Our Return to Healing Hearts in the Dominican Republic
The team has arrived in the Dominican Republic for our second visit to CEDIMAT in Santo Domingo of this year! Our training visit this week is extra special! Not only are we joined by medical professional volunteers from all over the world, but our Gift of Life International/Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) Global Health Internship has begun!
The four interns: Lily, Bea, Kelly, and Juliza after landing in the Dominican Republic this morning!
Four HWS students – Juliza, Lily, Bea, and Kelly are joining our training team in Santo Domingo for the week! Each day, these four students will rotate individually through different specialties covered by the visit: cardiac, surgery, catheterization, and the ICU.
The Week Begins
This morning began with an early wakeup call for an 8:30 AM flight out of John F. Kennedy International (JFK) Airport. The interns began their travels in New York City and flew straight into the Dominican Republic!
The interns waiting to get through security in JFK airport!
Gift of Life International CEO, Rob Raylman (Hobart College Alum), Lily, Bea, Kelly, Juliza and Gift of Life Metro New York Director, Mike Fisher, stand outside of the airport in the Dominican Republic.
The flight was about four hours long, and the students arrived in the Dominican Republic around 12PM. Then, they were greeted by a driver who took them to their hotel in Santo Domingo.
The girls enjoyed a few games of chess while waiting to be checked in to their rooms at the hotel!
Tonight, the girls and the visiting medical team walked around the historical district and enjoyed a team dinner here in Santo Domingo before the busy week begins!
Juliza, Bea, Kelly, Lily and CEO Rob Raylman being shown around the historical district of Santo Domingo by Jordi Gasso, president of the Gift of Life program in Santo Domingo.
Bea, Lily, Juliza, and Kelly in Santo Domingo!
Preparing for the Week
Tomorrow, our team will kick off the training visit by screening children and meeting to review the surgical and catheterization cases scheduled for the week. We expect to perform two surgeries and three to four catheterization procedures each day.
The number of planned cases can sometimes change if unexpected complications arise. For example, if a child becomes ill before their procedure, the medical team may determine that it is no longer safe to move forward with surgery or catheterization. In those situations, the child may need to wait until our next visit to receive care. When this happens, we work to identify other children who were not originally scheduled so they can take the available spot, allowing us to heal as many hearts as possible.
Stay tuned throughout the week as students from Hobart and William Smith Colleges share a firsthand look at what it takes to heal little hearts and transform lives!
Social Media Consultant for Gift of Life International
