Day two has arrived! Today we have two surgeries happening, which in turn brings a lot of opportunities for learning and teaching for both teams!
Gift of Life International is using the donations we receive to change the lives of these children.
We could not have saved any of these children without the help of our global network of partners and the Government of Guyana.
A Renewed Spirit: The Story of Ronnie
Our first surgery this morning is going to be on Ronnie!
Ronnie is an only child. He and his family are from Mahaica, which is a village that is a fifty minute drive away from Georgetown. Shalisa, Ronnie’s mother, is a twenty-four-year old housewife and her husband is thirty three and works in construction.
Ronnie was diagnosed with a Tetralogy of Fallot when he was around six or seven months old. Doctors performed an echocardiogram on him and could see a hole in his heart. Ronnie’s symptoms include trouble breathing while he is crying, and the inside of his lips and fingers turn blue. He also gets fatigued and dizzy when playing.
A Tetralogy of Fallot consists of four features that occur at the same time. The two most important of these features being a VSD (ventricular septal defect) and an obstruction of the right ventricle to the lungs (called pulmonary stenosis).
To repair a Tetralogy of Fallot, the VSD must be closed with a patch and the blockage from the right ventricle to the lungs is removed.
Pictured: Ronnie and his mother, Shalisa
Shalisa told us that some of Ronnie’s favorite things to do are watch Cocomelon as well as play with and make friends. She said that Ronnie is a loving and caring child, and that these traits are two of her favorite things about him!
When asked what she was most looking forward to after Ronnie’s surgery, Shalisa said, “I wish the best for the medical professionals and good wisdom throughout the surgery. May God lay his hands upon my son with strength and protect him and guide him throughout the surgery.”
Declan’s Journey of Resilience
The second surgery today will be performed on Declan! Declan is five years old and has been diagnosed with a VSD (ventricular septal defect). A VSD is a hole between the two pumping chambers of the heart. VSDs are treated by placing a patch over the hole during open-heart surgery.
Declan
Declan lives here in Georgetown with his mom and dad. His mother’s name is Nadia. She works in the HR department in a distribution company, and his father is an electrician.
Declan’s mom says he is a very picky eater and only likes yogurt and juice. This along with his condition makes him very underweight. His surgery will allow him to have more energy, which will make eating more enticing for him and help him gain weight!
Declan loves Cocomelon, especially dancing to the music that plays in the show. Nadia says he also loves school, interacting with other children, playing in water, and “romping around”!
Declan’s mother said, “he makes me smile and teaches me to have patience and helped me learn to be compassionate to the world, especially towards special needs children,” when asked what her favorite things were about him.
We then asked what she wishes will be the result of Declan’s surgery and she responded, “for him to develop into a normal child.” Nadia explained how she is excited for Declan to be able to walk, talk, eat, and grow normally after he heals!
Passing on the Torch of Hope
Taniqwa Grovesnor
Today we spoke with Taniqwa Grovesnor, who is a local nurse that has been working at Georgetown Public Hospital for twelve years now.
She has been helping with Gift of Life training visits since the start of our outreach here! We asked Taniqwa some questions to get to know her a little better.
Taniqwa grew up less than an hour away from Georgetown, and now lives in Georgetown about thirty minutes away from the hospital with her husband and three kids!
She shared the story of what inspired her to become a nurse. “Growing up I had two uncles…had because they both are dead now. One had an amputation and seeing how it was being cared for in the long run caused further amputation. So, I started trying to understand what it is that I need to do, how I need to get it done, and then I understood that this was vital.”
This realization occurred for Taniqwa at only fourteen years old. The realization that nursing is a vital career! She studied at Georgetown School of Nursing and said it was very challenging but she was determined to become a professional.
Taniqwa has been working with Gift of Life since our first visit here in 2023. She says that being exposed to these situations helps everyone understand them more and she enjoys when GOLI is here because the team learns a lot from the visiting nurses.
Taniqwa says the visiting team encourages them to learn and grow in their career, which benefits everybody. We also asked Taniqwa her thoughts on the goal of this program. She answered:
“The goal is to have successful surgeries. Our goal is that every living child and family that comes in and trusts their lives with us as surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and doctors is that they leave with that child happier than they came. Once this happens we can all exhale.”
Taniqwa also mentioned that she would like to carry the torch for Gift of Life International once Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation graduates from this program. “Once the skills have been adopted I think we can do this on our own, and maybe we can visit places and carry out the same path.”
Taniqwa’s determination and dedication to the hospital and the program is admirable and inspiring for everyone! We are extremely lucky to have her as part of our team.
Patient Update: Rajdai
Rajdai is now up and walking!
In other good news, Rajdai is up and walking around today! She came out of surgery last night and was doing great this morning! We are happy to see she is having a speedy recovery and will be back to herself in no time.
As we close out on day two, we get ready for day three with resilient and positive energy. Good things don’t come easy, but the struggle is well worth the reward! Be sure to stay tuned for tomorrow’s Day Three update.
Rob Raylman is the Chief Executive officer for Gift of Life International. He assumed this role in 2008.
Rob is a life-long resident of New York State. He graduated Hobart College in 1984 with a BS in Political Science. Over the years, he worked for US Senator Alfonse D’Amato and held the position of Vice President for Browning-Ferris Industries (at the time, the second largest international solid waste company in the world). In 2008, Rob created the position of CEO for Gift of Life International. Since then, he was visited 38 countries on 5 continents to build the Gift of Life Global Network of 84 affiliates. During Rob’s tenure with Gift of Life International, 30 affiliates have been created while over 35,000 children have received care for their heart defects.
Rob focuses on strategically building bridges between Gift of Life programs, foreign Governments, Rotary Clubs and Districts, like-minded organizations and hospital administrations in order to address the Global Crisis of congenital heart defects.
