OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA Giving the Gift of a Smile... a Lasting Legacy
NEWSLETTER December 2017
OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA
President’s Report Dear Friends, ORC is a group of dedicated people who believe that every person is entitled to a safe and quality surgical reconstruction, especially children with facial deformities. November 2016 was very busy. The team went to KakaBa Hospital where reconstructive surgery was performed on 88 children. Patients and their families were very pleased and we continued our positive relationship with the host hospital and its director, Dr. Champaneria. In February 2017, ORC went on its second teaching mission to Cambodia at the PKM Hospital, followed by ORC’s latest mission to China in the fall. The team’s next mission planned for Cambodia in early 2018 has been postponed due to political uncertainty; a recommendation from our partners in Cambodia. Between careers, commitments and missions, ORC’s Board of Directors somehow found time to keep ORC operating. It is with great pride that we have kept ORC 100% volunteer for almost 20 years. Doreen Lore, our Head of Mission Planning, has been active on the Mission Planning Committee reviewing the needs of future missions. Gary Hanney, Director of Media and Communications, ensures ORC information and materials are reviewed and accurate, as well as initiated several multi-media initiatives. Our Treasurer, Rakesh Patel, along with his committee, continues to keep our accounts up-to-date. Gloria Wong, our Secretary, has been working tirelessly organizing our meetings, and fellow founders, Al and Rose Lane have been active in supporting us on fundraising and administrative activities. Thank you to all our hard working volunteers. I sincerely appreciate their input and support, in particular the various committee members, who support our board and successfully address both opportunities and challenges. In addition, I also extend my gratitude to our supporters and their families who believe in ORC’s mission. To date, we have treated more than 3,000 patients and performed more than 2,000 surgeries. We have trained plastic surgery residents, pediatric residents and anesthesia residents/fellows in China, India, Philippines, Mexico, Middle East, Lebanon and Cambodia. Quite often on missions, we come across patients who do not meet our mandate (not cleft lip/palate nor post burn contractures); however, our policy is to do our best to welcome patients who reach out to us and work with our host hospitals to review treatment options where possible. In recent years, our focus has been on surgical education exchanges. We believe meaningful dialogue and collaboration can further impact lasting change after we leave a country. Our hope is to continue our programs in the developing world and transform lives. Thank you again for your ongoing support. With gratitude,
Dr. Kimit Rai, M.D., F.R.C.S.C. Founder and President
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OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA
Looking back on the year…. On December 26, 2016 ORC was featured on the front-page of the Province newspaper – a story that was initiated by Dr. Colin White. The story: Burnaby doctor gains fresh perspective on health care after providing free surgery in Indian village, highlighted the important work done by ORC. In February 2017 the Rouge Event, hosted by Dr. Mahsa Soraya, raised $25,000 for ORC. The event featured entertainment, dinner and a live auction. Dr. Soraya’s vibrant personality entertained and rallied her supporters to help the less fortunate during the course of the evening. ORC’s Dr. Bhanji, Dr. White and Dr. Ukani shared their experiences with attendees. Thank you Dr. Soraya and team for all your support!
Hugh Gillard continued to support ORC with his book “What Did You Say?” As a result, the board of trustees of Clearview Public Schools in Alberta sent a $400 donation to ORC for their appreciation of the books that Mr. Gillard donated to school libraries. Author of “What Did You Say? Memories on a Road Less Travelled,” Hugh Gillard was born with cleft lip and palate. ORC is honoured to have received proceeds from the sale of his book that further supports surgery on children with cleft lip and palate in developing countries.
ORC’s first Surgical Education Exchange Mission to Hebei Province, China
In April 2017, more than a dozen ORC volunteers came together for a large-scale inventory clean-out. The day was spent organizing and counting inventory. These types of activities ensure our supply inventory area is accessible and supplies are available for missions. The ORC team departed from Vancouver International Airport on October 12 to Hebei Province in China. It was the team’s first surgical education exchange mission to the area. In seven days the team screened 106 patients and performed 98 surgical procedures on 58 patients. The most memorable part for volunteers during this mission was the warm welcome and support ORC received from our host, the Wu’an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The doctors and nurses were organized, hard-working and eager to learn different techniques as well (continued on next page)
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OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA
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as share their own insights. Cleft lip and palates are relatively new to this hospital and staff were eager to understand processes in treating patients from screening to surgery to post-op care. Teams worked side-by-side for long hours, and through the support of interpreters, communication flowed very smoothly. We found that we share many similarities in our compassion for patients and their families, some of whom travelled hundreds of kilometers to see us.
