 steve
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| The Return |
| 08.12.2010 04:05:49 | |
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Most of the team have now navigated their way home, flying out of Kigali on Monday morning and returning to Australia via Johannesburg. Those that remained in Africa are enjoying some well-earned R&R in exotic places like Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, with one brave soul even heading off to Afghanistan!
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Those back at work today would be weary, perhaps a little jet-lagged, but all with that inner glow that comes from taking part in such an inspiring project with OOH.
| steve
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| Dinner and Farewells |
| 04.12.2010 07:59:45 | |
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It's the last morning for the nursing staff, as they busily prepare to hand over today, as well as to pack all the gear we'll leave here and that which we'll take with us back to Australia. Last night we were treated to a dinner put on by King Faisal Hospital, attended by the KFH CEO, Dr. Juliet Mbabazi, Dr. Joseph Mucumbitsi and the Belgian group led by Professor Thierry Sluysmans. A good night was had by all.
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| suzanne |
| Some thoughts from Suz. |
| 04.12.2010 06:48:17 | |
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His only week that I have been in this beautiful country. The overwhelming impression is the Rwandese power of forgiveness, their sense of pride, and and maturity in facing their past as a whole nation working together to progress and improve for all.
But just so you know we are all truly alike is on the roads when an oncoming vehicle flashes it's lights it is warning of police up ahead - just like in Australia!
I am looking forward to meeting the other children who will come from the ICU today. I hope this makes sense as it was written after night duty following 2 hours sleep as there was jack hammering going on in the room below ours. My sleep sacrificed for progress! My gift to Rwanda for all the wonderful moments it has given me.
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Working on the ward has been great fun with Beth, Melissa, Clare, Fiona, Helen, Sarah, Shannon + Jenny. Seeing the kids on arrival from ICU a little apprehensive to 2 days post op and playing and smiling. It really is amazing. Melissa (9) a most graceful and tall girl had the other children organised, interpreting, making sure they had printed copies of their photos. She led Norbet, Revocat, Angelique, Edwige, Alphonse, Ephrem, Jean de la Paix, Eric, Mweve, Noelle and entertained and played with Jean d'Amour, Alaine and spoke with the parents of Moise and Theophile. She even said she was going to be a nurse after I jokingly asked her what she thought she might be when she grows up as she'd seen me clean up after one of the kids vomitted...
| jenny |
| Night Shift at Faisal |
| 04.12.2010 06:15:38 | |
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Busy night tonight, ward filling up quickly as the kids come across from ICU. 14 in the ward last night. One baby very unwell and he struggled all night. His Mum was so brave and calm despite her worry and no sleep. There were 9 kids in the main ward which is not very big and we have a makeshift table for the nurses station/workbench. We are now running low on syringes to give medication and a few other things... We have all learnt to be frugal this week.
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Taking the observations of the kids overnight is a challenge. It's dark, the mosquito nets are tucked tightly around the mattress so you nearly hit your head when you try to duck under the net to find the child. Mum and Dad sleep in the bed as well which is great because some of the kids are so tiny and there are no bed rails on the beds. I get a bit concerned when the 12-month-old is standing on top of the bed precariously and his/her Mum hs ducked out for a moment. Luckily the African children seem to have a sixth sense and they stay safe.
| rosie |
| The fun side of the trip |
| 03.12.2010 11:25:57 | |
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There is a tougher side of this trip. I am so amazed by my collegues who have worked so hard. The theatre staff have done some very long days and ICU has been so busy that they are lucky if they get to eat. This morning when the night staff arrived at breakfast you could see it taking a toll. They put in a lot of hard work last night especially for Rose but unfortunately today she passed away. The ICU staff have down an amazing job the last 48 hours to give her every chance. Although we all know this is the reality of the work we do it is still very hard to come to terms with. Tags: |
I probably have the best job on the trip. As the physiotherapist I get to watch the kids go from ICU where they don't want to do much, move to the ward where they are getting more mobile then progress to games of football on the lawn outside the hospital. We have blown 1000s of bubbles, party blowers and kazoos, played balloon tennis, basketball, handball, soccer and AFL. The kids are amazing how quickly they recover. When we were collecting the kids well enough to go down to the grass area Eric was devastated he couldn't come down- he is only day 2 post op and managing a slow walk around the ward and his blood pressure is a little low. He watched from the balcony with a very sad face even though we promised tomorrow he could come down. There is 4 flights of stairs down to the ground level and the kids manage is so well even on day 3.
| brad |
| Wrap up from the perfusionists |
| 03.12.2010 08:29:30 | |
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Tags: Brad | Perfusionists |
It is now the final clinical day of my first Rwandan Operation Open Heart experience. Having taken part in similar trips to this one before, I was prepared for what was ahead. Or at least that's what I thought!
| steve
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| Thanks for your support! |
| 03.12.2010 06:23:28 | |
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While the OOH volunteers are all working hard under very emotionally draining circumstances, it's great to hear from our friends and supporters at home - you really are all part of the team. You can email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, or add a comment here by clicking on the heading above.
