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Todays we have a journal written by an extraordinary gibtk team leader. Tu leads our heart program and recently journeyed to Laos. A new country for gibtk! But before we get to it, many have asked how is gibtk doing during this crisis.
First I hope and prayer you're doing "ok" in these trying times. I want to let you know gibtk is doing as well. Both Vietnam and Cambodia are in self-quarantine as we are. Our homes are doing well. The kids a bit bored, schools continue to be closed. We are doing remote tutoring wherever possible. There is no case of the virus in any our homes! The gibtk team is all working from home remotely.
Unfortunately we are limited in our outreach programs. Our wheelchairs, project legacies, teaching emotional health/ soft skills and anti-trafficking programs are on hold due to the quarantine. We haven't been able to do medical outreaches either. As a whole both countries are faring well with not too many case of covad19.
Here's Tu's note;
Looking back on 2019 puts a smile on my face just simply because we did something that Giving It Back To Kids has never done before. For the very first time, we in collaboration with The Da Nang Youth and Da Nang General Hospital carried out an outreach for local citizens, especially children in Salavanh, Laos, where there is a limited access to health care service.
After traveling about 12 hours by van, we finally got to the hotel in Salavanh. We were all tired at first, but that feeling just naturally disappeared when seeing people coming to our event the next day. They were all very happy and excited to have people from Vietnam come and help them. The doctors provided free general check-ups for local people and prescribed them some medicines to take at home. Especially, we did echocardiography for kids and discovered four children with heart defects.
Just imagine, you are very lucky to have a free screening done for your children, but suddenly you learn about your dear kids disease. How shocking it was! I haven't married and had babies yet, so perhaps I can't fully understand that feeling. But judging from my parents love toward me when I am just commonly sick, I can somehow feel their pain.
Before starting this trip, many people asked us "What are you going to do if you discover children in Laos with heart diseases? Are you going to bring them to Vietnam for surgery?" We answered them "Yes, we are." And finally, we made it.
For Giving It Back To Kids, our mission is transforming lives. So, we won't make any changes if we just go to Laos, screening kids' hearts and telling people about their daughters or sons' diseases and leave them untreated. Instead, when being back to Da Nang, we tried to contact our partners and finish needed paperwork so that we can bring the four heart patients here for surgery. Is it easy to do that? - No, absolutely not. However, with the great support from our partners, the hospital, volunteers and GIBTK staff, we overcame it.
I still remember how excited I was when traveling to the border to pick up the patients. We spent 12 hours traveling and it was 7 p.m when we arrived at the hospital. For the first few days, everything was still strange for the patients and their families. I could feel how worried they were, but I think it's understandable because they came to a new country with new experience, hardly knowing anyone here in Da Nang. Language barrier is the first big obstacle for us.
If it hadn't been for the support from the Laotian volunteers who are studying at colleges and universities in Da Nang, we wouldn't have been able to communicate with each other. The most common questions they asked us were "When will my child have surgery and when can we come back home?" They kept worrying about their children's health conditions.
Thanks to the volunteers, we could soothe the children and their families by letting them know what was going on or when the surgery would be. The volunteers were so enthusiastic about taking turns to be at the hospital so that the patients could feel like they were at home.
I love the time visiting the patients in the hospital, spending time talking to build relationships with them, especially encouraging them on their surgery date. It brings me a very special feeling that words fail to express. I feel connected with them just by sitting there and sometimes saying nothing.
All four patients finally had a successful surgery, which is by far the happiest thing for us. I no longer see the sadness in their eyes. The feeling of great worry when they first came here was replaced by joy and laughter. The patients recovered well. They could eat soup, rice and drink milk. After a half month of treatment, the doctor allowed them to be discharged from the hospital.
I know they had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and nothing could make them more delighted than that. However, it's still hard for us to say goodbye. Seeing them writing letters of thanks sent to donors, the doctors, nurses, volunteers and GIBTK staff touched my heart.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and meeting them in Salavanh is a beautiful start for all of us. I'm so grateful that the kids are healthy and can come back home now. I will meet them again soon because we will bring them back to Da Nang for their post-operative check-up as the doctors instructed.
Before signing off, I would like to send my deep thankfulness to all GIBTK's philanthropists for joining with GIBTK on the journey of transforming lives during the past 18 years. Thanks to doctors and nurses for all your wonderful contributions. I won't forget to thank the team for supporting me. Without all of you, the miracle wouldn't have happened. And together, we will definitely achieve more in the future.
Sincerely with Love;
Tu
As always if you feel led, please send a note of encouragement to me and I will forward to Tu. I do pray this time of coved passes quickly and you and your family stay healthy!
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