Jennifer Kane has been a sonographer at University of Mass-Worcester for 5 of the 11 years of her career. The mother of two children, a school age son and daughter--it is terrific her she was willing to travel at time of the beginning of the school year. Her husband definitely deserves being designated Father of the year.

Jennifer is very compassionate and caring with the children.They seem to immediately be aware they are safe in her arms and she shows them they have nothing painful to undergo. She immediately illustrated how to place the children at ease by having them echo their finger first.

No one who knows her would be surprised by the enthusiasm she brings—we teased her by calling her our mayor or ambassador. She introduces herself to each child by greeting them as she brings them into the room with sincerity and quick to thank them for their help. Willing to offer to do the extra child or pro-bono adult, she makes us all smile with her bubbly laugh and smiles.

Message from Jennifer Kane

I can't believe tomorrow is our last day. Although I am looking forward to going home and seeing my family I know it will be hard to leave.  It has been such an emotional journey, each day bringing something new.  I am constantly humbled by the people that are so open and accepting of us, that despite their circumstances are so happy and gracious.  Despite our cultural differences and language barriers each of us has connected with the children on such a deep level.  One child told me I will always remember you and many say I love you.  I hope they know that I will never forget them and love them with my whole heart. I will also hold in my heart all the amazing people that I've had the privilege to work with that are an instrumental part to Team Heart. Everyone has contributed in a unique way. I have to say I will go home forever changed.

Long Hours

Jennifer Neary our lead sonographer is traveling with Team Heart for her 3^rd trip. To Rwanda.  She has been working at Massachusetts General Hospital for 5 years where she has been involved in several large scale screening programs. During the 2009 surgical trip, Jennifer and Dr. Warren Harthorne, MGH cardiologist began discussion of the possibility of participating in a large scale screening program if the country was interested.  Jennifer was awarded a  J. Warren Harthorne Fund  travel grant for Jen’s  travel.  

Jennifer’s willingness to step into the lead role and function as technical advisor,  and IT team as well as sonographer is just one indication of this team’s effort “to do what ever it takes”.  The support and advice from Mass General Echocardiography and the contacts provided has been invaluable to seeing this through. Due to the necessity for long hours of downloading Jen is often up long after the rest of the team.

Even now in the second week, she is talking about stage 2……

The Team is almost complete. We await two more but organization begins! A meeting with Joseph and lead sonographer Jennifer Neary, held this morning with the group discussing details and concerns. This is a huge project with many unknowns at this point-since such a short term- large scale screening of this type has never been done in Rwanda (or anywhere else). This project has been in planning for over 4 years and enthusiasm is high for those participating. Here, sonographers become familiar with the set-up with the machines they will be using. On loan through the generous support of Sonosite and Phillips, the sonographers will use international guidelines for the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) to collect the data needed. Each sonographer hopes to perform up to 30 scans per day on school age children at peak age for RHD. We begin at 7:30 am tomorrow morning. More photos on: http://www.facebook.com/TeamHeartRwanda?ref=ts

Team Heart is happy to announce, Egidia Rugwizangoga will be the first Team Heart-Global Nurse Scholar. This position is funded through a generous grant from The Medicines Company to Team Heart.

Egidia will spend two months in Rwanda, focusing on two Team Heart sponsored programs. During September, Egidia, who speaks fluent French Kinayarwandan and English, will work closely with a Boston based echo screening team to prepare elementary teachers and students for a school-age echo study.

In October, Egidia, working closely with Suellen Breakey, PHD, RN, Team Heart Nurse Educator and Patrice Nicholson, PHD, RN, MPH Brigham and Women’s International Nursing as well as Team Heart and local leaders from the Rwanda Heart Foundation and King Faisal Hospital, will follow up all patients having had surgery by Team Heart over the past 4 years paying close attention to those patients being monitored for anti-coagulation. Data to evaluate access and barriers to reliable care, will be gathered to analyze to make certain we are working together to support the patients in the years following surgery. Egidia will work closely with nursing to facilitate skill transfer, important in care of patients following cardiac surgery, since those patients require long term follow up care.