Tags: |
| steve
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| The Hard Yards. |
| 03.12.2010 04:47:34 | |
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It's dawn in Kigali, and it's been one of the toughest nights for the ICU staff. Getting children through those first hours and days after a heart operation means constant monitoring and attention, and occasionally means never leaving the bedside for hours at a time. David and Matthew spent the night doing just that, with Rose requiring every ounce of their skills, and everything they could think of to get her through to morning after a mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve repair. Louise, Cisco and Lexi look drained, tired and hungry with an hour still to go on their ICU shift - I can't believe the superhuman efforts these guys can put in night after night, day after day. In the back of their minds is the realisation that we only have another day or so before all the patients in ICU need to get back to a ward, and it's a race against time for some.
The cardiac ward hasn't been much fun overnight either for Suzanne, Jenny and Sarah, with one bub requiring constant attention, and children and parents in every bed getting restless throughout the night. Here too is the worry of what is to become of these children once the OOH team depart this weekend. The local staff are competent, but their resources are already stretched, so a lot of these kids will be home long before they would in Australia. Letting go emotionally of children and families that we've all become so close to will be hard too, but this is all part of the job...
| steve
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| Another long night for the surgical team |
| 02.12.2010 14:37:45 | |
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The surgical team are committed to completing every operation they can, so will be working late into tonight to achieve that. It's no surprise that they're all exhausted (and sorry Hayden, you were the only exhausted one I could snap a shot of).
The most remarkable thing about this photo is that it was taken at lunch time, and between Brad and Hayden, they'll be running the pumps through into the night. Can't ask much more of a bloke...
Tags: Theatre |
| steve
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| ICU all hands on deck |
| 02.12.2010 14:13:37 | |
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The hardest part of all is the realisation that there will be some kids who simply miss out on an operation, because of the brutal fact that there just isn't enough time. To get a child safely through cardiac surgery requires time and staff in ICU and the ward, and since we leave on Sunday or Monday, today must be the last day of surgery.
The shifts roll on relentlessly, with everyone working above and beyond to provide support, a hug or even just to do a chocolate run. The exceptional camaraderie gets them through, and must also be one of the attractions to this kind of mission.
Tags: ICU |
It's probably the toughest day of the week, with all hands on deck in ICU, theatre slowed down with a sterilisation delay, and the ward filled to the brim. The first few patients have been discharged back to the paediatric ward, and it's reinvigorating to see how well they all look only a few days post surgery. But the emotional toll is starting to show on all of the volunteers.
| admin |
| The Five Year Club |
| 02.12.2010 04:21:08 | |
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Having joined in the fantastic experience that OOH Rwanda provides, I can can easily see why you'd come back, but to have made every one of the 5 trips over the last 5 years takes a special kind of individual. We enjoyed a barbecue at "The House" last night, and took the opportunity to grab this photo of the five year club. Of course Beth was called back to the hospital, so Hayden is wearing his "Beth Chidlow for President" shirt. Well done guys (and Dr Mucumbitsi, and our 2 Belgian colleagues) !
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| steve
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| Learning from each other |
| 01.12.2010 14:11:21 | |
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An important aspect of the OOH philosphy is to assist the local hospital staff to develop their own skills, and to use the team's visit as a educational opportunity. The local doctors and nurses not only support the efforts of the Open Heart volunteers, but are able to gain valuable experience in the ICU care of cardiac patients that they might otherwise not see.
The valuable experience offered by this project also extends to that gained by the OOH team, working in a new and challenging environment, seeing patients in different stages of CHD than we'd see at home, and teaching in a multi-lingual world. |
| steve
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| Post-op Recovery |
| 01.12.2010 13:33:42 | |
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One of the remarkable features of the OOH program in Rwanda is the quick recovery time for the patients. Rather than being stuck in ICU for days, they are able to be extubated earlier than we'd normally see in Australia, and are also up and about on the ward more quickly than Australian patients. A post-op echo and a bit of TLC, and they're ready to blow bubbles and chase them (for the younger ones) and play soccer and even a bit of footy for the older kids.
Tags: Post-op |
| steve
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| 3 shifts a day in ICU |
| 01.12.2010 05:22:55 | |
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The flow of patients through ICU continues, with each patient spending only a day (or in some cases two) in ICU before being discharged to the ward.
One of our ICU Louises (we have three :) - Louise P.
