Scenes from the Operating Room

Dr. Jeffrey Spanko, getting ready to
make a difference.

Patients receive the best care from a
collaborative, international team.

The pictures here show a glimpse of what has happened over the past week in Can Tho. But there's so much beyond the images. Logistically, performing 26 surgeries in five days has required Herculean mental and physical effort from the medical team. The local support teams have had to support the scheduling, supplying, staffing, and care for the patients.

Some procedures are so complex that they require several of the surgeons working in concert to provide the complex solutions the patient needs. As you look at the images consider the efforts these people have put forth to bring their special skills and gifts to people in need.

Many hands working together.

At a surface level, it's easy to say "they're changing lives." But consider that statement and the environment in which the patients and their families live. In the rural environments from which many of these patients have traveled to get to Can Tho, physical abilities and strength are a far greater necessity than most of us can imagine. The changes the IEP team is making in the lives of these families is also far greater than most of us can comprehend from the comfort of our living rooms, scrolling down a web page to spend a few minutes with these pictures.~Kim Austin