The Final Days of Surgeries

March 11, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

After our final surgery was stabilized in the ICU, Fekade (Dr. Fekadesilassie) took us to tour the “other” Addis hospital. I solemnly swear to keep my opinions to myself and my photos unbiased. These kids’ families asked me to come in and take pics of them. I don’t know what they were in for and I […]

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The Surgeries, part 3

March 8, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

19 February 2015 Our third day of surgeries and everyone did great. K. is 12 yo, is 4’7″ (139 cm) and weighs 52 lbs (24 kg). The surgeons repaired her mitral valve with an annuloplasty ring to fix the leaking around it and some some artificial chordae to help hold the repaired valve in place. Chordae are your […]

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Meet the Patients

February 28, 2015.Reading time 10 minutes.

16 February 2015 The mission had ten patients to choose from and only six surgeries planned. On Monday we went to the Cardiac Centre to see what supplies they had, check out the ICU, and start screening patients. Wells, Sandy, Adessa, and I went to meet our patients before the screenings to get some of […]

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Children’s Fund of Ethiopia

February 20, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

Dr. Stephen Tahta and his wife Stefne of Missoula, Montana started the Children’s Fund of Ethiopia- an organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of Rheumatic Heart Valve Disease (RHVD). It is estimated RHVD kills over 400,000 people each year worldwide, most often children and young adults. Rheumatic fever (RF) is the main culprit behind […]

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Medical Mission: Ethiopia

February 17, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

I’ve been a cardiac intensive care nurse my entire career and my real nursing passion is recovering open heart surgery patients. Open heart surgeries don’t go to recovery rooms like most surgeries- they go straight to the intensive care unit (ICU) often still sedated on a breathing machine (ventilator). Initially they require 2:1 nursing- one […]

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