Day Five in the Dominican Republic
Our fifth day in the Dominican Republic was nothing short of another incredible day of heart healing. The visiting and local medical teams completed three catheterization procedures and one surgery today!
Bea got a lesson in anatomy and physiology from Dr. Tom Karl.
Hope in Every Heartbeat
Four more little hearts were healed at CEDIMAT today beginning with Ismar!
Ismar was our surgical case today. Ismar is two years old. She was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot at four months old. This condition decreases oxygen in the blood, causing symptoms like trouble gaining weight, shortness of breath, and tiring easily from physical activity.
Ismar, held by her mother, is given her Gift of Life International teddy bear by intern Lily and Gloria de Gasso.
Dr. John Breinholt performed three catheterization cases today. Adrian had a catheterization to help heal his pulmonary stenosis (narrowing of the pulmonary valve).
Adrian before his procedure.
Ana’s procedure also helped heal her pulmonary stenosis.
Ana before her procedure!
The final catheterization procedure was done on Cristian. Cristian was diagnosed with coarctation, which is the narrowing of a passageway in the body.
All three cath procedures are doing well and will most likely be able to head home tomorrow!
Kelly’s Heart Healing Perspective
Kelly in the cardiology unit.
Kelly is an upcoming senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, majoring in biology! Hailing from the Jersey Shore, Kelly comes from a family with diverse professional backgrounds. Her father works in banking, while her mother worked in pharmaceutical sales before Kelly was born.
Kelly found out about the Gift of Life International Global Health Internship Program when she got an email from HWS saying that Gift of Life International would be tabling on her campus.
“I saw that it was an international scholarship for healthcare at a liberal arts college that I feel like mainly focuses on management and business majors. I was really excited that there was going to be a great opportunity for interest in healthcare, which I felt like had not really existed there before,” Kelly said.
Kelly, Lily, and nurse Mia Melmar spent some time with Adriana today.
After Kelly graduates, she wants to pursue medicine as her career. Last summer, Kelly shadowed an obstetrics and gynecology professional, and planned on following that career path.
“After this internship, cardiology is really interesting to me and I have always loved children. I was thinking about obstetrics and gynecology. I can work with children, babies, and their mothers because I have a passion for women’s health. But, I think being around these kids has really made me hone in on pediatrics, and especially cardiology,” Kelly told us.
Kelly’s interest in medicine stemmed from living with a mother who has type 1 diabetes. Kelly said, “I think what really piqued my interest was my mom is a type 1 diabetic. Throughout my whole life, watching her take care of herself was kind of like being at doctor’s appointments. I think I felt like I wished I could have helped her and wanted to be able to figure out what was going on. I wanted to understand the insulin and take her blood sugar. I think that kind of drew me in.”
Kelly and Juliza in the intensive care unit.
When asked about her experience with the Gift of Life International team so far, Kelly said, “They are all incredible. They are like superheroes to me. I just ate lunch and I see the bags of lunches for the surgeons who have gone all day without eating because their priority is to take care of these kids. I ate at 3:30 PM and they ate at 6:45 AM. Also, every single person I have been with has taken me aside to teach me.”
Kelly attended an assessment of a patient with the local cardiologist team.
Today, Kelly shadowed the local cardiologists at CEDIMAT. She was able to join them during their appointments with patients. These appointments included follow-ups for past surgeries and evaluations for future surgery! Kelly was able to see how cardiologists assess children and perform echocardiograms (ultrasounds of the heart).
Updates on the Children
So far, four surgeries have been completed for the week. Adriana, Yareisy, Ian, and Ismar!
Nurse Mia Melmer and intern Lily comforted Adriana.
Adriana is doing great. She is able to sit up, eat, and wiggle around in her hospital bed. Her mother and father have been able to see her frequently, and she is well on her way to a complete recovery from her surgery.
Nurse Mia Melmer and respiratory therapist Misrak Taye tend to Yaresiy.
Meanwhile, Yareisy has experienced a slower recovery than Adriana, but her condition continues to improve. For now, this sweet girl is spending much of her time resting. Over the next few days, she will continue getting the deep rest she needs so her heart can heal properly and regain its strength.
Respiratory therapist Misrak Taye, Dr. Andrew VanBergen, and Ian!
Ian is still taking it easy, but he is up watching TV and hanging out with his parents. He will likely be moved to the step down unit tomorrow!
Ismar came out of surgery today, so we will have more updates on her tomorrow.
The Journey Continues
We still have two more days of healing little hearts left! The rest of the week we will continue to help make the dreams of Dominican children and their families come true.
Bea watched her first surgical procedure today.
Tomorrow, we will be joining Bea and Dr. John Breinholt in the catheterization lab!
Click here to read Day One.
Click here to read Day Two.
Click here to read Day Three.
Click here to read Day Four.
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