From Prem Shekar, M.D.

We have arrived in Boston. It is 7pm EST. It has been a long 32-hour but fairly uneventful journey back to the US. Most of us are quite worn out. The only highlights of the return trip were the interactions with Newark Customs (needed to be bailed out by a fellow missionary Customs Officer) and a 6-hour layover in Newark.

We have completed our second trip to King Faisal Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda. Once again, it has been a rewarding and humbling experience. We have successfully operated on 13 patients this time. We raised the bar and were able to perform more valve repairs on more complex patients with Rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease. We have learnt from our past experience that durable valve repairs are ideal in Rwandan patients for their long-term after care. We have had one complication with a cerebrovascular accident but we are hopeful that she will recover adequate neurological function in the long-term.

The most memorable event of this trip was seeing all the patients that we operated on last time. They are all healthy and most of them, had successfully returned back to school/work and other activities.

Once again, the dedicated team that I have traveled with came through. It has been a great experience working alongside these colleagues of mine, some of them for the second time. I would like to commend and thank all members of the team - Cardiac Surgery Fellows, Residents, PA's, Cardiac Anesthesiologists, Cardiac perfusion technologists, OR, ICU and floor nurses, Cardiologists, Intensivists, Echocardiographers, Respiratory Therapists and Volunteers.

I would like to specifically thank Chip Bolman - I have greatly enjoyed working with him on both trips.This trip has been a great learning experience for me and an example of collaborative work.

Needless to say, this trip would not be feasible without the dedication, commitment and drive of Ceeya Bolman. She has already asked me to keep time aside for the next trip. Her dedication is truly amazing.

Kigali continues to be a fascinating city. It is very safe and scenic. We able to discover more of it this time even with the limited spare time that we had. Our visit to Rwinkwavu was, once again, memorable.

"He who saves a single life saves the world entire" - Quote from the Genocide Museum, Kigali.

Prem Shekar MD - April 22, 2009.