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An Unforgettable Experience

Blog Submitted by Alexandra Stripp

Alexandra Stripp is a student at ACS International School, Hillingdon. Since 2000, American Community School (ACS) has partnered ORBIS to promote international education and global citizenship among its students.  Every year, high achieving students go through a rigorous selection process for three internships during one week on board the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital.

In April 2012, I was lucky enough to be able to follow the work of the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam for a week, together with three other students from ACS International Schools and the Westminster Academy, and I can say without doubt that for me it was a life changing experience. 

The work of ORBIS fascinates me on many levels. First of all as a human being, wanting to make a difference in the world - it was amazing to be a part of a team that each year changes thousands of lives. Secondly, as I am planning to study medicine, the actual work ORBIS carries out fascinates me on a medical level. And finally the way passionate specialists come together in a team, sharing their knowledge and engaging others while changing the life of people in great need is an amazing experience to be a part of.  

Monday morning was the screening day, the day where pre-selected patients come to the local eye hospital to be examined. This is a very busy and tiring day, many patients come and leave, and as the Medical Director of the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital told me, the day is “controlled chaos”.

Each patient was put into one of three groups, depending what treatment was needed. The three categories were cataract, oculoplastics and surgical retina, with one ORBIS Volunteer Faculty member in charge of each. Each patient’s situation was individually evaluated, and about 20 from each category were chosen to have a surgery by ORBIS Volunteer Faculty and local hands-on trainees.

I was following Dr. Kutzscher’s work that day. He is specialized in cataract and had come all the way from the U.S. to volunteer for ORBIS. This is also one of the things that made ORBIS such a great experience, all the staff, everyone is so committed and it was so amazing to observe them striving for what they believe and work for. This was also shown in Dr. Kutzcher’s way of very explaining to us what he would be doing and looking for while examining each patient. 

The next three days were again hard work for the doctors, nurses and the rest of the team, as the selected patients would be treated. One doctor would be located at the local eye hospital and the two others would carry out surgeries on the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital. 

The days on the plane were very exciting. I was able to scrub-in at (assist at) a surgery, which made me understand much better how it all works. I saw the importance of the many people involved both before, during and after a surgery. When not scrubbing in, one can follow the live streaming of the surgeries with a doctor explaining every move on a screen in the Flying Eye Hospital classroom. 

This was so helpful and fascinating at the same time, as it was much easier to understand what was going on when both actually seeing it, but also having it explained. In the ORBIS classroom at the front of the plane, local trainees were following and learning from an ORBIS Volunteer Faculty member, and in-between each surgery other classes or lectures were held. Quickly, without knowing much about ophthalmology, one felt engaged by the passion of the doctors, showing different cases they had performed themselves in their home-country and then explaining the differences. 

The aircraft also carries a simulator, used by trainees, which we were allowed to try. This was very hard, but enjoyable at the same time, giving insight about how much training and perfection the doctors need during the surgeries, where 0.5mm can make a huge difference. 

The emotional moments of this experience will probably stay with me the longest, if not forever. I especially remember standing looking into the operation room as a surgery just finished. As soon the translator, told the patient that everything went well, she took the doctor’s hand, kissed it and said ‘thank you very much’ while a tear dropped from her eye. At this point, I think I realized how big a difference ORBIS makes to these people. 

I feel so privileged that I got the chance of following ORBIS in, Da Nang, Vietnam. For me, the trip was an unforgettable experience. Following the work of the entire ORBIS team, feeling the passion about each person’s profession and their experiences with ORBIS, seeing patients entering the plane with bad vision, and leaving the plane the same day, with improved vision, which, for most of the patients would not be a possibility without ORBIS. 
I will never forget this trip and I am so thankful to ORBIS for giving me this opportunity.

Rural Outreach in Vietnam

Blog submitted by Neha Lalani

Neha Lalani is a student from ACS International School, through ORBIS' partnership with ACS Dillon was selected to participate in an internship for that allows students to take part in an ORBIS program overseas. 

 

After working for a week in Da Nang with the crew of the Flying Eye Hospital both on the plane and in the local hospital their willingness to give up their whole Saturday to help those who needed it was the most kind-hearted thing I’ve ever seen.

