Operation Esperanza 2013 Report

Posted by Tom Greidanus

on Mar 1, 2013

When embarking on a Mission to a Third World country one can encounter unexpected difficulties. When we left Edmonton for Cuenca, Ecuador, on January 31, 2012, we still did not have the necessary “Letter of Approval” from the Ministry of Health in Quito giving us permission to do our work to help the poor and suffering in Ecuador. It was only upon arrival in Quito that we were finally met by a government representative and given the required letter! Then, after passing through Customs and Immigration, we waited at the baggage carrousel only to find out that most of our supplies had not arrived with us in Quito. Thirty-two hockey bags, including all of the hip and knee prostheses, were missing. Thankfully, they arrived late the following evening. Strangely, they came from Houston on a different airline via Panama City!

We were blessed with an excellent Medical-Dental Mission. We saw some 160 adult patients in consultation. On Saturday, February 1, many patients who had surgery in previous years were seen. They were all doing well, even 10 years or more after their surgery. On Sunday afternoon, we had a huge clinic and many patients were prioritized and booked for surgery. Others received medication, advice, and physiotherapy. We were able to do 41 hip and knee replacement surgeries. The average length of hospital stay was 1.1 days, something unheard of in Edmonton! The patients and their families were incredibly grateful.

There are many touching stories. A 61 year old Quechua woman who needed to be carried and lifted onto the hospital bed by her daughter, had not walked for 2 years. The day after a hip replacement, she was up and walking with crutches and she is pictured in the attached photo, smiling and ready to go home. One 26 year old woman had a very poor outlook for her future with severe arthritis of her hip. In Ecuador, the prospect for a job or marriage for a woman with such a hip problem is unlikely. Now with a hip replacement, she can live a normal life with pain-free mobility. And none of us will forget the 82 year old who was told she was not a candidate for surgery because we needed to focus on younger patients and bread-winners. In any case, she came with her family to the hospital every morning without eating breakfast and went to church every evening to pray. Lo and behold, on Friday, a pre-operative patient had to be sent home due to low hemoglobin. Dr. Avila had the incorrect phone number for the standby patient. After the 82 year-old was phoned, she was at the hospital in 10 minutes! She was one of the last patients to receive a hip replacement. Her adult children were moved to tears.

The Pediatric surgical team was able to do nine surgeries on children with club feet or dislocated hips. The Dental team provided dental care to poor children in rural schools, somedays travelling 2 hours each way up to altitudes of 13,000 feet.

We had a very successful Mission. Dr. Manuel Avila, a local doctor, will provide follow-up care to our patients for the next 6 months. We gave a lot to help the poor and suffering but team members also received a lot in return. We are grateful to Riverview Rotary Club for their great support of this Mission!

Respectfully submitted, Thomas H Greidanus, M.D. Team leader, Operation Esperanza

Photos courtesy of Emir Poelzer, Medical Mission Photographer