Missions

Closing Thoughts From Norm McCarvell

The early morning ritual of getting up and ready for breakfast in time to hop on the bus for a twenty minute ride to the hospital had almost become routine. The hotel food has always been good, the company great and the mission goals clearly in focus.
The ward where the children and their families stayed before and after surgery is a large L-shaped room with approximately 60 beds. A spacious nursing station is located at the corner and next to it, is a sparsely equipped critical care room. There are no curtains between the beds and privacy for personal care, wound care, nursing mothers and other usual inpatient activities does not seem to be an issue.
At any time of the day the activity level of the children in the ward ranges from peaceful and calm to loud, busy, crying, hopeful, happy, and laughing within a family like atmosphere. It is a wonderful place to be. The nurses are pleasant, respectful and professional and they do an incredible job under circumstances that are remote from any North American hospital environment.
Transferring the children from the ward to the surgical area and back involve navigating several sharp corners, in and around equipment and boxes of supplies and past waiting families and friends. Many of the children walked or were carried to surgery by our transport coordinator John. Some required a trolley. A few of the children were frightened and he gently guided them into the arms of the waiting OR nurses.
The Operating Rooms were the center of all the activity. One suite had two OR tables and the other a single table. Each was staffed with plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, our single orthodontist, and circulating and scrub nurses. Their work involved the repair of lips, pallets, old and newer burns, contractures and limb, foot and hand releases. The outcomes were always positive and each surgery will make a significant contribution to the life style and daily living of each of the children.
The children recovered in another operating room that the Post Anesthetic Care Unit nurses converted into suitable surroundings. Creative thinking solved any equipment issues. After surgery and recovery, all of the children returned to the ward on a trolley and were quickly reunited with members of their family.
Our clerks were in charge of accurately recording and documenting the children while dealing with new and unusual patient names other information and then keeping track throughout the pre and post-operative periods. Identification was crucial to the safety of the children and our clerks were precise, professional and very successful. Our photographer/journalist took highly detailed pictures of the children pre and post operatively for accurate identification and inclusion in their permanent hospital record.
Surgical instruments and trays were skillfully prepared and sterilized on site by our lone sterilizer mission member. The quartermasters kept the supplies well organized and readily available for all physicians, nurses and other team members. Their job had been made even more challenging due to an apparent rearrangement of the box contents while in the possession of customs officials. Even so, they were always up to the challenge.
The support of the local nurses, aids, helpers, maintenance and janitorial staff was vital to the overall success of the mission. Considering that the team had suddenly invaded their place of work, every individual was friendly, helpful, professional and a pleasure to work with at all times. The food provided to us for lunch by a very gracious server was always tasty, fresh and nutritious and at times rather spicy.
Our medical director, mission director and head nurse worked in concert to keep the mission functioning at a high level. Problems and issues surfaced frequently and they readily found solutions.
The mission shirts bore the statement ‘Saving Smiles - Changing Lives’. The combined team work of the medical and non-medical volunteers made that philosophy a reality. As well, the actions and dedication of local Rotarians, mission Rotarians and non Rotarians exemplified ‘Service above Self’.

Some Retrospective Thoughts

Our Rotaplast Team really worked as a positive force for helping these kids. Even though cleft lip and palates are the easiest and most visible work to show change, these burn victims have received major life changing help via these surgeries. Even though the volume of people helped was not as high as some other missions, the work done was a significant contribution to helping the people of Nepal. The need there is still vast. I personally fell in love with many of the children and their families. They are so patient and fun loving and most all with a ready smile. It was rewarding to see their improvement in just a few days. Newly functioning arms and legs made it all worth the extraordinary commitment and effort. It was an honor to serve with Angelo and the legends of Rotaplast. This was the most amazing assemblage or talent, integrity, and experience that I have ever been involved with. Being in the OR for the first time was a life changing experience for all of us new Rotaplast volunteers. Thanks for the the chance to serve. - Michael Conley

In the Eyes of Others: An Update From the Team

Michael Conley, our photojournalist, has been collaborating with his colleagues along with taking photos and entertaining young ones.  This post comes from John Brewer, another member of the Nepal team.