The first thing I noticed about the clinic in which ORBIS was going to be working was the surprising lack of people outside. It was 9 in the morning and we had just arrived at a rural outreach program being carried out just outside Hue, the location of the old Imperial City in Vietnam. It wasn’t until we entered the eye clinic that we saw the first few people waiting for treatment. The program had been advertised on the radio so there was close to 500 people who had turned up for basic eye checks. Perry Athanason, the Communications Director of the Flying Eye Hospital who organized this outreach, took us down the single corridor and showed us the process each person went through.

 
As soon as a person entered the clinic they were taken to Visual Acuity where their sight was tested in each eye, if the staff ophthalmologist thought they needed extra examination they were directed towards one of the three examination rooms. We were then each assigned one room, to act as general assistants to the staff ophthalmologists who were doing examinations in that room. The first patients had already come and were being examined by doctors from either Hue Eye Hospital or Da Nang Eye Hospital. After a patient had been to an examination room and they had a problem with their eyesight they were seen by ORBIS staff. The staff in the patient care room either helped to schedule their surgery at one of the local hospitals or gave them some more information on their condition. There were a few lucky people who were having normal eyesight and were able to go home straight away.

The patients who were being seen at this particular outreach program were mainly older adults whose most common complaint I noticed was cataracts in varying states of severity. Dr. Hunter Cherwek the medical director aboard the Flying Eye Hospital soon took over an empty room turning it into an extra examination room allowing more people to be seen at one time.

The whole process looked so smooth and practiced like everyone had been doing it for years, it ran so smoothly. By the end the staff had seen 225 patients collectively, which was a lot more than the expected 200. The whole day felt like it was over in a blink, there was so much to keep everyone busy. A day very well spent indeed!

 

Internship Visit to ORBIS

Blog submitted by Dillon Van Auken

Dillon Van Auken is a student from ACS International School, through ORBIS' partnership with ACS Dillon was selected to participate in an internship for that allows students to take part in an ORBIS program overseas. 

Today featured the commencement of ORBIS’s Da Nang program in the form of screening day, over which the ORBIS doctors (known as Volunteer Faculty or “VF’s”) examined around twenty-five patients to determine appropriate later treatment. 

As today was quite busy in preparation for the rest of the week, our job as interns was to mainly observe the doctors and identify prospective case-studies that we will be writing as the week goes on. Each of us went to certain specialty screening rooms, which included retinopathy, led by Dr Hampton; glaucoma, led by Dr Piltz-Seymour; and paediatrics, led by Dr Black. Gradually we moved in between rooms to grasp the wide array of ocular problems facing the local people and the subsequent treatment that they would be receiving from ORBIS.

Each doctor would examine the patients in front of several hands-on trainees, local doctors from Da Nang, other areas in Vietnam, and some from Cambodia and Laos. The doctor would examine the patient’s eyes with various instruments, whilst also explaining the observations to the hands-on trainees. It was truly amazing to watch the doctors do this, as they had to cope with actual treatment of a patient, teaching, and a language barrier all at once. Despite these tough requirements, each did so very calmly and efficiently.

After observing each patient, the doctors would decide whether to perform surgery on the Flying Eye Hospital, the Da Nang Eye Hospital, or to postpone surgery for local doctors to carry out at a later date. From each section, four patients were chosen to go to the Flying Eye Hospital, four were chosen to go the Da Nang Eye Hospital, and the rest were selected for later surgeries, although some did not require surgery at all.

So far, this trip has already been extremely moving and inspirational for me personally.  Observing the doctors today was one of the few times in my life where I have seen people be genuinely selfless and devoted to helping others.  Often, even in charity work, self-interest is still a major motivator, yet these doctors as well as the entire ORBIS staff are committed to genuine philanthropy. It was also very emotional to see the numerous patients, many of them children, with very severe eye conditions that could have been prevented with greater infrastructure and development. Yet, the sadness of their conditions is counteracted by the optimism that they will have treatment this week through the help of ORBIS. It will be great to see their progress at the hands of the wonderful ORBIS staff over the week.

An Unforgettable Year

Blog submitted by Dr Grace Prakalapakorn. Grace has been an ORBIS staff ophthalmologist onboard the Flying Eye Hospital for the past year.

