Hands Across The World Mission 2015
The team has made it to Latacunga and the Mission has begun without our film crew. We want to share with all our readers the selfless work being done in 2015. Dr. Rick and I will post as often as possible during the week. Here is the first email from Dr. Rick:
Off to a great start today. We have a great team, although Rob Stephenson is stuck in Boston—He didn’t realize that his passport had to be good for 6 months past his return date, so they wouldn’t let him leave. With the storm, his emergency passport is delayed in arrival, so we though he would be here tomorrow night, and now it’s looking more like Wednesday night. But his residents are excellent, and Mike Ponaman, Chien and Jeff are here. Today went without a hitch, including 5 cleft cases with Charlie, a 1st stage rib cartilage graft ear reconstruction that Al and Kathy double teamed…A bunch of minor ops. 21 cases and done by 6:30! A great day.
The week is pretty full generally. Some of the usual flim flam with the hospital administration, as the bureaucracy increases. New paperwork…new rules. But the hospital director is actually a pretty cool woman—we were sort of butting heads a little at first (and I didn’t know who she was). I felt like I had to provide a bunch of information like I do for insurance prior authorization—name and diagnosis, who the surgeon will be and so on. I explained that certain cases, we know who the surgeon will be, but the minor cases, we do as we’re able. But what I was really trying to figure out was why she wanted the information. Since if I knew why, I could give her what she really wanted. In the end, she understood that I was trying to keep things streamlined, and I had all of the information she wanted in electronic format that I could print—but it was in English and she wanted it in Spanish. She realized it was easier for me to give her the lists, and she could have one of the residents translate the diagnosis and operation, rather than making us do it. We kissed and made up and Susanna went off with her to have a look around the therapy area. She came back and they were best friends. So I think we should be good.
The space at the Social Security hospital is set up pretty conveniently, and we’re able to run 2 general rooms and 2 local areas, one of which we can do sedation. We have a good team with lots of personnel, so I expect another big year. Lots of scars, though as compared to last year. But 3 ears, two with rib cartilage. We can do it with the double-teaming ability. That really helps.
Anyway, I’m getting sleepy, so time to shut down. I’ll try to write what I can.
So Shoecovers are not the evil thing this year. It’s expiration dates.
xo
Rick
Comments are closed.