CSVN Vietnam 2023 Team USA 🇻🇳 🇺🇸

  Hi Team, After our screening in Ha Tinh Province we immediately started surgeries for the children.   With a team of 6 surgeons from Hanoi we conducted 66 operations over the course of 2.5 days.  Here is a group photo of some of the incredible TTH Hospital staff and surgeons.  It takes a village. Highlights of the week for me was working side by side with top specialty surgeons from Hanoi.   Dr. Chein, Plastic Surgeon from the National Cancer Center and Dr. Chau Pediatric Othomologist from the National Eye Institute.  Dr. Chein and Chau were amazing teachers and educated me on the various techniques they employed during the surgeries.    More important was seeing the children before, during and after their operations.    Amazing impact we are making. For more photos and videos here is the Google Photo Link:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ Jnw5EF4NvssYU4ZQ7   Cam on, Bob

  I want to share the story of a little girl, Thao, who stole my heart last year.   Before I even knew the extent of her medical conditions I was touched by her smile and the attitude of her mother. Thao in 2023. Thao and I were reunited this year as she returned to our clinic again.   During this year's visit I learned the extent of her medical condition and what a miracle child she really is. Thao was born with several serious conditions:    1.   Megacolon -  an abnormal dilation of the colon    2.   Myelomeningocele-  which is a type of Spina bifida.  S pina bifida happens when a baby's backbone (spine) does not form normally during pregnancy. The baby is born with a gap in the bones of the spine. A myelomeningocele is a sac that contains: part of the spinal cord.    3.   Thao was born with no anus or genitals.    4.   She was a paraplegia,  Spinal p...

 Hi Team, Had a bit of time off from helping the children so I visited friends in Sapa.  Sapa is a beautiful mountain region in northern Vietnam on the border with China.  Part of the beauty of the region is the many rice terraces.    Most of the rice grown in the region is not for commercial purposes but simple family consumption.  Land owners are allocated space to grow their rice.  Because of the weather in the mountains this region only has one growing season for rice each year.  There are several labor intensive steps that go into growing rice.    First : The terrace must be plowed or tiled to loosen to mud.  Access to the terraces is steep and limited so most still resort to using water buffalo to plow the fields. Second : After the fields are plowed the first step is planting of the rice seedlings.  This process is best described as planting grass seed.  Seedlings grow very close together in a smaller ...

Hi Team, In this update I will be discussing Strabismus.  Strabismus is a disorder in which both eyes do not line up in the same direction.   Therefore, they don’t look at the same thing.   The most common form of strabismus is known as “crossed eyes”. I frequently reference congenital births as children with Cleft Lip.  This is true but Strabismus is actually one of the top congenital conditions we treat in children here in Vietnam .  As a reference point this past week we perform 13 operations for strabismus vs 3 for Cleft Lip.   As we all know sight plays a key role in a child’s education and early development.   So early detection and treatment is critical.   Treatment for strabismus may include eyeglasses, vision therapy, or eye muscle surgery.  The quickest most effective method is eye muscle surgery.  During this operation the surgeon adjusts the length of the eye muscle to restore proper alignment.   Videos of...

 Hello Team,  Quick update on our surgery week in Ha Giang Province.   Last week we performed life changing surgeries for the 127 children.   Ha Giang Province is the most northern province in Vietnam on the border of China.   It’s is a beautiful mountainous region famous for the Ha Giang Loop.  The loop consists of winding roads through the mountains with amazing views of the region.   As usual my heart is full of memories of the amazing families and children I meet during our visit.  The appreciation of families and hospitality of the hospital staff is amazing.  So on behalf of very one in Ha Giang a big thank you.  Plenty of photos from our week in Google Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ M1YzxdNh8nsxfUKm8 Bob McGarry  www.childsurgeryvietnam-USA. com

  Hi Team, Just completed a very productive surgery week in Yen Bai Province. Yen Bai province is about 3 hours north of the capital Hanoi.  Forestry and farming are the dominant industries in Yen Bai.   I was very impressed with the Provincial Hospital where we performed our surgeries.   The facility was built 10 years ago with cooperation from South Korea.  The facility was very modern and our specialist from Hanoi commented that it was much nicer than the National Hospitals in Hanoi.   There are several provinces in Vietnam that have hospitals sponsored or built by the South Korean Government.   Our week was kicked off with a welcome party hosted by the hospital for the patients which included live entertainment, games, treats and gift bags provided by our donors VSUN and Van Meter as part of the " Rebuilding the Smile " program.   The children and parents loved it.  Great way to welcome everyone.  During the we...

  Hi Team, On September 6th I returned to Vietnam for a short 10 day visit.  The purpose of my visit was to attend the wedding of a friend and to participate in the filming of a documentary on our program featuring some of the children we have helped.   On my arrival to Vietnam I learned of the fast approaching Typhoon Yagi.   The main airport in Hanoi was closed down 3 hours after my arrival as a precaution.     Fortunately : The Typhoon was moving fast, hitting Saturday night leaving clear weather for the wedding on Sunday.    Unfortunately :  The Typhoon was recognized as the biggest Typhoon in 30 years. Causing significant damage to northern Vietnam as it left hundreds of people dead, many still missing  due to being swept away by flood flow and landslides.  Hanoi was impacted mainly by the high winds knocking down trees all over the city.   Clean up was massive.  Interesting riding your mot...

  Hi Team, Quick note to share the excitement I felt this morning when I received a photo of a baby we operated on 4 months ago in Yen Bai province. This young boy was the youngest baby to benefit from the " Rebuilding the Smile " program.  " Rebuild the Smile " is a program sponsored by a unique collaboration between Van Meter (US based Electrical Supplier) and VSUN (Japan Electrical Manufacture with facilities in Vietnam).   At the time the baby was just 6 weeks old and had a very severe cleft lip.  It's amazing to see the change just 4 months after surgery.  Below are photos of him now and in May when we performed his surgery.   Amazing results that make me so proud of the work we are doing.    The family is so happy with the results and asked me to please thank everyone who helped make his surgery possible. Thank you: Team USA, Van Meter, VSUN and the entire team of volunteer surgeons.   Clearly the surgery wil...

  Hi Team, When I arrived in Vietnam on April 2nd I went from the airport to Lang Son province to join our team as we screened potential patients for surgery.   This past week we returned to Lang Son province to complete the circle and conducted surgery on 89 children.   So nice to be reunited with so many children and their families. Highlights of the week included the volume of hand surgeries we completed.   Burn scar repair and extra digits removal.  One family has 3 boys and they all had 6 fingers..  Common congenital condition in the area.  Here is a photo of the twin boys.   The process to correct the condition includes more than removal of the extra digit.  To ensure proper hand function the tendon from the extra finger must be transferred to the thumb.  Success rate for this procedure is very high.  Here is the link to Google Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ AkiaqYRNYpZ65Tci9 for mor...