Hello and Welcome aboard ORBIS!. Please find your seats, ensure your seat backs are in the upright position, tray tables are stored and your seat belts are fastened. Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight! 

 A year in the life of a staff ophthalmologist aboard the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital was a busy one. There was always a lot of work to do and never a dull moment. When we were in plane mode, the days began early, often ended late and we would sometimes work for three straight weeks without a day off! Even when we had a “day off,” we would on occasion hold vision screenings or community outreach projects in schools or within a community. Off the plane, the work did not end. I conducted clinical reviews of surgical patients, helped with hospital based programs, evaluated local eye centers and hospitals and worked on program planning for upcoming programs. 

This year, I wore many hats alongside that of a staff ophthalmologist, including but not limited to a biomedical engineering assistant, ER doctor, tour guide, plane custodian, circulating OR nurse, community outreach volunteer, patient advocate, Cyber Sight® contributing author, character in a documentary, educator, student, goodwill ambassador, and even flight attendant (would you like some cream and sugar with your coffee?)!! ORBIS offers opportunities not only to the patients and doctors that participate in its programs, but also to its staff: how many people can say they’ve been to Nigeria 4 times in 8 months?! :)  

 Being a part of the Flying Eye Hospital was a very unique and rewarding experience. The most memorable part of the year was the people: the patients and their families, host doctors, crew members and our fabulous volunteers. One of the most memorable moments of my year was hearing the cries and tears of an elderly lady as her patch was removed the day after cataract surgery. She had been living with bilateral cataracts for many years and had become dependent on those around her due to her poor vision. Another is watching a young infant take those first few steps and walk around by herself after cataract surgery, whereas before surgery she was too timid to leave her mother’s arms because of her severe visual impairment. These are not uncommon stories you will hear around the world and to reflect about the difference we made in their lives and those of their families and communities by making them more independent and less of a burden on the resources of those around them. It always brings a smile to my face knowing that I was a part of that. But the work we do goes beyond these two individuals, we work to build capacity and enable and empower the local community, doctors, nurses, engineers, and technicians to care for those around them and hopefully teach others. 

 Thank you ORBIS for the work you do and for a wonderful year!!

Photos by Perry Athanason

Follow up with Bello from Niger

Blog Submitted by Amna Al-Gallas, MD

Amna is a Staff Ophthalmologist on board the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital. Amna joined the crew in February 2010.

It was the last day of my one-week return visit to Niger as I went back to follow up our patients who were operated on there, almost two months before, during our first Flying Eye Hospital program ever in Niger. It was another hot long working day that was only made easy by the smile of grateful patients whom I have examined as they tried to express how happy they were with the results. By the end of the day, I was informed that there were no more patients waiting and that some patients could not show up because they lived far away. I started to collect my papers and equipment but my mind was busy, as if something was missing and I decided to wait and use the time to do some paper work. Few moments later, a child came running to me. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress and a big smile on her face. She handed me a plastic bag with ORBIS logo on it and uttered few words in local language which I couldn’t understand. She opened the bag, took out a pair of glasses and put them on, I then recognized the little angel right away, “It’s you, Bello!” I said, smiling back at her.

 Her mother came afterwards, apologizing for being late and expressing how happy and enthusiastic her daughter was to come. Bello was a 7-year old girl from Niger who came to ORBIS through our rural outreach screening program in Libore. At that time she had opacities in both eyes which largely compromised her vision. She underwent a certain laser procedure, to remove the opacities, and she was given specific type of glasses to help improve her vision. I examined her and she was doing very well with good improvement of vision. Her mother said that since the procedure her daughter was doing better in school and had good grades. She also said that Bello was always wearing her glasses and taking good care of them. After I finished and gave the mother the necessary instructions, Bello gave me a big hug and walked away with her mother, waving goodbye with a great big smile.

I gathered my things and walked out. I looked back at the patients as they were heading home. I was tired, starving and thirsty but I was filled with joy, knowing that another ORBIS mission has succeeded. All the hard work of ORBIS team has paid off and transformed lives in Niger, such as Bello’s, and gave them a new future, a new tomorrow!

See Bello's story below in our Eye Report from Niger.

Volcanic Ash Does Not Impair ORBIS Vision

Blog submitted by Lynn Donovan.

