It's almost over

It's Friday and I am packing to leave. Tomorrow is the last day of surgery, only two are planned. They are "simple" cases compared to many of the others that we have done. They do not require the heart going on bypass to do surgery.

The little girl mentioned in the earlier post, Judith is still very sick. She arrested in the operating room yesterday. She had a CT of her head today that showed that she had suffered a small stroke. This most likely occurred when her heart had stopped and she required CPR. It is very sad for our team. The family is so brave, and their faith unmeasurable. Mom or Dad is almost always at her bedside. We will have to leave her in the ICU in the care of the Honduran doctors and nurses. 

Five children got to go home today, what a joyous sight! All of the parents have commented on how much energy they have now with "fixed" hearts! 

I had the pleasure of getting to know a very sweet family today. Dennis, mentioned in an earlier post, had a difficult start. He had a tough surgery, and required a few extra days in the ICU. We were very worried about him. He got to move to the step down unit today, and should go home tomorrow. I had the chance to sit down with his father to chat with a translator. They live in a small village in the mountains of Honduras. He walks for 2 hours each way to work in the fields. He chops down the grass in the fields with a machete for what amounts to 5 dollars a day. He feeds 5 people in his family on this. They grow beans at their house to feed the family. He works seven days a week, but goes to work  late on Sunday so that he and his entire family can go to church. They are so thankful for their son's new heart. 

Tomorrow I travel to Roatan to meet up with Tyler and his parents. I am so excited to have some much needed rest and relaxation. I will post more pictures, but I want to thank you all for your support of this mission. Without you all, this could not be possible!

In all we have completed 42 cardiac caths, and 22 operations! How amazing!!!!

m

Two very long days...

I did not get to write last night. We had dinner out after we were done at the hospital. I was exhausted when we arrived back at the hotel, but I can only imagine how the surgeons feel. Five surgeries were completed yesterday, all went well. Most of them came to the step down unit today. Dennis mentioned in a previous post is now without his breathing tube and is improving daily. Thank you for your prayers! 

Three surgeries were done today, one was canceled due to a patient with an infection. However, one of the surgeries lasted most of the day. It was very difficult, and the patient did not do well in the operating room. The mother upon being told that the patient's condition was very grave, the mother smiled and said, "It's okay, its in God's hands." That faith is unbelievable. The child did make it out of the operating room thanks to the skill of our surgeons. Please pray for this little one.

On a great note, 2 children got to go home today. They were spunky and feeling great! The kids are enjoying all of the toys!

For my mother, yes I am doing well, very tired. We miss you tons and wish you were here on a daily basis. There are so many kids and so few of us it seems. We were in the paper today, a good story.

Hope all is well, 2 more days of surgery...more later.

Surgery Day 2

What an amazing day! All four surgeries that were completed yesterday are doing wonderful and came out of the ICU. There are two little girls, each five years old, Astrid and Madeline. Both are little fireballs, they are already up walking and sitting outside. They both still have in their chest tubes, but I got asked a million times today when they would come out and they could go home. They are both so excited to have their heart fixed! Little Astrid did an "interview" with me today, which I will post on here. She is precious, and such a talker.

Four more surgeries were completed today, and as I left one little boy Dennis was not doing so well. Please pray for him and his family. More updates tomorrow!

Four surgeries done for the day, all are recovering safely in the ICU. Here are some pictures from today and of the children who were here for screening for surgeries later in the week.

What an amazing day! We started the day with a breakfast at Cafe Skandia in the hotel. The smell of the coffee here brings back so many memories of last year. We loaded up on the bus to travel to the Casa de Bernabe or The Barnabas house. This is the home where many of the children come to stay before and after surgery. Before surgery, the staff focuses on getting the children healthy and well enough for surgery. For many of these children who don't see daily well rounded meals, this provides the nourishment to strengthen their bodies in preparation for their upcoming open heart procedure. The parents may also stay with the child to bond and spend time with them before coming to the hospital. After surgery the children come to The Barnabas house to recover and rest. Many children do not have sanitary conditions to bathe or sleep in. The Barnabas house provides them with the living conditions that allow them to heal without the risk of a fatal infection. The families also learn new skills while staying at the Barnabas house such as farming to help provide them the knowledge of a trade to sustain their family.

While at the Barnabas house we were able to see many of the children that we had operated on last year. They had traveled long distances (most of them walking) to come and have a check up with our doctors. They are all doing great and look amazing. They have grown up so big, their bodies thriving after having their heart repaired. We got to see Eduardo and Dora, some of our sickest kids last year, they are wonderful! We also got to meet a few of the children that we will be operating on this week.

After leaving the Barnabas house we traveled to a nearby resort to have lunch. We feasted from a buffet that was really tasty. Sometimes the electricity can be a little spotty in Honduras, so the lights went out shortly after we got there. We didn't mind, the food was still hot and we were hungry. This resort sat by a beautiful lake which we were able to explore.

We then traveled to a nearby beautiful waterfall. We hiked down to the base and many of the team enjoyed the zip line over the falls.

I was talking with Dr. Nikidoh, one of our cardiothoracic surgeons. Many of you know him from his visit to FUMC Quitman last year. He was telling me that someone had asked him why he came here. There are so many children to save, why would you even try? He told me that what we are doing here is a ripple effect. The children that we help here have their innocence restored. They are allowed to run and jump and be just like every other child. It is possible that they to will seize the opportunity that they have been given and help others. The ripple effect carries on, and eventually a wave is created. We are not just helping children, we are helping entire families. Looking at the children today, I can see this. They are all so full of life, and their parents are so proud, relieved even. It is a huge burden taken off of them and their families. 

We look forward to an amazing week, the plan is to do 4 surgeries a day, plus the cardiac caths. Please pray for our team and the guidance of the surgeons hands.

We have finally arrived in Honduras. Our flight was cancelled yesterday, American said it was not full enough. The price of hard economic times I guess. We were rebooked on an early flight this morning. It took us two hours to get through customs, the medical supplies all made it through, and so did the toys. Nothing was broken, and surprisingly the Dr. Pepper I stashed in the bag at Miami made it as well. 

We just got home from the hospital, unpacking all the supplies. We are headed to the Barnabas House tomorrow where all of the kids go to follow up care. We are going to see a lot of the kids that we did surgery on last year. I can't wait. 

I will post pictures tomorrow, we are exhausted...more later.

Ashley

Packing more than I could ever imagine!

I am packing for Honduras! A team of 49 doctors, nurses, child life specialists, chaplains, and many others are headed to help the children of Honduras. We are embarking on a mission trip to perform cardiac surgeries at Cemesa Hospital in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The group is comprised of staff from Children's Medical Center of Dallas where I work, and staff from eight different states.  We have 50-60 children that are scheduled to be seen by our team. Many of these children will undergo cardiac surgery, some open heart and some with cardiac caths. 

I  was able to travel with this mission last year, and had so many wonderful stories and pictures to share. I wanted to be able to share those with my friends and family this year. 

I have been so blessed to have grown up in such a wonderful small town called Quitman, Texas. The church I grew up in, First United Methodist of Quitman generously donated over 1000 dollars to help the children of Honduras. We were able to purchase toys (which I have lovingly shoved into two bulging duffel bags) for many of the children and hygiene items for the family. The Crafty Christians made blankets and pillows for the kids! I still have money to help once we arrive in Honduras with lodging and food for the families. Does anyone want to fly over and help me carry it all?!?

I will update this blog as often as I can, and as the internet service allows! I hope that you enjoy this journal of our journey. Please pray for our team and the children we are here to help.