Hearts 4 Mission International, Blantrye, Malawi

Dear Chenoa and Team,

I am very pleased to write and let you know that our heart camp in Blantyre, Malawi, was a huge success.

During the two -week trip, we performed 14 open -heart operations (13 rheumatic valve cases and one adult VSD), implanted ten permanent pacemakers, and completed four percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasties. This was in addition to a considerable amount of screening , diagnostic TEEs, and heart catheterizations. This was our sixth camp in Blantyre, and to date, we have now completed 72 open heart operations in addition to many other procedures and cases. As of Saturday, our final patients were discharged from the government hospital to return home.

More importantly, the local Malawian team continues to make incredible strides in their training. Our local Malawian scrub tech and circulator handled each case fairly independently, and a Malawian perfusion student (who is currently training in Kenya) ran the heart -lung machine for every case. We also had a Malawian CT surgery fellow, currently training at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya , present for the entire camp; she assisted in many of the operations and performed portions of the cases herself. These individuals are the core group, in addition to ICU nurses, we are training to be the future of heart surgery in Malawi!

I want to extend my deepest appreciation to Scanlan International, the Scanlan family, and Scanlan Life Programs for the donation of these instruments. They were truly invaluable and now form the a core of our third complete set of open -heart surgery instruments. Attached are several photos of our patients, including a group photo of them recovering in the hospital and several pictures from the OR. Each patient gave explicit permission for their photos to be taken and shared.

One particular story that was deeply meaningful to me personally was that of a 22-year-old woman with severe mitral and aortic stenosis who was in worsening heart failure. We performed a mechanical double valve replacement and root enlargement. She has a 7-month -old son, and on post -operative
day one, she was already able to hold her child and breastfeed. She made an excellent recovery, and because of this surgery, she can now look forward to watching her child grow up.

These operations give the gift of hope to impoverished Malawians suffering from rheumatic heart disease in a country where there are no other options for the average patient. Our patients also inspired us with their immense courage to undergo surgery in a place where cardiac operations are still novel and unheard of. These life -saving operations are only possible due, in large part, to your incredible generosity and support. Thank you again for partnering with us to make this impact.

With blessings and warm regards,
Stephen Thorp, MD
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Aspirus Heart and Lung Surgeons
Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau WI