Operation Smile: Medical Mission, Kisumu, Kenya

On the 4^th of October, I flew to Kisumu for the Operation Smile Medical Mission. Before departing, I was so excited about participating in this mission, and I had been waiting in anticipation for weeks. This would be an amazing opportunity for me to see firsthand how Operation Smile works, and the impact that it can have on a community. When I arrived, I met some of the most interesting people that I have ever met in my life, including other students, doctors, nurses, child-life specialists, etc. Despite the fact that some doctors had volunteered in over 70 missions, and others were volunteering for the first time, it seemed as if everyone had something to share to the Kisumu Team.

The first two days of the mission were screening days. As part of the Student Team, my main responsibility was to keep the children, who were waiting in line for hours to get screened, entertained. We spent 10 hours at the hospital handing out toys, helping out with medical records, and giving presentations on burn care and prevention, oral hygiene, nutrition, hand washing, and oral rehydration therapy. Although it was exhausting, it was amazing to see how friendly these children were and how much they would open up to you if you showed them that you cared. Although not many patients showed up with cleft lips and palates, there were a lot of patients with keloids and severe burns. With the conclusion of the second day, 237 patients had been screened.

On team bonding day, the main activity was a boat ride on Lake Victoria. Although none of the team members initially felt that this would be a good activity to bond over, we soon discovered that it was the perfect one. After getting stuck on Lake Victoria, as a result of the Water hyacinth trapping the boats, we all had to work together to make a path for the boats to travel through. After 4 hours or so, the boats managed to reach the dock. By the time the boat ride was over, everyone knew each other’s names, and we were all ready for the week ahead of us!

Monday was the first day of surgery. The Student Team and Child-Life Specialist were given their own room, and we got to work setting up toys and activities that the kids could do while they were anxiously waiting for their surgery times to arrive. Since most of the kids could not speak English, we had help from students from a local school in Kisumu with translating. What impressed me the most was that the kids themselves were so excited to play with each other, and included as many people as they could in their games. We spent around 7 hours at the hospital per day from Monday through Friday, and although there were many enjoyable moments, there were also many challenging times. Trying to calm down patients who were in extreme pain after their surgeries was one of the hardest things to do, but the concern that all of the volunteers displayed made this much easier.

Throughout the week, the Student Team had the opportunity to observe surgeries as well, and I was very interested in this. I observed around 10 surgeries, including cleft lip and palate repair, keloid removal, and skin grafting. All of the surgeons found time out of their busy schedules to talk to us about their profession, and I was amazed by their extreme compassion and dedication to helping the less fortunate.

The Student Team visited several schools and orphanages as well, including a school for the blind, the mentally handicapped, and the physically handicapped. At the schools and orphanages, we gave our presentations and handed out donations such as toothbrushes, soap, and school supplies. The children showed genuine interest in the information that we had to give to them, and the amount of questions that they would ask us regarding our presentations made this very clear to me.

By the end of the mission, all of the volunteers were exhausted and ready to go home, although it was hard to say goodbye to so many unforgettable people. 129 surgeries had been completed, and this surpassed everyone’s expectations. Some volunteers even described it as one of the most successful missions that they had ever been on. I am thrilled to have had this experience, and I hope to be able to go on another Medical Mission with Operation Smile very soon!