Dominican Republic Day Four
Today was our fourth day in the Dominican Republic for the week! The incredible visiting and local medical teams, our interns, Chain of Hope UK, Latiendo por Ti, and the Rotary Club of Santo Domingo made our second day of procedures possible.
Kelly and Bea attended the morning rounds!
Our fourth day in Santo Domingo was packed with activity! Our medical team successfully completed one surgery and three catheterization procedures. Also, Gift of Life International’s CEO, Rob Raylman, Past District Governor of the Rotary Club of Santo Domingo, Jordi Gasso, and the interns attended a meeting at the Dominican Republic Ministry of Health to discuss the future of our program here! The interns were able to ask questions to government officials of the Dominican Republic and learn valuable information about how healthcare works in the country.
Ian the Heart Warrior
One surgery was done today, and that surgery was on our returning heart warrior, Ian! Ian is a 10 year old boy who loves baseball, singing, and playing the drums and the violin. Just this week, Ian performed with his choir group with the Philharmonic Choir of Santo Domingo at a local theater!
Ian wearing his cubs jersey that Dr. Andrew VanBergen brought him! He is pictured here with Bea, Mia Melmer, Dr. Andrew VanBergen, and Misrak Taye.
If you were around for our last visit to the Dominican Republic, you know that Ian has already had two heart procedures. When we were at CEDIMAT in February, he received a cath procedure. During this visit he received a Fontan surgery, which is the final surgery in a series of three that were needed for his heart condition.
Ian is now recovering in the ICU and will be resting for the next few days. Way to go Ian!
Beginning the Day
Today, the interns will continue to shadow their respective specialties. Juliza will be in the operating room, Kelly will be in the intensive care unit, Lily will be in the catheterization lab, and Bea will be with the local cardiologists!
Juliza stayed in the operating room the entire day since there was only one surgery done, but the other girls were able to attend a meeting at the Dominican Republic Ministry of Health before beginning their day.
Lily, Bea, and Kelly outside of the government offices in Santo Domingo.
The interns joined Gift of Life International CEO, Rob Raylman, Rotary Club of Santo Domingo Past District Governor, Jordi Gasso, and Gift of Life Metro New York Director, Mike Fisher, in this meeting. They were able to learn about social security, insurance, and the healthcare system here in the Dominican Republic. They were allowed to ask questions during the meeting as well.
Lily, Kelly, Bea, Mike Fisher, Jordi Gasso, and Rob Raylman meeting with the Ministry of Health officials.
Bea, Kelly, and Lily during the meeting with the Ministry of Health officials.
The meeting lasted about two hours, and when the girls returned to the hospital they were able to join the professionals of their respective specialty and spend the rest of the day with them!
Heart Healing From Juliza’s Point of View
Today, Juliza joined Dr. Rodrigo Soto, visiting surgeon, and Dr. Ivan Vides, local surgeon, in the operating room!
Juliza in the operating room before surgery.
Juliza is an upcoming senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, majoring in Biology with a minor in Latin American Studies in Spanish. Juliza is from Chicago, Illinois!
Although she has not yet determined which career she wants to pursue after finishing school, she knows she will build her future in medicine. She is considering both nursing and physician assistant school.
Juliza watching the open heart surgery from the head of the patient.
“When asked, “Why medicine?” Juliza responded, “I have done research before in the medical field, and I have learned that not a lot of Hispanic people are in the medical field. With the large Hispanic population in the United States, a lot of patients do not speak English. They feel uncomfortable and hesitant to go to medical offices to ask for counseling or to talk about their concerns. I really want to be a voice for these Hispanic patients who do not feel comfortable going to the doctor. So, I think that is what really motivated me to pursue a career in the medical field.”
Juliza got an anatomy and physiology lesson from Dr. Ivan Vides after surgery!
Juliza discovered this internship when she received an email from Hobart and William Smith colleges. “I knew I immediately wanted to be a part of this experience and learn from the healthcare professionals that were going to be a part of the team,” she said.
Juliza witnessed the handoff between the operating room team and the intensive care unit team after surgery.
“I was really excited to be in the operating room because I was really excited to see the heart beating. I also learned a lot about the condition the patient had and a lot about the procedure and everyone’s role in the operating room, which was really cool!”
The Rotary Club of Santo Domingo
After the day at the hospital, Past District Governor of the Rotary Club of Santo Domingo, Jordi Gasso, invited the interns, Rob Raylman, and Mike Fisher to his weekly rotary club meeting.
The interns at the Rotary club meeting.
The Rotary Club of Santo Domingo is an integral part of why Gift of Life International is able to have a program in the Dominican Republic. Jordi Gasso and his wife, Gloria de Gasso (secretary of Rotary Club of Santo Domingo), do so much for the Gift of Life Program in this country, including fundraising, coordinating, and meeting with the patients and their families to gather information on them before surgeries. Without their support during our visits, our heart healing work here would not be possible!
During the meeting, CEO, Rob Raylman, and Juliza were able to say a few words to the Rotary club members to thank them for their support and for the amazing opportunity they have given not only our team, but children and their families living in the DR.
Rob Raylman at the Rotary meeting.
Juliza spoke at the Rotary meeting!
Updates on the Children!
So far, all of the children have been recovering well. Adriana woke up a couple of times today, just in time to be able to see her mom and dad.
Adriana and her mother in the ICU.
Dr. Andrew VanBergan explains Adriana’s progress to her father. Adriana’s father works at CEDIMAT!
Yaresiy and Ian still need a lot of rest and more time to recover before they are awake and interactive, but they will get there in the next few days! As soon as they do, we will have more pictures to share.
Almost Halfway Through!
Tomorrow is Wednesday, which means we will already be halfway through the week! Time flies when you are healing little hearts.
Dr. Andrew VanBergan teaches a lesson using expo markers on the glass doors in the intensive care unit!
We will return to CEDIMAT tomorrow to do two more surgeries and three more cath procedures. We will be following intern Kelly tomorrow as she shadows local cardiologists! Stay tuned to learn more about Kelly and see how her experience goes.
Read more about the lives changed and hearts healed this week below!
Click here to read Day One.
Click here to read Day Two.
Click here to read Day Three.
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