The start of our first day of clinics started late last night around 10:00pm. The Cunningham Clubfoot team unfortunately ran into some issues with the braces and sensors that we had available. The team stayed up until midnight working on different aspects of the testing instrumentation. As a reward for our efforts, Dr. Giraldo woke up early to make breakfast for the team.
Once we got to the hospital, we did morning devotions with the hospital staff. We were also able to get the clubfoot testing room ready for patients. Additionally, Pastor Sarah had a few of the members talk to the patients that were already waiting about the work that we are doing while in Kijabe. Since some of the kids were unable to attend World Clubfoot Day, Pastor Sarah prepared a cake and small celebration that some of our team members participated in.
Blurb written by Brittney: After stressing the night before, the team can confidently say that God blessed the first day of testing. Sam, Jacob, Ethan, and myself were able to mitigate all of the possible risks we thought of! It was the most productive and successful day of testing in the teams history; we tested with SEVEN babies, when previously the most we had done was two. The four of us all maintained distinct roles that allowed us to run like a well oiled machine :) Sam primarily took on the role of instrumenting the brace, Jacob was able to prevent (and then fix) any electrical issues, Ethan helped fill in the gaps where needed, and I did my best to keep the mother and baby education on the procedure and well-entertained during it!
While we did run into some complications, the four of us, with the help of Dr. Giraldo, were able to successfully complete the four scheduled tests by lunch time AND another three additional babies in the afternoon.
We got to meet a ton of adorable babies and sweet sweet mommas! I was able to talk with one momma in particular who, in broken english, told me her story of growing faith in being left by the babies father after the discovery of clubfoot disease. She was able to take this as an opportunity to depend on the one stable thing in her life: God. We look forward to another successful day of brace testing tomorrow!
While the clubfoot team was working on testing, Antonio, Dr. Soerens, and I (Rachel) worked in the Orthopedic Workshop. We started the morning with troubleshooting the 3D printer and cleaning it up. We then had the opportunity to watch Seith create a positive cast (looks like a limb) for a transtibial socket. Seith also took us to the hospital wards to meet a patient who had just received a transtibial amputation earlier in the day. After we had lunch as a team, Antonio and I were able to observe an appointment that Seith had with a patient. Seith made adjustments to the patients socket so that they could fully squat and have the mobility needed for his daily activities. The patient was also interested in getting a new prosthetic, so Seith showed us how he creates a negative casting mold (that looks like shell around a limb) in addition to indicating special pressure points on the limb. After the appointment, Antonio and I were able to create our own positive casts that were of patients that Seith had met with previously. Tomorrow, Antonio and I will be creating the physical sockets using these positive molds.
Overall, the team had a great first day of work at the hospital. The clubfoot team was able to get a lot of tests run and meet with several patients. Additionally, Antonio and I got really great hands on experience with the manufacturing of sockets. We are extremely grateful to the hospital staff for organizing these opportunities. Tomorrow, we plan to get more clubfoot testing done and finish manufacturing prosthetics.
-Rachel