For those of you knowing Egidia, one is aware of a wonderful asset and resource she will be during the screening program, September 9-24. Born in Rwanda, she has been in the US since 1999, following the genocide. She learned English in a church basement and worked at the Brigham as an aide while attending undergraduate, where she received a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from UMass. On a previous trip, she joined Jen Neary, our lead screening, sonographer from Mass General Hospital two years ago as they visited Butare, near Egidia’s home. There they worked with Dr. Ganza to evaluate patients with rheumatic heart disease for potential surgery. This will be her fourth Team Heart trip.

She writes-

On a different note, yesterday, we visited a primary school called "Cyuga"located in remote area in the district of Gasabo. Children, parents and teachers were very receptive and looking forward to this exciting project, 285 consents were signed and we left more copies to the school Principle for those who could not come. It was dark by the time we finish, passing motorcyles and cooking fires served as sources of light since there is no electricity in the area! We had to walk a couple miles due to bad road and fragile brigdes! At some point, our van got stuck and we had to push it in middle of the night, thank God for the lifting I've been doing at Planet Fitness, those muscles were put to use!!!! We will greet the others as they begin arriving Saturday night. Each day you will meet a new person on the team introduced here!

Save the Date for Golf 10/3! Support Team Heart Travel

1^st Annual Team Heart Charity Tournament scheduled for Monday, October 3, 2011. The event will be held at Stonebridge Golf Course in Goffstown, NH and is gaining momentum as sponsors and attendees continue to sign on for this coveted event. Golfers and patrons are invited to enjoy Stonebridge Golf Course’s championship course as well as a gala dinner and silent auction with all proceeds to support Team Heart. Team Heart’s goal is to assist Rwanda in building a program in cardiac surgery and to help support the individual travel costs of the nursing and support medical team.

The cost of playing in the tournament is $125/player. All proceeds will benefit Team Heart.

The Charity Golf Invitational is being held on Monday, October 3, 2011 at the Stonebridge Golf course, 161 Gorham Pond Road, Goffstown, NH 03045. Registration starts at 11:00. Sponsorship packages for this event are still available. TEAM HEART c/o Michelle LaChance, 54A Concord Street, Nashua, NH 03064. For further information please contact: Michelle LaChance

Phone # 603-966-8444 or mlteamheart@gmail.com

Stonebridge Country Club

Stonebridge is a fun 18 hole regulation course located at the Stonebridge Country Club facility in Goffstown, NH. From the longest tees it offers 6,808 yards of golf for a par of 72. The course was designed by Philip A. Wogan, ASGCA/George F. Sargent, Jr., ASGCA and opened in 1998.

A highly-acclaimed golf course with spectacular 360 degree views of the New Hampshire countryside, Stonebridge has been awarded a Four Star Rating by Golf Digest in its "Places to Play" ranking. Additionally, Stonebridge was rated "8th Best New Hampshire Golf Course" by Golf Digest for both private and public courses. Most recently Stonebridge was rated number 37 in the top 100 New England golf courses by the New England Golf Journal. Stonebridge has also enjoyed rave reviews by the Boston Globe and the Manchester Union Leader

Humanitarian Meetings 6.20.2011

Geneva is a beautiful walkable city. Last evening after arrival, I tried to meet up with the rheumatic fever work-group, but never found the restaurant!! In a maze of small streets and so confusing. However Bistra from Children's Heart Link, Dr. Tom Pezzella, International Children's Fund and Robin Austen from the World Heart Federation and I met up and headed to the music festival for dinner. Music was so-so, but the evening was gorgeous and mellow as the brainstorming begins.

Today Dr. Mucumbitsi spoke about the integration of NCD into the health delivery sector in Rwanda--certainly among the buzzwords of the day! It was a day full of information and often the breaks are as helpful as the sessions as it is a great opportunity to talk more in details about topics.

Tomorrow will be the rheumatic heart disease session....