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Macomb – Four St. Joe’s
associates and three physicians were among 18 people who traveled to India
January 1‑17 to perform much needed surgeries among the poor in that
country.
The
trip was planned well before the December 26 tsunami hit. The team was not
in the region affected by the tidal wave, said recovery room nurse Sue Bott,
RN.
St.
Joe’s staff on the trip included Sue, scrub tech Debo and nurse anesthetists
Chris Schenk and Steve Sarrack. General surgeon Alfred Schneider, MD,
plastic surgeon Sudarshan Reddy, MD and pediatrician Jay Eastman, MD, also
made the trip.
They
saw many burn victims. The Indian people cook over kerosene and explosions
are fairly common. In those cases, the scarred skin of the chin contracts,
or adheres, to the chest wall. That restricts movement of the head.
„We saw
things that we really don’t see here,“ Sue said. „We treated at least 20
cases of burn contracture.“
They
also corrected many cleft palettes and cleft lips. In addition, they saw one
severe case of neurofibroma.
„Dr.
Reddy came up with some very innovative ways to make due with the limited
supplies we had,“ Sue said. „it was just fulfilling and rewarding to see the
improvement in these people.“
In all, the team performed 176
surgeries in two cities. |