ORC’s first patient in China
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Guo Kun Ye, was ORC’s first patient in Wu’an, China; he recovered very well and was quickly discharged from the hospital. An essential aspect of the ORC mission is offering the best post-op pain management and care. Children heal quite quickly but their arms have to be immobilized so that they do not scratch and undo critical stitches. Thanks to our sewing volunteers in the Okanagan and in Yale (BC), ORC was able to provide customized arm bands in cheerful patterns to patients.
Patients ranged from small babies to a man in his fifties, whose wish was to attend his daughter’s wedding with a new face. Each patient touched ORC members with both their patience while waiting for treatment and their smile of thanks. The team received thoughtful gifts from grateful families who brought home grown peanuts, cases of pears, and even a huge bag of garlic.
OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA
Feeding for young patient improves after ORC surgery Three-month old Jing Xiao was born with cleft lip and palate and sadly abandoned shortly after birth. The orphanage he now lives at needed to use a special cleft nipple to bottle feed him. Luckily he gained weight quickly and the orphanage put a request through for surgery. ORC performed surgery on Jing Xiao and were happy to see he recovered well and continues to be a healthy, happy baby.
Insight from a volunteer: Damian Duffy During ORC’s mission to Wu’an China, the team caught up with Dr. Naz Bhanji and Dr. Odion Kalaci in the pediatric clinic. The doctors emphasized the important role that pediatrics plays on the surgical team in ensuring the children are safely cleared to undergo surgery as oftentimes patients come with chest colds and other health issues.
Education Committee in Pediatrics to hear about ORC missions and other global health opportunities early. ORC is pleased to include pediatric, surgical residents and anesthesia fellows within its overseas mission work.
The other crucial role of the pediatric team is to help ensure post-op patients are stabilized and recover quickly so the patients can be discharged from hospital. The pediatricians also play an important role in family education in terms of ensuring vaccinations are up to date, the nutritional status of children, and counselling families on seeking routine health checks. It has been the practice of ORC to include pediatric residents within the team, and in speaking with Dr. Bhanji and Dr. Kalaci they feel strongly that Global Health is a key feature within the pediatric residency curriculum. As an opportunity to care for a large volume of pediatric patients, both doctors indicated that missions like ORC allow trainees to see and treat diseases not routinely seen in pediatric clinics in Vancouver. Importantly, the pediatricians feel that Global Health missions allow trainees to work and learn within a different health care system and to compare it with health care delivery in Canada. We asked Dr. Bhanji and Dr. Kalaci for advice on how pediatric residents can get involved in Global Health missions. They suggested that pediatric residents earmark and plan for Global Health electives in their third year, to be in touch with the Residency
Photo: Dr. Odion Kalaci and Dr. Naz Bhanji treat a pediatric patient and family, with the help of local interpreter Thea Wang, at the Operation Rainbow Canada mission in Wu’an China
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ORC in Cambodia In February 2017, ORC went on its second teaching mission to Preah Ketmelea Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This was ORC’s ninth mission to Phnom Penh and its fifth mission to Preah Ket Mealea (PKM) Hospital. This particular mission was a joint venture with the University Health Sciences of Cambodia. The focus was on burn scar reconstruction and hand surgery. There were three Cambodian plastics residents who participated – Dr. Kean Lyla, Dr. Sen Chanmesa and Dr. Oum Sovan Narith; who were keen to continue their learning from the previous year. ORC’s approach to patient assessment is very collaborative. Doctors were involved
in assessing the patients and were given the opportunity to present their opinion of what treatment would be best for each patient. Initially the residents were very shy and tentative about sharing their opinions, as they are used to a top-down approach, where they are informed about the proper treatment by someone more senior. As the mission progressed residents became more confident and relaxed as they discussed cases. Residents were also given the opportunity to assist or perform surgeries under our surgeon’s supervision. It was ORC’s privilege to be involved with the education and clinical practice of a new generation of Cambodian plastic surgeons.
