2019 Kenya

One of the sweeter (and louder) moments in the Operating Room is when the children come out from under anesthesia after a successful surgery. They blearily blink at the strangers around them as they shake off the confusion of drug induced sleep and, inevitably, let out an ear-piercing cry. What swiftly follows is an absolute tantrum as they adjust to the stimuli surrounding them, and the pain in their mouths.    

From this moment they are transferred to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit.

In the Post Anesthesia Care Unit they are monitored and comforted by CURE nurses who rub their stomachs and shoulders, whispering sorry baby, sorry.

When the child is stable and calm, they are returned to their mothers arms and monitored for the first couple of days of recovery before being released home to enjoy renewed health and a life transformed. 

One of the driving goals of GMAST is to facilitate training for local healthcare professionals. On this trip our CNRAs (certified registered nurse anesthetists), Holly and Robin, worked alongside student anesthetist Emmanuel. The three of them were able to exchange information and techniques for the good medical care of children now and into the future.

We are pleased to engage such opportunities and relationships as we partner with local medical teams in support of their work.

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We are working to sort our pictures and stories so we can tell you about our Kenya 19 trip.
The hospital context–

The main ward at CURE Kijabe consists of four open rooms, each containing six beds. During our week at CURE this ward was at full occupancy with one mother and one child to each bed. During morning and evening rounds members of the team had the opportunity to catch up with the mothers and babies and get a glimpse of life on the ward. While stress and fatigue are natural under such living conditions, we were impressed by the mothers and children demonstrating friendliness, support, and steadfastness in their care for one another. 

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Last week we completed nearly 40 cleft lip and palate repairs! Our team members and local partners worked long hours, sometimes into the night, to complete the operations and see the children back into their mother’s arms. 

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Last Sunday our team met a mother who brought her daughter to Cure Kijabe for cleft lip surgery. As a child, Monica had been treated for a cleft lip and palate herself, but the surgery was not fully effective and she has been suffering from difficulty eating and speaking for the past thirty years due to fistulas in the the roof of her mouth. 

While prepping Monica’s daughter, Joyce, for surgery, Gladys, a member of the local team who trained with Lance to make obturators this week, noted that Monica was struggling to speak and asked if she would like an appliance.    

While Dr. Michelle and Dr. Cooper operated on Joyce, Gladys took impressions of Monica’s palate and anterior vestibule. By the end of the day, Monica had received a new obturator for herself and got to hold her sweet daughter following her own successful surgery. Because of the obturator, Monica is able to eat and drink without liquid coming out of her nose or aspirating for the first time in thirty years!

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