Dr. Tilman Stasch (Vitality Fountain Clinic, Nairobi, Kenya) and Dr. Kai Kaye (Oceanclinic, Marbella, Spain), two experienced Plastic surgeons who knew each other from Germany, put together a team of experts comprising of nurses, anesthetists and two Kenyan Plastic Surgery Residents, in order to support a charitable children’s shelter based in Lamu called Anidan. Their quest was to provide medical and surgical aid for the local children and community.
Courtesy of Fly540 and FlySAX airlines, the team was flown from Nairobi to the remote island of Lamu. Giving up their time for a week´s of pro bono work, the team embarked on a mission to perform life changing reconstructive plastic surgery on children and adults during the Easter week in March 2016.
Cases treated included; serious tumors and soft tissue cancers of the hand, mouth, muscles and breast, as well as more harmless but debilitating conditions like large keloids of the earlobes, face and chest. The team’s objective of treating 30 cases was surpassed on Good Friday, when the 39th patient received his operation to close a complicated hernia of the belly button in a small child. A memorable highlight was Esther, a patient in a lot of pain caused by a large growth in her upper thigh diagnosed from Neurofibromatosis since birth. A condition where nerve cells grow big lumps all over the body. After removal Esther was able to walk freely, very tearfully thanking the team.
Dr. Stasch applied his recently published method of treating chronic leg ulcers (technique applied), which involves cleaning of the wound, skin grafting and transplantation of fat and stem cells into the scarred tissues, the only hope for these wounds which had been present for months to years without signs of healing.
Dr. Kaye applied his expert skills in facial and breast surgery to relieve a young woman of her tumors growing along her facial nerve, as well as excising upper eyelid lesions, reconstructing ear lobes, and taking painful tumors from young woman’s breasts.
The calm demeanor of anesthetist Dr. Devi Mongare and Mr. Petterson (anesthetic technician) put patients at ease prepping them for surgery. Blowing balloons and drawing smiles always put a smile on the children’s faces.
Our two Plastic Surgery Residents from the University of Nairobi brought strength to the team. The duo coordinated communication with hospital staff, handled ward rounds and skillfully handled operations to release syndactyly deformities, close a large scrotal hernia defect and among other plastic surgical operations.
Making it easier for them to live a normal life and give them a brighter future.
A big thanks also to our beautiful nurses from Oceanclinic Spain, who contrasted Lamu’s calm “pole pole”, expertly racing around theatre organizing and assisting the four surgeons at the same time.
The Lamu Camp received coverage in the K24 and KBC news.
We thank our sponsors who made this trip possible in providing the money for all the medical equipment. Private donations from friends and patients in Kenya, Germany and Spain and Dr Kaye – Oceanclinic, Pharmaceuticals from Britam East Africa and Troikaa Pharmaceutical (donated medications), as well as Lamu flights with FlySAX, fly540 (sponsored flights for the whole team).
Accommodation for the team in Lamu town was provided by Anidan.