The April 2010 Volcano Eruption in Iceland had a massive effect on world travel. It essentially held people captive wherever they were in their travels for approximately 10 days. During this time, ORBIS had Hospital Based Programs scheduled in Africa, and China. I would like to share my story of the effect it had on the staff involved in the Kampala, Uganda Program.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010 Dr Grace Prakalapakorn, and I traveled from Kaduna, Nigeria to Lagos from there we were to go to separate locations. Dr Grace was to go home to Atlanta, Georgia in the US, and I was to go to Kampala, Uganda for another Hospital Based Program. Upon arrival to Lagos, Dr Grace found her flights to be canceled. This caused a dilemma, as she was not to stay in Lagos alone, especially when she was not certain how long it would be before she would be able to travel back to the US. After discussion it was decided the best option was for Dr Grace to travel to Kampala with me, as there would be a confirmed hotel room to rest, and adequate Internet access to plan future travel.

It was then discovered that Dr Bernadette Martinez was delayed on travel for the program and was still in China trying to reschedule flights to arrive in Kampala. Dr Gordon Douglas, the Volunteer Faculty Surgeon for the Kampala program, was delayed as well, as he had also been re routed. Both Dr Bernadette and Dr Douglas were to arrive Monday, the first day of the program- screening day, but in the afternoon and evening respectively.

After many e mails with our Medical Director, Dr Hunter Cherwek, it was decided that Dr Grace, Dr Jonathan Lord, and myself would go to Mulago Hospital to explain to the Trainee Staff Doctors, and the patients that arrived for screening, that due to circumstances from the Volcanic Ash the doctors scheduled to see them would not be able to do so until the next day. It was a good thing that Dr Grace was there and able to cover in Dr Bernadette’s absence.

When Monday evening came around Dr Douglas and Dr Bernadette had both safely arrived in Kampala. The program went on with screening day on Tuesday and one less surgical day, however all 10 surgeries were performed in the two surgical days and all aspects of the Kampala Hospital Based Program were accomplished. Dr Grace was finally able to travel on Wednesday via the long way home. This was a very memorable event for me as I am sure there are stories around the world of the Volcanic Ash influence on the lives of others.

ORBIS was able to provide much needed services even when a natural disaster had occurred, and once again through teamwork and determination to achieve the ORBIS mission and goals of “saving sight worldwide.”

First Time Volunteer

Blog submitted by Mr. John Brookes

Mr. Brookes is a volunteer ophthalmologist from the United Kingdom. This is Mr. Brookes first time volunteering with ORBIS.

Having just returned from my first ORBIS program in Dalian, China, I would like to thank the whole ORBIS team for making this an incredible personal and professional experience in my career to date.

I have been involved in several charities over the past 10 years; I try and spend at least 2 weeks each year doing some surgical work abroad and this has taken me to India, Palestine and Egypt on many occasions. Having received several invitations over the past two or three years to take part in an ORBIS program, in my specialty of pediatric glaucoma, I finally succumbed. Admittedly, because first of all, I’ve never visited China before but secondly, I have always been an airplane fanatic having obtained my private pilot’s license in 2004. I was obviously very excited therefore of combining my love of ophthalmology and my interest in all things airborne!

I was incredibly surprised however at the size of the city of Dalian when I eventually arrived. Having never heard of the city before, I expected something a little less enormous. The people were incredibly warm, generous and grateful for all that we were able to offer.

I met my hands-on trainees on the screening day at the base hospital, He Eye Hospital. They were incredibly eager to learn with a constant stream of questions and never seemed bored with my endless lectures, videos and other teaching material.

Following the screening day, I spent the next two days at the base hospital with my hands-on trainees, carrying out glaucoma and cataract surgery on the patients we had identified on the screening day. I was however, extremely anxious to get onto the plane!

The fourth day arrived and I was at last going to board the iconic ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital at Dalian airport. From afar, I could see its majestic outline and the characteristic livery. Boarding the plane for the first time was a truly memorable experience. All my childhood dreams had come true. I sat in the captain’s seat and the maintenance engineer gave me a truly extensive tour of the plane, even going into the bowels of the plane beneath the cockpit and seeing the miles upon miles of electrical cables and wiring, which somehow get this plane in the air.

