My latest trip to Timor-Leste was a busy and interesting trip, with a focus on the totally inspiring work that is being undertaken by East Timor Hearts Fund. I had the opportunity to meet with the team that drives the charity as well as doctors, medical staff, patients, families and communities of those affected and involved with this life-changing work.
This trip we largely focused on the great work that the East Timor Hearts Fund have been undertaking. What this organisation is doing is totally inspiring. They are literally changing the course of so many children, families and communities lives through their lifesaving surgery for rheumatic heart fever.
I have recently become a donor to the East Timor Hearts Fund so that they can continue to research, develop and deliver the amazing outcomes that their teams are achieving for the Timor-Leste people suffering from rheumatic heart fever.
It has been a heart-warming (pardon the pun) experience to personally meet the children and families of the 10 successful operations that have now been completed in Timor-Leste of young patients ranging from 9 months to 16 years of age. Known as Operation GoodHearts, this has involved an incredible volunteer medical team of Australian cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, nurses and health workers traveling to Timor-Leste to work alongside local staff in Dili to set up a temporary surgical suite to operate on more Timor-Leste patients in a week than they would ordinarily manage to treat in a year when the patients had to travel to Australia.
Research is still being undertaken to fully understand why Timor-Leste has such a disproportionately high number of kids suffering from rheumatic heart fever. In addition to the surgery offered by East Timor Hearts Fund, they run a prevention program that requires a monthly penicillin injection for 10 years. That is a total of 120 painful penicillin injection!
Whilst the East Timor Hearts Fund will continue their good work of bringing patients, and their families to Melbourne for this lifesaving survey, a practice that they have been undertaking since 2007, the success of Operation GoodHearts would suggest that this model could and should be repeated to exponentially increase the number of lifesaving surgeries the group can complete.
This boy is 9 years old living in Bhakita. Last year East Timor Hearts Fund bought him and his family to Melbourne for surgery to treat his rheumatic heart fever. Prior to his surgery, he was unable to walk. During my trip is was wonderful to see him playing as a normal healthy child, with all the other boys and girls.
One of our very young patients that have become a recipient of life-saving surgery for her rheumatic heart fever. Part of the research is to try and discover why young females are the group most affected by this illness.
BHAKITA
We visited a Medical Clinic in Bhakita where we meet some of the Australian and Timor-Leste medical and research teams.
During our trip to Bhakita we delivered a box of gifts from the East Timor Hearts Fund that was warmly accepted and welcomed by the locals.
Roadside. Kids creating fun.
LETEFOHO
We meet some past recipients of East Timor Heart Funds surgery at a local school in Letefoho. Letefoho is only 72 kilometres from the capital city, Dili, but due to road conditions, it can take 2-3 hours to drive that distance.
Local School Visit
We receive a local ceremonial greeting when we arrived at the Letefoho school.
Welcome luncheon with Letefoho locals at East Timor Heart Funds team.
DILI
Recovering from surgery. Families are so appreciative that their sick children have been given this opportunity for life-saving surgery. Without treatment, this child may not have lived to the age of 21.
Education of local Timor-Leste medical staff is an important part of what the East Timor Hearts Fund does.
Meeting with one of the beneficiaries of last weeks surgeries as part of Operation GoodHearts.
From Baucau – Meeting with husband and wife team who both local doctors. Their daughter was a recipient of surgery from the East Timor Hearts Fund.
Meeting with former Timor-Leste President, Jose Ramos Horta to introduce him to the CEO of East Timor Hearts Fund, Stuart Thomson.
Dinner with a father and son recipient of life-saving surgery by East Timor Hearts Fun.
