Reflecting

It has been one week since we've come home, and we are all starting to settle into our lives. Though, it is is not easy. I am not sure how to to deal with the images that keep popping up in my mind. They are of the faces of those families and orphans we left behind. There is definitely guilt for me knowing I get to go back to my cozy home. But for the families and the orphanages, their reality has not changed. But, having been through that, I do appreciate the smallest things now. The fact that I am sleeping in a king size bed makes me feel like, well, a king. We have all the best of intentions to stay in touch, but I fear it is easier said then done. But I think the pictures,and stories, both touching and silly will permanently stay in our memories.

Every person I met had a story. Stories are the things that I love. Everyone I talked to on the team had amazing stories of why they joined the mission. Usually there was a catalyst, a series of events that brought them to the mission. But my favorite stories, the most touching stories are the ones of the patients, and since we've been back, I think of those often. So I wanted to share one.

I was fortunate enough to meet a courageous family. The patient is Hung, an 18 month boy, and oh he is the sweetest child you could ever imagine. He so deeply loves his mom. During the first nights of surgery, in the ICU, when parents aren't allowed in to see their children, he cried for his mom. "Me oi, Con nho me" - translated, "Mommy, I miss you". It was heart breaking, I can imagine how scared he was. Hard for us on the mission to not to just stay there and sleep next to him all night. His devilishly good looks just made him even more so charming. I also got to meet his mother and interview her before the surgery. I had not been aware of her back story, so when I asked her about her husband, I wasn't prepared when she broke down crying and explained that he had just passed in an accident. I had to stop interviewing because she made us all cry. She then told us about Hung and his persistent shortness of breath and coughing. And the doctors told us that without surgery his life expectancy was very short because of the congenital defect. That is too much to happen to one person all at once. Over a few days, as I saw her again and again in the hospital, she really warmed up to me. Before I left, she grabbed my hand, and just told me how thankful she was that we came there and saved her son's life. She felt so lucky.

I just really wanted to pass that onto everyone, because for those who were on the mission, for our family, our friends, supporters of CardioStart and HSCV, you were all a part of that success. I know we all worked really hard. And for me, sometimes you put all that energy and heart and you wonder if it really helped anyone. And I really glad that I can tell you that it did. Just one clear cut instance of it, as I know there are so many more.

On a lighter note, besides the faces of children that need us, I've been thinking about all the funny things that happened. The techno dance party we had on the Ha Long Bay boat (the most peaceful place on earth), Megan all dressed up as a mock patient (diaper and all to you left), Suresh taking pictures in front of anything and everything that he deemed interesting (which were a lot of things), Jim flirting with every single nurse he could find and quickly getting admirers. I think we helped people, but I'm glad we had a few laughs a long the way. I hope this album showcases both, the profound impact we left behind but also the fun we had a long the way. Please take a peak at the Medical Mission album. Special thanks to Rick Burian who shared his talent in photography to capture such amazing moments!

Feel free to reach out to me on email if you have questions or comments on the blog, CardioStart or Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam (HSCV). Contact me at Thao.Truong@hscv.org.

Happy Holidays!

New Friends

I am hours away from boarding the plane to go home. This morning I woke up excited, while I've thoroughly loved this trip, I am home sick and ready to see my family, my husband, my dogs, and my bed. But now, my heart aches just a little knowing this trip is going to come to an end.

To my new friends from the mission, I hope we all keep in touch! You are all amazing people for putting your life aside and dedicating all of your energy and heart to help others. I feel lucky to have met you all. Thank you for all of your contributions!

Ha Cau Orphanage

A day of Micheal in Ha Cau Orphanage

Michael Havens is a single 47 year old bachelor. In one day, he became a father to 54 children at the Ha Cau orphanage, which is in a suburb of Ha Noi. He is the outreach leader for the CardioStart International medical team currently doing heart surgeries in Ha Noi. Michael is a combustion turbine technician and HSCV introduced him to this orphanage. When asked what help they might need in regard to their electrical system the answer was basically everything. Michael got to work, hired an electrical contractor and the job was started. Michael also took on the task of improving the orphanage’s water supply. Both jobs are to be completed in ten days. Not only will the electrical system be vastly improved, but also the children will no longer have to carry buckets of water up four flights of stairs because it will now be pumped to all floors.

In addition to all the work being done Michael has taken on the task of providing lunch for the children while he is there. Today is the second day. I escorted him from his hotel to the orphanage at 8:30 AM. On the way there Michael bought 10 chickens, eggs, mushroom, corn, vegetable, bananas and pineapples. We were going to make Sup Ngo Ga. It is not difficult to think of choosing food in Vietnam. However, we were worried a little bit and I hoped the children would enjoy the meal. But this feeling disappeared immediately when I saw the happy smiles of the house mothers and children. We had many hands. Some children boiled chicken, some cleaned vegetables, some sliced corn. The meal cooked very quickly. As is custom at this orphanage the children lined up prior to entering the dining hall. Mike always sat with 3 three girls. He just heard her voice at the first time after 2 weeks sitting next to her. They let us know this is the second time they have had chicken-corn soup. They soup was consumed quickly. The boys finished their bowls of soup in 2 minutes. Everyone was very pleased. It was a joyous moment for all, especially Michael and me. We said that the next day we would serve them pizza. We expected them to cheer but they just asked, “what’s pizza”. Tomorrow they will find out.

The 54 children cared for by this orphanage are either parentless or their family’s are unable to care for them. They range in age from 4 to 18. They are all beautiful. They are cared for by four live in house mothers. The food budget is only thirty-five cents per child per day. That is not enough to provide sufficient nutrition making Michaels generosity even more valued. HSCV is hoping other caring adults will come forward in the future to provide assistance for these very deserving children.