Setting my excitement aside I had to go into the operating theatre for my first experience of ‘live surgery’, broadcast to the 30 local doctors sitting next door in the lecture room. Fortunately, all went well with the surgery and I ended up quite enjoying myself.

The rest of the airplane was truly amazing; state of the art operating theatres, clinic space and audiovisual equipment we could only dream of at home! Overall, I had a wonderful experience as a medical volunteer and I would like to thank all the staff who organized these programs, which must require so much background work to have them running so smoothly.

Of course I would like to do another mission…..perhaps next time I could fly the plane?

Photo by Perry Athanason

A Lesson in Indian Hospitality

Blog submitted by Sasha Vohlidkova

Sasha is a student from ACS Egham International School, through ORBIS' partnership with ACS Sasha was selected to participate in an internship that allows students to take part in an ORBIS program overseas.

Before I went to India, everyone, especially those who have never been near it, had endless advice for me: don’t drink the water, don’t leave your belongings unattended, only carry a photocopy of your passport with you, only go out in groups, do not talk to people in the streets... Along with the overload of reductionist clichés often used to describe the Indian reality, “the third world”, “developing country”, the picture I got of India was one of an incredibly interesting country, but not so much a pleasant one for a visitor.

As soon as we landed in Jaipur at 2.30am, Friday 18^th September, and basically wherever the team came to visit after, a team from ORBIS India or ORBIS’ partners in India was awaiting us with bindis, flower garlands, and the warmest welcomes I’ve received in a long time.

During the ORBIS outreach program in Amber, near Jaipur, I approached a local elderly woman who had come to get her eyes checked at the yearly eye camp. After a couple of minutes of conversation that neither of us knew what was about as she spoke Hindi and I, English, one of the doctors translated for me: “She says you’re very nice and wants you to come to her home.”

Walking along the streets surrounding our hotel around midnight, a man invited us, unknown foreigners, to join a small wedding, the happiest day of his brother’s life. When we replied that we would rather just watch, he briefly asked us how we liked India and directed us to the side of the street where we would have the best view of the celebration.

The evening before our last day, I left my phone in a tuk-tuk and only realized it after the driver had left. Almost immediately, twenty members of the airport staff were trying to help me, offering to get me a taxi, asking where I wanted to go. I said I didn’t know how this country worked and wanted them to tell me what to do. In the following fifteen long minutes, another tuk-tuk driver managed to contact the first one, locate my phone, and get us a taxi back where we came from to pick it up. As we were getting into the car, he smiled and said, “You wanted to know, so this is how this country works.”

And all you can do is look only fifteen minutes back, and all those other times before, when you were anxiously watching your backpack when locals were spending their time, money, in efforts to help a lost stranger. And again, your western superiority hits you over the head with a surprising force, and you shift a tiny bit further away from it. Because you realize this really is how this country works. Except no one tells you that.

A New Year, New Country – Same Enduring Spirit

Thoughts at 31,000 feet above China/Russia border aboard the ORBIS DC-10

Making positive changes in people’s lives is at the heart of this organization and is why we all do what we do—from every aspect and every position within ORBIS, our bottom line is investing in people throughout the world—furthering the educational opportunities for doctors, treating patients who suffer from avoidable blindness or vision loss, nurturing the science and medicine of ophthalmology in societies already working hard to strengthen their abilities to help their people.

This became quickly apparent to me once again as the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital touched down in a country never visited before—the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. The plane arrived on a Sunday and was greeted by the Lao President himself, his Excellency Choummaly Sayasone, who visited the plane shortly after we had converted it into hospital mode. He had visited our program during last year in Vietnam and had extended the invitation to bring the plane to his country and for the benefit of Lao people. We were also proud to welcome the Minister of Health, Dr Ponmeck Dalaloy, US Ambassador to Lao PDR, Mr Ravic Huso and several other dignitaries from the government cabinets. Each expressed their appreciation of our team, our programmatic approach and our unique hospital with wings.

One recurring comment shined through the week and was expressed by both the doctors participating in the program and those observing: ORBIS has come here to teach. This is the first time they had been given this type of educational opportunity and are extremely thankful.

