Special Report: 10 yr Anniversary 2026

People often ask about my connection and passion for Vietnam. Well it all started 10 years ago. My employer GlaxoSmithKline GSK (Global pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer) had a program to give back to communities around the world, PULSE. Under the PULSE program GSK would partner with NGO's around the world to help them accomplish their goals by providing leadership volunteers for a period of 6 months. 10 years ago, 2016 I was selected to participate in the PULSE program and my assignment was to support the Bill and Hillary Clinton Foundation in Hanoi Vietnam. 6 months away from my responsibilities at GSK is a long time. So none of this would be possible without the support of my manager Julie Wade. I will forever be thankful to Julie for supporting my dream to give back. My experience of working and living in Vietnam was life changing in so many ways. I never had a Passport or traveled internationally.before embarking on moving to Vietnam. My goal was to fully immerse myself in this incredible opportunity. Day 1 of arriving in Hanoi I rented a motorbike, the main form of transportation here in Vietnam. Another first for me, I have never ridden a motorbike before.

Welcome lunch to Hanoi with members of the Clinton Health Foundation team. During my time at the Clinton Health Foundation I provided guidance on several programs related to HIV and Tuberculosis. I still visit the Clinton office every year when I return to Hanoi to visit the team where it all started.

Fast forward. My experience living and working in Hanoi was life changing. I quickly developed friends and learned to appreciate just how special the people of Vietnam are. After my assignment in 2016 I returned every year just to visit the many friends I had developed. When I retired from GSK in 2020 I returned to Vietnam looking for ways that I could personally give back to the local community. This is when I connected with Mr. An, father of my best friend in Vietnam. Mr. An invited me to spend time with his team. Mr An's organization Center TWO has been helping disabled children in Vietnam for 18 years. I accepted his offer and said let me ask some friends and family in the US if they would like to support the program. This was the beginning of our journey today and the start of Child Surgery Vietnam-USA. As Paul Harvey would say "Now you know the rest of the story" . Together we are impacting the future of so many children here in Vietnam. The need has never been stronger as we are seeing record numbers of children in need this year. I am the lucky one who gets to receive the daily thank you's from the families we are helping. Without your unselfish giving none of this would be possible. So on behalf of the thousands of families "Cam on" or "Thank you". Bob McGarry www.childsurgeryvietnam-usa.com