From Meera Kotagal

Nearly a year ago, I left Rwanda after 10 months working in the Eastern Province for Partners In Health (PIH), with no idea of when I might make it back to this remarkable country.  But through Team Heart I was fortunate enough to make it back this April to work as part of the cardiac surgery team.  And I can't even begin to explain how wonderful it is to be back.  Rwanda is a country of incredible beauty and generosity, but also a country with great need.  There is no cardiac surgeon in the country, but there are many patients who are in need of surgical interventions.  It is a privilege to be here as a member of a team that is working so hard to change the lives of 14 Rwandans this year.  The work has been hard over the past week -- long days, lots of patients to see, and challenging operations and post-operative care.  But everyone has really responded with incredible enthusiasm and worked exceptionally hard.  My role within the team has been a little bit like that of an intern -- I have been helping to get patients ready for surgery, writing up histories and physicals on each of our patients, and making sure the preoperative evaluation is complete for each patient.  And I've gotten to spend a little bit of time in the operating room.  As a soon to be general surgery resident with a strong interest in global health, it has been a great opportunity to learn about surgical evaluation and interventions in resource-poor settings.  And it has been a great chance to come back to a place that feels a lot like home -- to reconnect with old friends and colleagues from last year, to practice my French and Kinyarwanda, and to think more about how Rwanda can continue to figure into my life and career as I go forward.  

One of the most striking features of this trip has been seeing the patients from last year and witnessing how dramatically different there lives are as a result of the surgery they underwent.  It definitely leaves me excited for each of the patients we have operated on this year.  Above all, I am extremely grateful for the chance to have been part of Team Heart this year, and look forward to seeing how our patients do as they recover from their surgeries...  

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"Yes we can to justice and equality.  Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.  Yes we can heal this nation.  Yes we can repair this world.  Yes. We. Can." 
-- Barack Obama