After 30 years as a surgical registered nurse, Rosanne Valentino, RN, finally got the opportunity to participate in a medical/humanitarian mission. “I was ready,” states Rosanne. She describes her journey to Vietnam with us. I have known Dr. Sum Tran, a plastic surgeon from Valencia, for 25 years, but I knew little about his mission. I researched the www.TranTienfoundation.com and instinctively knew I wanted to be a part of his volunteer medical/surgical team. Dr. Tran immigrated to the United States in 1975 as a refugee after the Vietnam War. Since 2007, he has returned to Vietnam each year to volunteer his time, financial support, and medical care to underprivileged citizens in the villages outside of Hue, and to teach the local doctors our western medicine. Also, on the mission from Valencia, were Elizabeth Cravitz, RN, MSN from Henry Mayo Hospital, Dr. Paul Tran, nephew of Dr. Sum Tran, Dr. Satish Vadapalli, from Santa Clarita ENT, his wife Dr. Sunanda Vadapalli from Santa Clarita Pediatrics, Dr. S.K. Reddy from Pomona Valley Medical Center, Dr. Michelle Copeland from Mount Sinai, NYC, and Dr Paul Luu from Seattle, Washington. Our team set out on March 31 of this year, for our six-day mission. After 30 hours of traveling, including three flights and a two-hour van ride, we arrived in Hue. On our first day, our team of surgeons in conjunction with the local surgeons interviewed 85 potential surgical candidates. About 40 of these patients were selected. Some of these people traveled one hundred miles in hopes of being selected for the free reconstructive surgery sponsored by the foundation. It was heartbreaking to see desperate parents with their young children bearing congenital defects. The surgical cases were based on complexity and critical need. Most surgeries were reconstructive for burns, birth defects and injuries from motorcycles. The surgeries were preformed at the two local hospitals: University Hospital and Central Hospital. Each had about 1500 patients. The daily cost of the hospital stay was 50 cents. Seminars and workshops for the nursing staff and physicians were also a part of our goal. The conditions inside and outside of the two local hospitals were hard to comprehend and describe. They desperately lacked supplies and medications. Only surgeons wore disposable sterile gloves. The metal-framed hospital beds did not have mattresses. Instead, straw mats were supplied by the patient. The hospital did not have a central kitchen to serve meals. The patients’ families provided all food and patient care, as there was only one nurse to twenty patients. Many family members slept in the hallway or on the floor next to the patient. Patients brought their own necessities. The temperature inside and outside the hospital was very hot, and humid; no breeze with a damp, mildew smell. The language barrier was also a problem for us. Minimal medical work was done on these pre operative patients. Their requests, concerns and issues were translated through an interpreter. Physical or occupational therapy was non-existent post surgery. No one keeps tract of the rate of infections, complications or patient progress. Once the patients left the hospital, no follow-up was carried out. Regardless of the poor conditions and situation, the patients are quiet, shy, humble and very appreciative. The TranTien Foundation is run solely by volunteers. It relies on donations for its financial support. Without solicitation, I collected 600 dollars from friends that knew I was going on this mission. On our last day at the hospital, Dr. Tran made arrangements for the charge nurse to pick 26 of the most impoverish patients. The money was divided between them giving each twenty-three US dollars. That was enough for them to live on for one to two months. Handing out the money envelopes was a very emotional part of my experience. I also got the chance to visit a preschool set up through the TranTien Foundation, located in Minh Houng village, 20 minutes outside of Hue. It provides early education with two teachers to 36 children (ages 4 and 5). These children are fed two meals and take a nap before their working parents pick them up at 4 p.m. Without this school, these children would be left in the care of grandparents or older siblings while their parents work in the fields or at the markets. Also on the property of the preschool is the Thien Sanh walk-in free medical clinic. The Tran-Tien family and local community members provide medical and social services including herbal medicine and acupuncture to the residents. The clinic sees about 6000 patients per year. As I reflect on my experience, I am grateful to have my family, friends, health and to be an American. I thank Dr. Tran, our team and the people I have met along the way for changing my life for the better. I set out to do what I wanted to do and came away with a more personal reward than I ever envisioned…Mission Accomplished! For more information about Sum Tran visit the website at www.sumtranmd.com or call at 661-253-2211.  |
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