Surgery week Cao Bang Province 2025

Surgery week in Cao Bang province was very unique.   Unique ?  As I have mentioned before when our team comes to town we place a extra strain on the system.   In addition to the normal patient population we often add an additional 200 patients plus families.   That strain turned out to be to much for the hospital in Cao Bang.   So we made a last moment decision to transfer 50 patients and families to Bac Kan Province Hospital which is 100 kilometers away.  


I was concerned because the families in Cao Bang were not aware of this.  During the final evaluation by the surgeons on Monday it would be decided which patients would be transferred.  Only then did families learned they would be going to another province for a week for surgery.   The bus leaves in 2 hours be in the hospital lobby.   Logistic nightmare, how would the families react?  
Well in typical Vietnamese fashion the families were very positive.   As they boarded the luxury bus one father thanked me and said this is like a vacation.  My son is so excited.  Many of these families have never been outside of Cao Bang province so the idea of traveling to Bac Kan was a real adventure for them.   

I blame myself for my own concerns on how the families would react.   Is the glass half full or half empty.   Depends on how you view the situation.   The Vietnamese culture is to look at the glass as half full.   Another example of how appreciative the families are that we are here to help change the future of their children.    Later in the week I meet up with the patients and families that where transferred to Bac Kan and you could feel their excitement about the journey and new environment.  I am sure the adventure is a story they will be talking about for years.     
More photos and videos from our week in Cao Bang/Bac Kan provinces,  Google Photo Link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QRoYKnCzQzha4qL17

Regards,
Bob McGarry

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