Post by : Tran Ngoc Lien, Manager @HSCV

Thanks Lien for your contribution!

Last day

Written 11-8.

It is the morning of the last day at the hospital. We are all winding down. So much has happened. 18 surgeries completed. I guesstimate over 11 educational classes. And countless interactions that benefited us all.When things come to an end, I think it is natural that you start to think about what you did and what you've learned from this experience. For me, it takes a lot of time to process this. I will probably spend a lot of time when I return digesting and reflecting.

But my immediate thought is that I truly loved the interactions with the local families we met. Those are the images I will be thinking about for months to come. For example, we were walking up the stairs, Mary, Megan and I and we going to deliver presents to children who had received heart surgery. Handing out presents is more fun for us than the children it seems. We have a wonderful time seeing the excitement in their faces, but they crowd around us looking for a new shiny toy, so it probably a close tie. As we made our way, we were greeted by a mother's patient. Greeted is a fairly big understatement. She ran over us with excitement. She exclaimed in Vietnamese, "thank you, thank you, Americans are so compassionate!" There were hugs and kisses and tears. She was so happy we'd be operating on her son. I was so grounded by what this surgery meant to her, and felt an immense joy for her. What relief she must feel knowing he's finally getting the surgery he needed. I also felt honored. Honored to be a part of a team that could provide life saving surgery. For me this is the reason we come, the end result of literally saving someone's life. I wish everyone could get to experience that much gratitude, that much joy.

On the flip side, all interactions are not met with such joy. Yen and I met with a 16 year old that has a severe heart condition. This beautiful doll of a girl is facing tough odds. When talking to her doctor, they stated that she would require a heart and lung transplant in order to live. Which is not being considered as an option. Her doctor shared that early detection would have completely helped her, but annual check ups are a rarity in Vietnam and more typically people visit doctors when there is already a severe issue. Her parents work on a farm and live about 120k away from the hospital. It seems many people have to travel far in order to make it to the hospitals, so I don't blame them for not coming. Yen and I were heartbroken meeting her for the first time. We decided to buy gifts and gave her a early "Tet" (Vietnamese new year's) money. Her face glowed with excitement when she received them. I hope it lifts her spirit. I am saddened when I think about the months ahead of her as her health deteriorates, but I am hopeful that she continues to smile as brightly. She is a doll.

I've also been thinking a lot about the big picture and not just the individual interactions. I talked to Janine the other day and I asked her about what her goals in coming to Vietnam. She reminded me about the old proverb, "Give someone a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime." It sounds so cliche to say. I do believe I've over indexed on my use of sayings and quotes that all charities tend to use, but they have more of a deep meaning to me after having been here and seeing it all first hand. I understand what Janine means, I see that she realizes we've made some amazing impact on surgeries, but we've also taken the time and energy to teach the professionals that will continue to impact patients for years to come. That is what she believes sets CardioStart a part from the other organizations. The commitment to education, and the long lasting impact she is convinced it can provide.

Jim’s story

Last November we had a patient named Vu. Vu received a human valve transplant from a deceased American. This procedure was the first human valve transplant done in Vietnam. During the time Vu’s stay, I had the opportunity to chat with his father. We discovered that his father and I were not only both stationed in Da Nang during the Vietnam war, but also stationed on opposite sides at the Hai Van Pass. My unit’s responsibility was to destroy any troops and supplies coming through from the north. His job was to protect those troops and supplies. We realized there was a three-month period that we were probably shooting at each other. So during the Vietnam war we were enemies…and we were both bad shots so that’s likely why we’re still here!

That was last year. Moving ahead to this year. The first Tuesday of the mission I was called upstairs to the conference room. To my surprise Vu and his mother were waiting to see me. It was extremely emotional for me to see them both. They invited me to their home and I went to their house the following Sunday.
Vu’s dad and I were able to share some more stories and he showed me his medals. We were able to communicate our respect for each other as soldiers, and more importantly, we were able to sit down as friends.

Last November, the last day I was in Vietnam I was out shopping. I met a woman who was a shopkeeper, and she asked me if I was an American. When I told her I was, she then asked me if I was here during the Vietnam War. I told her I was here in 1968 and 1969. She then told me that her uncle was killed in July 1968, and that her father lost his leg in Da Nang in 1969. She said her family goes to Chu Lai every year to try to find her uncle’s body, to bring it home so his soul can be at peace. I became extremely emotional and started to weep, because all of the sudden the enemy had a name. He was someone’s uncle and someone’s father. This woman came over to me and she threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. She told me “not to worry, it’s not your fault. We are friends now.”

This was not an act of forgivene ss, but an act of reconciliation. During the past year I have told many people about this act of reconciliation, and I wanted to do something for this woman. What I decided to do was to get a set of my Vietnam War medals and give them to her for her uncle’s shrine, as a memorial for one soldier to another. I came back to Vietnam with the medals and when I walked into her store she recognized me immediately. With Pho Thu as my translator, I was able to give her the medals. She was very moved. Next weekend I will be going to her home for dinner, as she wants me to meet her whole family, including her father that lost his leg in the Vietnam war.

Vietnam has been a country of many surprises. The greatest surprise has been the lack of anger towards the U.S. Vietnam has been a country of many surprises. The greatest surprise has been the lack of anger towards the U.S. team, considering how much damage was done during the war.

Blogger: Lisa Scott

Thank Jim for sharing your story and thanks Lisa for putting it together!