Complex Medical Treatment Project for 17 children  

MG Project with RC Pijnacker-Nootdorp, D-1600 (International Partner) and RCES (Host Country Partner). This project provided Complex Medical Treatment to 17 children, in all initiated by Rtn.Martin Brands from the RCES end:

* 15 Children are Burmese. Thanks to great compassion of Thai doctors and other medical professionals and staff at Maharaj Nakorn Regional Hospital in Chiang Mai, North Thailand. We do so with our Cooperating Partner for these 15 patients, the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, North-West Thailand. RCES have cooperated this Clinic since 2004.
* 2 Children are Thai. They are be helped by medical teams of Chulalongkorn Hospital & Medical School and Ramathibodi Hospital & Medical Faculty

The MG project entertains these children with ailments listed below:

* 13 Children will receive Cardiac Surgery; 6 suffer from Tetralogy of Fallot, 4 from a Ventricle Septal Defect, and 3 from a Mitral Valve Defect.
* 2 Children will receive Complex Reconstructive Surgery on their Digestive Tract.
* 1 Child will receive Complex Reconstructive Surgery and Physical Therapy needed as a result of very severe burns.
* 1 Child will receive Complex Cranio-Facial Surgery.

Uraiwan Boonphuek at the Thai Red Cross Rehabilitation Center, Samut Prakan 

Life has been very cruel to Uraiwan Boonphuek. At a young age she lost both of her parents. Since that tragic event she has lived with her aunt in Klong Thoey, Bangkok.

She was a pretty and bright girl who loved to study and read and dream about a bright future. That dream fell apart when a candle set fire to her bedroom last July, causing extensive burns to 50 percent of her body ...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Now she looks again very pretty

Suttipong (La) Mullawan, Operation at Ramathibodi Hospital, Pediatric Intensisive Care Unit, Bangkok 

He was has suffered terrible facial damages in a motorbike accident.
(Severe Cranio-facial Defects.)

Under the care of a team of 4 surgeons. Has received substantial cranio-facial surgery for first priority: to restore normal eating & hearing. Spent almost 4 months in Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, about 500 km from home. Returned home early April with instructions for daily excercises & care, also in preparation for dental surgery.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> RCES members visited La at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok.

Visit to Chiang Mai on June 14 - 16, 2007 

RC Eastern Seaboard’s Incoming President Steve Ryser, his wife Rtn. Toy and I visited Chiang Mai to see several patients of our Matching Grants Project 61544 currently being treated, or being prepared for treatment, at Chiang Mai’s Maharaj Nakorn Hospital & Medical School. We also visited a temporary shelter for the children and their mothers. Our project provides complex medical treatment to 17 children. Of these, 13 get heart surgery, 2 a reconstruction of their digestive tract (these 15 are all from the Mae Sot region), 1 receives extensive cranio-facial surgery and 1 receives treatment for burns, especially extensive rehabilitation (physical therapy).
In Chiang Mai we were greeted by our great friend Mrs. Kanchana Thornton, our Medical Partner from Mae Sot. This Partner prepares and coordinates the treatment of 15 of the 17 patients of this project, 13 of whom require heart surgery. She had arrived the day before with a minibus full of kids and their mothers. She makes such trips almost every two weeks. In total we met 7 of our patients and their mothers: 5 in the shelter and 2 in the hospital. The total number of “Kanchana’s children” that we met in Chiang Mai was around 20.
Our first visit was to the shelter. This facility is needed as patients come from very remote areas. They need a few days to be prepared for hospitalization. Their ‘in-patient’ stay at the hospital is seldom longer than 1 week, even for cardiac surgery patients. Their transformation from very sick child to normal, healthy child is almost immediate, a real medical miracle! After leaving the hospital they stay another few weeks at the shelter to monitor progress and to make them strong enough to return home safely. After their return home they need to come back to the hospital for quarterly or half-yearly check-ups. Toy and Steve present fruits for the kids to the Supervisor of the shelter. The younger kids also received a teddy bear and the older ones a set of books and pens.
In the afternoon we visited Chiang Mai Maharaj Nakorn Hospital & Medical School, a huge
compound. With 2,000 beds, this hospital ranks in size directly after Siriraj Hospital & edical School, Ramathibodi Hospital & Medical Faculty - where our cranio-facial patient is treated, and Chulalongkorn Hospital & Medical School - where our burns patient is treated. The latter 3 hospitals are all in Bangkok.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rekwan and a specialist from Mae Sot Hospital visiting Chiang Mai to learn more about Echoscopy. Echograms are a perfect tool to discover heart (and other) problems at an early stage. We spoke with Cardiologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rekwan Sittiwangkul of the Department of Pediatrics and thanked her and the Cardiac Surgery Team for the outstanding work they do for our and other patients. In the back of her crowded office were 2 Echoscopy units actively in use, forcing our visit to be brief.
It seemed to us that Chiang Mai Hospital was the ideal setting to thank Kanchana Thornton on
behalf of The Rotary Foundation and our Sponsors for all the great and often difficult work she does for patients from the Mae Sot area. Kanchana, born in Thailand but raised and married in Australia, lives in Mae Sot with her husband, a writer and journalist. She is tireless in her efforts to help children that are in need of complex medical treatment. Very charming, but at the same time very purpose-driven, and not easily taking ‘no’ for an answer! It was a great privilege for Steve, Toy and me to present to her a Paul Harris Fellowship, the recognition she deserves for her fantastic work!
Helping children in need is one of the best things we can do in life. We really are very privileged to be able to do this wonderful work! This goes for all of us: Sponsors, The Rotary Foundation, our Medical Partner, doctors, nurses, volunteers and cooperating Rotarians! This is a joint effort of many, and all of us receive enormous satisfaction in return!

On behalf of our patients, their parents and the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard, we thank all of you!

Special thanks go to our fantastic Sponsors: Jan & Renee de Vaan (Main Sponsors of MG 61544), Wim Scherrenberg, to our Honorary Members Aad & Witha Scholtes, the Rotary Club Pijnacker-Nootdorp and Rotary International District 1600, all from The Netherlands. Without your great financial and moral support we could not have these wonderful projects!
We also thank Kanchana and our Medical Partner from Mae Sot for taking such good care of the needs of 15 of our patients, the Medical Team of Chulalongkorn Hospital headed by Dr. Apichai for taking care of our burns patient, the Medical Team of Ramathibodi Hospital headed by Dr. Chalermphong for taking care of our cranio-facial patient!