After a long and tiring day there is no better thank you then a former patient coming by smiling and happy.

Just finished my second day at King Faisal. So far all our patients have done better than expected. I am also starting to think that a normal PA systolic as 80 and the normal body weight as 40kg.

What an amazing team we are this year!

On my way!

Well I'm on the way to Rwanda for my third trip. Made the flight from Raleigh to Newark after a slight delay due to Newark being closed so the giants could land. Not cool!!!! Now that I've moved to Duke I'll be traveling by myself. The only part that concerns me is not having anyone to talk to for 25 hours! Haha but I'll manage somehow! I'm working on a presentation on Cardiac Perfusion to do with the Rwandan team after the OR so I'll have that to keep me occupied.
I'm excited to go back to Kigali with old and new friends! And to be in the sunny 85 degree weather! :-)
Samantha

After a wonderful dinner last night with all of Team Heart, today is our first day in the ICU. I was thankful that Connie and Dominic would be with me :) Dominic and I could barely eat this morning, we were so anxious/excited/nervous. A few potatoes and some fruit and we were off. On the walk to the hospital a little boy came up to me and held my hand to walk with me. My eyes filled with tears and I just had to continue to think about the day ahead and the work we are here to do.

The first patient came out with a team of 10 people waiting! He was quickly extubated and doing great! Dominic's nerves have settled, and now I am anxious as I wait for my patient who is said to be very sick. The Rwandan nurses have been great- the team is great. So happy to be here, and so thankful for the friends I have here and the support from home! Kristin Calheno

Day 1 King Faisal

Today as the US team begins their work week, we are delighted to have our first patient roll though the door from the operating theater. Fourteen years old, extubated shortly after arrival, and asking for water as soon as his lips were free, we have high expectations that the significant mitral regurgitation of this young man will be corrected and he can return to complete his education. Our champion first shift in the ICU, Connie, Dominic and Kristin, make it look easy as they admit him and keep him safe and comfy. We are so happy to benefit from the additional expertise of David from La Crosse, WI, back with us to lead the ICU team.

Jim Dixon, on loan from Healing Hearts of Northwest has been working non-stop providing biomedical support and each time I see him he has a wrench in his hand. Gita works tirelessly to secure all of the necessary pre-op lab values that secure patient's places on the schedule. The list is a living, breathing entity, ever-changing as new information is discovered and necessary changes are made. All of the procedures and labs that we take for granted in the US certainly don't just show up in the computer at 6 am! The best thing about today, amid the sheer chaos, is how absolutely everyone has come together to make it work. We aren't called Team Heart for nothing!

As always, patient visitors from years past serve to reiterate why we are here and brighten our days as we hunker down for this sure-to-be-trying two weeks. But as we've already gotten a couple of smiles from our first patient, I'd say our outlook is definitely positive.

After over 24 hours, we are finally back in Rwanda! It feels like returning to visit old friends. Tomorrow going to King Faisal Hospital to go over the patient's list. Anxious to get started.

God Bless and Good Luck

May God Bless everyone and the talents they bring to Team Heart 2012 to make such wonderful miracles happen. There is no job that is so small it is not important. Even the rains have a place in this circle of life we are lucky enough to experience, here in Rwanda!!!!

See you all so very soon :)
Hugs
Sabby

Unpacking and Pre-Op Screening

Welcome to the first blog of Team Heart 2012! About half of our team is here safely in Kigali, Rwanda. We are all at King Faisal Hospital today unpacking thousands of pounds of supplies that were shipped from the U.S, as well as cleaning and organizing the O.R. and wards. While many of us just arrived in Rwanda within the last few days, our cardiologists and sonographers have been here in Rwanda for a week already. Dr. Pat, Dr. Gita, Dr. Jeanne, Marilyn and Said have been traveling all over the country performing echocardiograms and pre-op physical exams on hundreds of potential patients. Most of the patients are suffering from various degrees of heart failure due to Rheumatic Heart Disease. Many of the potential patients we have seen are in need of valve replacements and repairs. Tomorrow morning, once all of our cardiac surgeons have arrived in Rwanda, we will have a meeting to discuss a final patient schedule and Monday will be the first day of surgery. Thank you for following our work here in Rwanda and for all of your support. Please check back often for updates and pictures.