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Home  » Our Services  » Centers of Excellence  » Cardiac Institute  » Healing Hearts 8,000 Miles From Home

Healing Hearts 8,000 Miles From Home
Travelers

Follow Whitney Partin, CVICU patient care coordinator, at Le Bonheur, on a journey to heal little hearts in Nairobi, Kenya.

She and other members of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit team at
Le Bonheur will assist in the care of pediatric cardiac patients at the Nairobi Hospital.  This medical mission trip is sponsored by Children’s Heartlink and is scheduled for June 8 – 16.

During their stay, Whitney and the team will share their East African experiences while assisting in open-heart surgeries, providing post-operative cardiac intensive care and educating Kenyans about how to approach emergencies in cardiac intensive care.

Check back each day to see photos and read about the experiences of Whitney and the rest of Le Bonheur’s talent CVICU team (Dr. Antonio Cabrera, cardiac intensivist; Dr. Jeff Myers, cardiothoracic surgeon; Michelle Harris, RN and Crystal Hurt, RN) as they lend a helping hand 8,000 miles from home.

 

Our team would love to hear from you.  Please send your questions, comments or words of encouragement to
Whitney Partin, R.N.,  partinw@lebonheur.org.

Day 1 - We've Arrived In Nairobi 
  We've made it safely to Nairobi after over 24 hours of traveling. Our flights have been smooth and we've met some very interesting folks so far on our journey.
Day 2 - Getting To Know Our Patients 
  The group is having a blast! We were able to meet the four patients we are scheduled to operate on or perform a cath lab procedure on tomorrow.
Day 3 - Beginning to Teach 
  The team was busy in many directions today. Michelle and I started the first of 5 lectures to a large group of Nairobi ICU and operating room nurses.
Day 4 - Settling In 
  We have learned our way around more so we split up and went to our stations- some to the cath lab, to the operating room or “theatre” as they call it, and some to the clinic to check in the new patients for today.
Day 5 - Gospel Music In the Air 
  Today speaks to the power of gospel music! Michelle and I have noticed Veronica, our sweet patient from Monday who was still on the breathing machine this morning, showing signs of depression.
Day 6 - Inspiring Teamwork 
  We try so hard for good things to happen but we really can’t forget that these children’s lives are so fragile. The reality of doing surgery in places where children don’t always have access to regular checkups and healthcare makes repairing congenital heart disease e a little more difficult.
Day 7 - Celebrations 
  Today was a day of celebration. I arrived early to the hospital and handed a gift to each nurse and doctor working in the ICU. They were so gracious and appreciative.
Day 8 - Giraffes! 
  This morning we all crammed into a little white van and headed out into the county. Our first stop was to the Giraffe Centre. I’ve seen giraffes before but never have I been able to hold my hand out and feed them!
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  Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center is a leading children's hospital in the Mid South, providing pediatric care to children from 95 counties in six states. 50 N. Dunlap Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103 • (901) 287-KIDS