Our first mission trip to Uganda began at LAX Friday evening November 2nd with an eventful hunt for a missing suitcase, which included essential medical supplies. Tensions were high to say the least, however, after careful scouring of the Tom Bradley International Terminal the missing supplies were found, and we successfully checked six extra-large plastic bins and multiple suitcases that were over capacity, but we were not charged—WHEW! Breathing a sigh of relief our group of eight, which includes Dr. Tiffany Perry, Dr. Ryan Kotton, Dr. Zachary Barnard a 5th year resident, Andrea Searcy the scrub tech, Max Yue the Medtronic representative, Pamela Mikkelson our physical therapist, Cindy Litman an RN and myself Rhondine Jordan the academic assistant proceeded to our departure gate headed for Istanbul, Turkey. Twelve hours later we landed in Istanbul followed by seven hours to Kigali Rwanda and finally arrival at Entebbe after a twenty-six-hour excursion.
While traveling is always an endeavor, coordinating checked luggage, international visas, Ugandan medical licenses, and immunization records for a team of eight adds an additional layer of anxiety to the process. Is everyone prepared with their documents? Will we be held up at customs for any reason? What will we do if that happens? The questions were extremely nerve-wracking, but our team was absolutely prepared, and the journey went on without a hitch. Upon arrival in Entebbe our driver Isaac stood outside the terminal with a sign that said, “Uganda Spine Camp Team, Dr. Tiffany Perry” and he ushered us into a twenty-eight-passenger bus with our luggage in tow for the four-hour bus ride to Mbarara Uganda. After making a pit stop at the Ugandan Equator for a bathroom break and snacks our team boarded the bus once again for our destination completely exhausted but totally excited about our mission ahead of us. Exhausted, the team vacillated between periodic naps and absorbing the beauty of the country side in a country we were all experiencing for the first time except for Dr. Tiffany Perry our groups seasoned veteran on her second mission in 2017.
You would think that after twenty-four hours of continuous travels and lack of sleep we would embrace our hotel rooms and call it a day until Sunday, however, that assumption would be completely wrong. Instead, this dedicated team of eight quickly dropped off our luggage and headed directly for the Mbarara hospital to unpack our multiple bins of medical supplies and survey the hospital for surgical evaluation.
After swift teamwork the medical supplies were unpacked and organized into groupings and ready for any surgical procedure. Did I say I was proud of our team? And I am not biased, believe me.
One last endeavor remained before our day would be considered a complete success and that would be clinical rotation. Our fearless leader Dr. Tiffany Perry alongside Dr. Barnard and Dr. Kisitu evaluated multiple patients experiencing a range of spinal complications, they reviewed available images and decided that two urgent cases would be on tap for Sunday morning OR.
One last endeavor remained before our day would be considered a complete success and that would be clinical rotation. Our fearless leader Dr. Tiffany Perry alongside Dr. Barnard and Dr. Kisitu evaluated multiple patients experiencing a range of spinal complications, they reviewed available images and decided that two urgent cases would be on tap for Sunday morning OR.
Can I just say that today was an extremely long day but well worth it in the end, two cases will be on the docket tomorrow so stay tuned for the magic!
Our day would not be complete without delicious Indian food, and our group enjoyed every morsel.
Yes, all of that happened on our very first day. Go Team!!
Our day would not be complete without delicious Indian food, and our group enjoyed every morsel.
Yes, all of that happened on our very first day. Go Team!!