On the morning of April 4, all of the team gathered in front of the Singapore Airlines station in the San Francisco International Airport. We had thirty-eight boxes of medical equipment and supplies to check in besides one bag of personal luggage. All went smoothly and soon we were settled comfortably in our seats on the Boeing 777-300 to Singapore by way of Seoul, Korea. Total flying time was nineteen hours, and we arrived at Changi Airport in Singapore at 1:00 a.m. local time. We all wanted showers and naps, and the Premium Plaza Lounge suited our needs perfectly. The Silkair flight to Kathmandu left Singapore at 9:00 a.m. and arrived at 1:00 p.m. local time; there is a difference of three and three quarters hours between Singapore and Nepal.

We all negotiated the visa process in good order but then at Customs our troubles began. The boxes of medical equipment and supplies were stopped and eventually confiscated. Two hours of pleading and arguing led to nothing, so we boarded buses to the Dhulikhel Mountain Resort near Banepa, without these supplies, including the quilts that Sheila Hart and Michelle Lee had so lovingly collected to give to each patient we are treating.

On Tuesday, April 7, the screening of patients began. A cute puppet made by Michael Conley’s wife helped to make the waiting children smile. The team includes four surgeons, two pediatricians, anesthesiologists, nurses, a dentist, and several non-medical volunteers. Everyone works together with graceful precision. Most of the patients are treatable; some have infirmities that are either too extreme or not suitable for plastic surgery.

On Wednesday, since our equipment was still in Kathmandu, our Head Nurse, Carolyn Walchack, wanted only a skeleton crew to go to the hospital. They had to set up the operating rooms with equipment and supplies from the hospital. All kinds of efforts were set in motion to have Nepal Customs agents release our boxes.

 Sunday night April 12, with help from the Embassy of the United States of America, we retrieved our boxes. Operations proceeded more quickly and efficiently once we had our own equipment. Optimism and enthusiasm of the team rose dramatically.

We all have enjoyed interacting with the Nepalese. Parents and children at the hospital are understandably anxious, yet after the surgeries, they are grateful beyond words. Some of the surgeries are extraordinarily complex, especially burn grafts and contractor releases, which restore neck and limb movement; far more complex than palate repair, which is difficult enough. Many operations last several hours and simply would not be done if we were not here. The eyes of non-medical volunteers open with amazement when the recovered patients appear. The improvement is palpable, clearly life changing for the children and their families. All of us participating in this mission feel blessed to be a part of such richly meaningful work.

From Michael, Our Photojournalist: The First Day in Nepal

The Rotaplast Mission Team arrived at Kathmandu Airport late in the morning of April 6, 2009. The fatigue experienced from the long flights from San Francisco to Korea, Singapore and finally Nepal was quickly dissipated by the anticipation of service to the children of Nepal.
Though our Mission Team Members made it through, a number of boxes of expensive and much needed surgical supplies were seized by customs. Handmade donated quilts from District 5080 were part of the supplies seized. Our bumpy road had started but a sense of optimism overcame the frustration.  In the end, some of the boxes of surgical supplies made it through customs after an agonizingly long negotiation with the head customs official.
The bus trip through Banepa and on to Dhulikhel was either a thrill ride or a frightening experience depending on your perspective. Apparently, there are no rules of the road. All manner of vehicles, animal and pedestrian traffic mingle together in a horn honking well-choreographed flow. The lead bus stalled frequently on the mountain road, spewing dark exhaust into the following bus of team members. Just an additional part of the local ambiance during the trip to our hotel.
The hotel is located on the side of a mountain and from a distance; it fits in well with the terraced landscape. We were greeted warmly by our hosts that included a glass of fruit juice, a sprinkle of flowers on our heads and a red mark on our foreheads. Unpacking and dinner followed. After a wonderful meal, fellowship and a team debriefing, a good night’s sleep was in order.

We're in Nepal!

Blog entries from Banepa, Nepal have sadly been sparse due to their very intermittent internet and phone connections.  We hope to hear from them soon, and are sure that they have amazing stories.  Michael, our photojournalist, patiently uploaded some pictures to our Flickr, and we encourage you to check them out.
Go Nepal!