04 wint anes alum single pgs - Department of Anesthesiology - Duke ...

DUKE ANESTHESIOLOGY ALUMNUS | 8
Ecuador, Northern Kenya (Kapsowar),
Southern Kenya (Kijabe), and Haiti, all in the
hope of easing the sufferings caused by the
paucity of medical equipment, physicians, and
technicians that these countries faced.
Founded in 1978 by William Franklin
Graham, III, son of Billy Graham, World
Medical Missions sends teams of physicians,
dentists, nurses, and technicians
for short-term medical
missions to hospitals
abroad. Armed with
the directive to heal
the sick wherever
the sick are found,
Dr. George set off for
his first mission trip to
Haiti, where, in a very
small hospital with limited
surgical staff, he performed anesthesia
for all kinds of surgeries.
Although the number of patients cared for
during any mission was substantial, Ruth
George recounted dealing with certain
patients—namely children—as particularly
memorable. These cases, she added, were usually
more critical than expected. During one
mission in Bethany, Kenya, a one-year-old boy
was found to have a tumor in his throat. After
surgery, the tracheotomy became dislodged
and had to be reinserted. She remembers fondly
how “we took turns staying with the child.
We kept him in the recovery room the rest of
the time that we were there, and, when we
returned to Bethany the following year, we
found out that he had done well.”
Contributions of personnel and equipment
notwithstanding, World Medical Missions’ first
Dr. Lynn George prepares for surgery.
Bethany Cripple Children’s Center
(BCCC), Kijabe Hospital.
“We always say
a prayer before people are
given the anesthesia, and we
pray for the parents before
the children come to the
operating room,” said
Dr. George.
goal and trust are to see the manifestation of
the spiritual impact in all lives. The Georges
claim to have witnessed miracles even in the
most difficult scenarios.
Such a miracle happened in Kijabe, Kenya,
said Dr. George, describing the incident. “We
were doing cleft palates and lips. The chief of
the hospital there had a child patient with
hydrocephalous who had a shunt
that stopped functioning, so
the procedure had to be
redone,” said Dr.
George. “To redo a
shunt placement, the
point of disconnection
where the shunt had
separated had to be
found. The chief worked
and worked and couldn’t find
it. He stopped for a minute and
said a prayer. He began working again and
found the separated part,” said Dr. George.
The chance to offer spiritual comfort and
sustenance to patients and their families is the
motivating factor in the Georges’ initial, and
continuing, involvement in such work.
“We always say a prayer before people are
given the anesthesia, and we pray for the parents
before the children come to the operating
room,” said Dr. George.
Missions are sustained by the continuing
support of individuals and organizations that
find the work of World Medical Missions worthy
and valuable. Team members, like the Georges,
underwrite their own travel and bear the costs
of room and board. But according to Dr.
George, this is a small price to pay.
“It’s a fun way of working, really. You have
the ability to practice medicine without the fear
of legal repercussions,” he said. Helping others
who do not have the resources for better health
care affords these caregivers the opportunity to
get to know their other brethren abroad. “The