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.