Lexi and Sandra tend to Abrielle (after a Tet repair and VSD closure, and a re-op for bleeding 10 hours later...) Note the low, unadjustable bed, which must make things difficult for these tall girls. |
| steve
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| Busy and long day in theatre |
| 30.11.2010 15:18:04 | |
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5 cases, 4 open and 1 closed. The theatre crew are all still hard at work, while it's almost dinner time for others. A few photos from theatre today (there are some graphic surgical images after the read more... link): Our Perfusionist, Hayden (with the lovely Lisa, my tour guide):
And Brad waits on the bench:
Tags: Theatre |
| steve
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| Gifts from Australia |
| 30.11.2010 08:09:27 | |
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Eugene tried to teach Melissa to "walk the dog", but I think it ended up being the other way around. Thanks to everyone from home who's contributed gifts - they are much appreciated (and more on that later today). A special thanks to Tommy's class!
Tags: ward |
One of the biggest joys for the team is to be able to spend time with the kids on the recovery ward. And one of the big joys for the kids are the assortment of presents that have been brought for them from Australia. Even Norbet (on the left) managed a smile.
| helen |
| Night Duty |
| 30.11.2010 06:14:44 | |
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And we know the shift is almost at an end. |
Night duty on the ward has started slow as we wait for the numbers coming back from surgery to increase. The past two nights I have been working with Shannon and it’s been a bit of a job to stay awake. Generally our little patients are doing well. Their parents usually sleep in the beds with the kids, or sometimes just use one of the vacant beds.
My favourite part of night duty is around 5.30am when it’s just before sunrise and we go out on the balcony to look over the surrounding villages and hills. The scene is covered in a rosy pink glow and everything is misty. The air is fresh, cool and damp. We can hear the sounds of roosters crowing, birds waking up and the villagers singing as they begin their day with hymns.| helen |
| The Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda |
| 30.11.2010 06:12:37 | |
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While our principal purpose of coming to Rwanda is to be involved in Operation Open Heart, team members are always keen to get to know this country and all it has to offer. A few of us took advantage of the delayed start to surgery to visit the mountain gorillas in the northwest of the country in Volcanoes National Park.
Trackers keep constant vigil of 8 of the 16 groups of mountain gorillas in Rwanda, providing protection from poachers as well as making tourist visits more efficient. The remaining 8 groups don’t have any contact with humans. We trekked through the steep, muddy jungle terrain for over an hour before locating our trackers and reaching the Sabinya group of gorillas. They were taking a break from their feeding behaviours to laze about, socialize and play. It was breathtaking and at the same time humbling to be in the presence of these powerful, intelligent creatures.
What an honour and marvelous opportunity to be able to spend some time with these magnificent creatures, a small group of the world’s last 700 remaining wild mountain gorillas. Tags: Gorillas |
We drove with Robert, our guide, to a town called Ruhengeri on Friday and left for the gorilla encounter at 6 the next morning. After a briefing by our guide, Patience, at ‘Gorilla Headquarters’ we drove to the closest point the road would take us to the jungle, and then trekked for about 30minutes through the lush subsistence farmlands that abut the national park. The park comprises 6 dormant volcanoes and there are 2 active ones just over the border in DRC. Consequently the soil here is incredible rich, dark and fertile.
The silverback of the group, Gohunda, is the largest in Rwanda. The gorillas observed us lazily, seemingly completely unconcerned by our presence. Every now and then they would move location, and a number of times they approached our group to push past in the thick jungle vegetation. One young male brushed against my legs and his mate stepped on my foot! One of the females was caring for a tiny 3 month old, and another fluffy toddler ran about looking adorable. Towards the end of our visit the gorillas started feeding again, Guhonda reaching up to snap a 10m high bamboo stalk so he could dine on the foliage. An adult gorilla requires 30kg of vegetation daily, so we left them to get on with this important task.| rosie |
| Rosie's Thoughts |
| 29.11.2010 12:40:03 | |
 I was one of the lucky ones to head to the gorillas first while the crew were setting up and starting surgery. The gorillas were amazing and the silverback and 4 others came within ½ metre of us as they walked through the centre of the group. My heart was in my mouth. Talking about hearts I finally got to do some work yesterday as the first 2 kids were day 1 post op. Melissa played along with my blowing games but Norbit was unimpressed and was probably wishing there was other kids for me to go and pester. Today 3 of the kids are up walking around now and starting to play along with all my blowing games. It will get progressively busy for me as more cases are done. Rosie, Physio |
| steve
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| Anxious waiting in Pre-op |
| 29.11.2010 09:50:17 | |
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Edwige and her sister were a delight in the pre-op room. Although obviously both nervous, their smiles were beautiful! (Edwige is in the pink, and due for a RVOTO resection this afternoon).
They even share my hairdresser :)
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