Dien Bien Province Surgery Week 2026

We just completed surgery week in Dien Bien province and provided surgeries for over 200 children. Dien Bien Province is in the mountains in the far northwest of Vietnam on the border with Laos. I want to start this post off on a funny note. Most people here in Vietnam have a hard time pronouncing my name "Bob". They call me "Bop". I had to laugh when during the opening ceremony they had a seat assigned for me and the sign said Mr. Bop McGarry.
During the ceremony Dr. Houng, Director of Plastic Surgery at St. Paul Hospital said "Bop is like Santa Clause for the children of Vietnam". I thanked him and said I am blessed to get to play Santa Clause because of the hundreds of helpers I have in the US who provide the gifts for the children. The most touching moment of the week for me was being reunited with several families and children that we helped last year and the warm welcomes from the hospital and operating room staff "Bop it's so good to see you again". Here is one of the boys we did surgery on last year. He had severe bilateral Cleft Lip repair. Now he looks amazing.

The special moments this week are far too many to cover in one message so stay tuned. I will send a couple of special reports covering my visit to the local organage and the special case family that we sponsored.. Here is the link to Google photos with hundreds of special moments I captured this week in Dien Bien Province:.Dien Bien Surgery Week 2026  

 Regards, 

Mr. Bop McGarry

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