Celebrating the Family of ORBIS

We arrived in Laos with a new team member, staff nurse Ms Beverly Tremlett, and a returning veteran, Ms Linda Tranchemontagne, who is back as head nurse. For 26 years nurses like Linda and Beverly have taken turns carrying the ORBIS torch, passing it lovingly from one generation to the next. 

This inaugural program also welcomed several first-time volunteer faculty members to the ORBIS family – Dr Shaun Singer from Canada, Dr Bazil Ateleanu from the UK, Dr William Yang from the US and a team from Wills Eye Hospital in the US: Dr Julia Haller, Dr L. Jay Katz and Dr Jonathan Myers. It’s always a treat to see people on the plane for the first time. Pictures and video of the ORBIS plane or its programs just don’t do justice compared to the real thing and their reactions definitely show. In conversations with the local doctors, each provided accolades in the teaching offered by our new, and returning, volunteer faculty. One particular impromptu teaching method during a “chalk talk” involving Dr Myer removing his shoelaces to better demonstrate his technique in suturing, an action that struck a few of the local doctors as both unique and very effective.

It was with that spirit that we were joined by a new partner, OptiMedica Corp, who generously donated the new PASCAL photocoagulator to the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital. Used to treat a variety of retinal diseases, PASCAL dramatically improves the physician’s ability to control the precision, safety and efficiency of the photocoagulation procedure, while minimizing treatment duration, treatment frequency and patient discomfort. During the two week program in Laos, we were honored to be joined by Mr Sean Teo and Mr George Marcellino from OptiMedica, who joined us to help introduce the PASCAL to the ORBIS staff and interested Lao doctors.

A Lao-style goodbye

The week ended with a traditional Lao-style celebration—a gift to the ORBIS team. Dr Vithoune Visonnavong, director Vientiane Ophthalmology Center, Ministry of Health keep promising me two particular items for this program celebration…beef and beer. Though I tried to explain that beef and a cold Coca-Cola would better suit my particular culinary interests, it just didn’t have that same allure and alliteration. The team danced, ate and graciously accepted the honor given to them though this celebration. Spending time in their world, celebrating their successes and embracing a newly created camaraderie in our mutual interest to combat avoidable blindness introduced yet another extension to the ORBIS family—an extension I hope we reunite in the near future.

 

Photos by Perry Athanason

Unpacking the Flying Eye Hospital in Singapore

Each year the Flying Eye Hospital undergoes a maintenance and safety inspection that is required by the FAA to ensure that the aircraft is fully compliant with all regulations. Prior to “b-check,” as it is officially called, all items on the plane must be removed; unpacking the ORBIS DC-10 takes approximately 10 days. A team of fifteen ORBIS staff and volunteers is currently in Singapore to assist in making sure that the aircraft is ready for b-check on November 22, 2008.

Today was the first day of unpacking the Flying Eye Hospital in Singapore. The plane will be undergoing maintenance checks later this month, and so all medical supplies and equipment has to be taken off and stored for the next two months.

This morning, I arrived at Paya Lebar Airport, an old airport mostly used for maintenance now. Armed with boxes, tape, and lots of bubble wrap, I was joined by 12 Flying Eye Hospital team members and Bruce Johnson, director of aircraft operations.

On our way to the ORBIS DC-10, we had a chance to explore the hanger. We walked around a little bit, underneath lots of airplanes that were undergoing all sorts of repairs. We also went up to the temporary ORBIS office in one of the hangars; it will be used by the flight mechanics and the aircraft operations department throughout the maintenance checks.

Finally, the Flying Eye Hospital came into view. I have seen it once before, but it is still an impressive sight to see. (It also got a nice thorough wash while it was parked in Dubai, so it looked even better!) Once on board, we split into teams to tackle the different rooms. With the pilots up front, the doctor and biomedical engineers in the laser room, the nurses in the operating room, and the rest of us in the administrative/communications room, we worked very efficiently and were able to make a good dent in the unpacking. Luckily, we are not doing an inventory of the medical supplies – this will be done during the repacking in January.

Unfortunately we ran out of boxes pretty quickly so we had to end a little earlier than expected. But tomorrow we will head back out into hot, humid Singapore for another day of unpacking!

The Flying Eye Hospital recovery room is slowly packed away into boxes