Coya, Peru – February 2018

Team Type: Children’s Orthopedics, Prosthetics, Orthotics, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Urology

Campaign Summary:
In the orthopedic realm, there were 158 patients triaged and 29 surgical procedures performed. The procedures ranged from amputations of a leg and extra fingers to tenotomies (a procedure where tendons are lengthened to increase mobility), to a gastroc recession (a procedure that reduces the pull and traction of the Achilles tendon. It is often performed to relieve pain), to fixing dislocated hips, to fixing club feet. The prosthetics and orthotics workshop was incredibly busy as was Trent Tompkins, the team’s physical therapist.

In the Urologic realm, Dr. Warner triaged 131 patients and performed 12 surgeries. Most of the adults he triaged had difficulties with their prostate. In the children, the most common problem was Phimosis – a condition where the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back over the glans (head) of the penis.

The Campaign was Financed by Team Members and their Supporters. Some Supplies, Services, and/or Funds were Donated by the Following:
Americares — Stamford, Connecticut
Friends of Dr. Shaw — Salem Oregon
Kent and Julie Irving — Salem, Oregon
Roger and Janet Olson — Salem, Oregon
Salem Health — Salem, Oregon
Peggy Seidler and Surgery Centers of America — Salem, Oregon
William and Margaret Walsh — Troutdale, Oregon

Team Members:
Sherri Furch, Sterile Supply
Dr. Kim Geelan, M.D., Anesthesiologist
Terryl Lee, R.N.
Julie McMahen, R.N.
Eric Miller, Administration
Todd Nelson, Orthotist/Prosthetist
Dr. David Noall, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon
Rachel Nolan, R.N.
Sam Perez, Orthotist/Prosthetist Technician
Courtney Schmidig, R.N.
Samantha Schmit, R.N.
Tabor Scrabeck, R.N.
Dr. David Shaw, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon
Nancy Simmons, R.N.
Samara Sparre, Assistant
Trent Tompkins, Physical Therapist
Dr. Bradley Warner, M.D., Urologist
Dr. Jonathan Young, M.D., Anesthesiologist

Below you will find the interesting stories of three of the 158 patients the team saw on this campaign. Then there is also an update on the Pucallpa Prosthetic Clinic Capitol City Medical Teams helped set up.

Yohana Torres Apaza — 17 Years Old Female
In August 2017 Yohana was visiting her mother in the hospital where her mom was having a C-section. Yohana had boarded a bus and was on her way when her bus had a head-on collision with a car. Her legs were smashed and needed to be amputated above the knee. She then dropped out of school and continued her studies at home. Her family was unable to afford prostheses for her, so she spent her time in a wheelchair. Her family heard about Dr. Shaw’s orthopedic campaign through the Apaine organization in the community of Sicuani – about a 4 hour drive from the Kausay Wasi Clinic.

With the help of the prosthetics team, she was fitted with a prosthesis for each leg. Her determined spirit and courage allowed her to walk with her prosthetic knees locked in position using the parallel bars within a few hours of being fit. Later, one of the knees was allowed to move. With practice and continued therapy, we feel she will be very successful and mobile once again.

Now she hopes to return to school and continue her studies. She wants to study computers and technology with the hopes of finding a job in information technology. She also has an interest in becoming an attorney. She would like to travel to the United States to see everything there. She hopes to dance and sing once again.

Victor Quispe Ccompi — 19 Year Old Male
Victor was born without a right leg below the knee. He lives approximately 30 miles from the Clinic. Although he has a sister that adores and helps him, his mother has had difficulty providing help for him. He has used a crutch to walk all his life. He was very timid and rarely smiled. He was bullied at school for his condition and dropped out.

In Peru, once a doctor has graduated from medical school, he/she is required to provide one year of service to the government. Dr. Sajjed Gilani, who now works at the Clinic, was one such doctor. While providing his year of service, he observed Victor walking through the small town of Huayabamba near Urubamba in the Sacred Valley with a rickety wooden crutch. He told him about the Clinic and told him to visit our Prosthetic Clinic.

He came to Clinic for the first time one week before Dr. Shaw’s campaign arrived. He had a very sad demeanor almost as if he has been beaten down all his life. Frida, the Prosthetic Clinic Director, told him she would help him. Frida fitted him with a prosthesis. Once the team arrived they also helped. He practiced walking on the parallel bars. After the second day, he was able to walk with minimal assistance in the Coya Square with Todd Nelson holding on to his gait belt. He is a very determined young man who has and will progress rapidly. Once he’s comfortable in his prostheses, he said he plans to return to school. It has been a joy to see the transformation in Victor’s demeanor. Upon leaving the Clinic, he’s been seen smiling a lot with his sister by his side.

Juan Carlos Centeno Orve
Dr. Shaw’s team first encountered Juan Carlos four years ago with severe deformities of his lower extremities including a double femur on both sides. Prior to coming to the Clinic, he had only crawled on his very deformed legs. Extensive surgery was necessary to remove the rudimentary legs below the knee and reconstruct the thighs. Four days after his surgery, he stood up on the temporary prostheses.

The next year he was fitted with permanent prostheses. As he has grown, he has returned to the Clinic to get new prosthetic parts.

He returned to the Clinic this year for replacement parts for his prostheses to adjust for his increasing height. The team continues to be impressed by how well he walks and enjoyed seeing and helping him again this year.

Pucallpa Prosthetic Clinic Review
During the medical campaign at the Kausay Wasi Clinic, Eric Miller and Sam Perez took a side trip to the city of Pucallpa to see how the newly formed Pucallpa Prosthetic Clinic was doing. They met with Milton Neyra and his wife, the owners of the Pucallpa Prosthetic Clinic, Juan Carlos, an employee of the Clinic, and Mark and Jennifer Morris who supervised the Clinic.

The purpose of the Pucallpa Prosthetic Clinic is to provide assistance to individuals, indigent and non-indigent, who need help with prosthetics, orthotics, bracing, and other mobility issues. Self-sustainability is the ultimate goal of the Clinic. (Incidentally, there is no other facility like this one within 200 miles of it.)

While there, Sam Perez saw several patients and was able to see Milton’s work firsthand. He was impressed with what he saw. Milton was able to diagnose, prescribe orthotics and prosthetics, build braces and prosthetics, sew, etc. It was concluded that Milton is highly skilled at his craft.

The rented space for the Clinic is not state of the art, but it is a viable affordable space. Security has been added to minimize the threat of theft. The equipment purchased has been sufficient to meet the Clinic’s needs.

The workshop already has a reputation for high quality products. The Refuge for Hope, a local charitable organization, connects needy individuals with the Clinic and local hospitals and doctors are referring patients.

Mark and Jennifer Morris have done an excellent job training Milton and his wife with accounting and supervising the project.

More time could be allocated to getting additional work like maintaining equipment at area hospitals. It could also diversify its product mix by selling shoes and/or renting hospital equipment like hospital beds.

Milton is most proud when he has patients who have been told there is no hope for a child to walk and then being able to find a way to help the child become more mobile.

We are proud of the work we have done and that the Pucallpa Prosthetic Workshop is a success.