Board of Directors Dr. Kimit Rai – President & Founder
Al Lane – Founder
Gloria Wong – Secretary
Rose Lane – Founder
Rakesh Patel - Treasurer
Doreen Lore – Head of Mission Planning
Gary Hanney – Director Media & Marketing
Operation Rainbow Canada Founded in 1998 - Giving the Gift of a Smile – A lasting Legacy MISSION YEAR
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Wu’an City, Hebei, China 2017 Cambodia 2017 Hansot, Gujarat, India 2016 Cambodia 2016 Hansot, Gujarat, India 2015 Cambodia 2014 Cambodia 2013 Cambodia 2012 Linyi City, China 2010 Baru Sahib, India 2010
Baru Sahib, India 2011 Indonesia 2009 Cambodia 2008 Cambodia 2007 Ludhiana, India 2007 Cambodia 2006 Philippines 2006 Jalandhar, India 2005 Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2005 Chandigarh, India 2004
Lebanon, Beirut 2004 Oaxaca, Mexico 2003 Philippines 2003 Oaxaca, Mexico 2002 La Trinidad, Philippines 2002 El Salvador 2001 Northern Philippines 2000 Philippines 1999 Villahemosa, Mexico 1998
OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA
Mission Statement Operation Rainbow Canada (ORC) is a 100% volunteer non-profit medical services organization that functions without paid staff to provide free reconstructive surgery and related health care for cleft lip and cleft palate deformities to impoverished children and young adults in developing countries. The medical teams perform reconstructive surgery for children and young adults whose families could not otherwise afford them. The patients are drawn from the indigenous population of the host country, and often families travel days from their homes in order to have their children treated. In addition to cleft lip and palate surgery, the teams also perform
reconstructive surgery for burn and post contractures. Without corrective surgery, children born with cleft lip and cleft palate deformities are often shunned, ostracized, denied schooling and eventually succumb to a solitary life lived in the protection of their homes. ORC also provides education and training to physicians and other health care professionals in the host countries to help them achieve long-term self-sufficiency. For our Canadian plastic surgery residents, pediatric residents and anesthesiology residents who accompany the missions, ORC provides an invaluable hands-on experience for their future practices.
Ways To Help
Thank you to our donors!
1. Donate Directly
Mr. Arthur Benjamin Whitney
By cheque, on-line via Canada Helps, or by donating securities.
Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons
OPERATION RAINBOW CANADA Suite 400 - 601 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC Canada V5Z 4C2 1.888.956.3399 www.OperationRainbowCanada.ca info@OperationRainbowCanada.ca
Dr. Mahsa Soraya – Angel Care Dental
Cathay Pacific FASTSIGNS Coquitlam Sinclair Dental Supplies NWM Wealth Management Harbour Centre Dental Ideon Packaging
2. Volunteer We are always looking for passionate people to help us with our charity. If you have spare time or a particular skill you would like to share with us, please get in touch!
LTA Holidays (Canada) Ltd. Mr. Hugh Gillard Mr. Thomas Tait Clearview Public Schools Board of Trustees Anglican Parish of Salt Spring Island
3. Host a Fundraiser 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Have a party or event Set a $ goal or admission cost Invite your friends and tell them about ORC Collect the money and donate to ORC Receive a Tax Receipt for your donation
Rokko Sarees & Fabrics Storage for Your Life Textile Innovations U-HAUL Yale and District Ratepayers Association
4. Sponsor a Smile: 1 Medication per Surgery $100 1 Surgery $900 1 Mission (all surgeries & medication) $75,000.00 - $100,000.00
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Next year will be Operation Rainbow Canada’s 20th Anniversary! Hope you can join us for our party to celebrate 20 years of success!