Stewart Adventures in the City and Beyond: 3rd Vietnam Entry

I just finished putting captions on all of the pics that were in the last entry; so check that out if it wasn't done when you looked before.

Today was an interesting day. It's weird because by the time I sit here late at night trying to recall all that we did, I feel like it happened a week ago, and I can barely remember it. We started the day at 9:00 and headed to the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital in DaNang. We visited/checked in on some patients that are GIBTK kids. Most of these children are there for repairs to club feet. If they are casted when they are babies, then it's not that big of a deal. If they wait until they're older, it means surgery often and can take longer to correct.

We also visited a baby orphanage. The downstairs portion of this little place was for older kids with special needs, primarily Down's kids or kids with other mental disabilities. The sign at the entrance of the school read "DaNang Support Center for Agent Orange Victims." Basically, TONS of disabilities of all sorts are labeled "agent orange-related." I don't think that's the problem. I'm sure that that WAS a problem, and maybe there are still some people being affected by it, but not the majority of what we're seeing. Steve and I think that the percentage of people here with mental disabilities appears to be the same or less than in the US. Anyway, it's interesting...

These kids were super happy to see us, and there were hugs and high fives given all around. Steve ended up hanging out more downstairs, and I headed up to see the babies. All of the babies here are headed to be with families in Canada. It certainly makes it fun to hold these babies knowing that they are being well taken care of here, and that they have a family that they will soon be with.

After that, we were off to Father's House. This is a GIBTK home for unwed mothers. If a girl in this culture becomes pregnant unexpectedly and without being married, she is hugely shamed. Many times her family will disown her, and she is left on her own completely, expected to pick up and move to a new community (or to get an abortion). Father's House offers another alternative. This home can take up to 14 mothers and their babies. They stay for six months learning how to be a mom, having the comaraderie of other girls in the same situation, and being loved. Then, if they would like to continue their education, GIBTK will allow them to stay and pay for the education until they graduate. Of course, they have to abide by certain house rules, etc., but it's really an amazing opportunity to completely change their lives. We were thinking that most of these girls and their kids will come out WAY ahead of even other kids their age. It's a fantastic program!

We had lunch with our team at a little restaurant downtown. A real locals' kind of place. We didn't get to order for ourselves; everyone just was given the same thing. I ate it and it tasted good, but I didn't want to know what the crunchy stuff and carpet fuzz really was on my rice noodles. I've been in that market, remember? I just had to keep it out of my mind... BTW, they eat dog here. Pets are more common that they used to be, but they still serve dog at some of these places. YIKES!!

After lunch and killing a bit of time, we went to the GIBTK office where we interviewed ten families who have a child in need of surgery to repair congenital heart problems. This process lasted for a couple of hours. Seven families and their successfully treated children were there to offer their stories of support to those that are in the very scary position that they are right now. There were some tears, and in the end, Robert told all of the families that their child would have surgery. One was in the hospital right then with problems, and his surgery would be scheduled for any day. Four others went directly to the hospital as well. The others will be scheduled very soon. Currently, he is taking money out of the General Fund to cover it because there are not enough donations specific to heart surgeries. He should be able to get more donors though, and this will be covered... $2000 to save a life anyone???

We were back at the hotel around 5:00 and left for dinner with the girls on staff and some of our team about 6:00. They took us to a Vietnamese seafood place that they would go to. It was perfect! Real local food and a real local experience. I tried EVERYTHING!... shrimp (easy), clams in the shell (a little tough on me), snails out of little tiny conch-like shells (I tried hard to think of it as a conch, and then I could do it... I had to pick the eyes off first though. One got stuck under my fingernail, then I wondered if maybe eating the eyeball would have been better afterall.), seafood porridge with clams, shrimp, and calamari. I did good on that, but I had to pass the tentacles over to Steve. That I can't do.

We went to a yummy gelato place for dessert and made it back before too late. Delivering and assemblying wheelchairs tomorrow!

Baby casted for correction of club foot. This will stay on for 2-3 weeks,
then be changed to another cast. This will happen again for a total of around
8-9 weeks in casts and in the hospital. They don't get to go home during this time.

This little boy will have his tendon cut so that he can put his foot flat
and walk normally. They may attempt to fix his arm/hand in the future.

This little one had corrective surgery because she was much older
at the time of repair. She will also likely get to have cataract surgery.
She will be sent to a vision hospital (by GIBTK) as soon as possible.

This little girl will have her feet casted soon, but will have to wait
until doctors feel it is the right time to fix her spine (the lump on her back).
GIBTK will likely be her only chance at getting this done.

I forgot to say that they don't have nurses like we do in the States. These nurses administer
medication, but do not take care of the patient. A family member must always be there to
check on the patient, get the patient food, feed them, etc. GIBTK pays for food for the mother and child while
she's at the hospital and other expenses related to having a child there.

Steve's attempt to teach tic tac toe... It wasn't gonna happen :)

I loved that these babies had this play mat to get down on together.
They were well taken care of and happy indeed.

One of the mothers at Father's House

Me and one of the little girls at Father's House. Her mother is working
on her education at this time.

Lunch!

What it looked like up close...

Robert is eating a fruit called durian. I tried it, but it is pretty gross.
I liked the smell, which some people hate, but it's texture was disgusting.