For two weeks in May, two members of the Ocala Heart Institute – which partners with Martin Memorial to provide open-heart surgery at the Frances Langford Heart Center – will be taking their life-saving skills to India.
Dr. Michael Crouch, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and Dale Ruby, who operates the heart-lung bypass machine at the heart center, will be part of a team providing heart surgery for patients who might not otherwise have access to the proper care.
During their trip, Dale and Dr. Crouch will periodically post blogs discussing their adventures.
May 14, 2009
Hello again from India!
Surgery went great today again. We operated on a woman who is the mother of the police chief here in town ( no pressure there, huh!). There were numerous family members present so as Dr. Crouch and I left it was great to be able to smile to them so they were aware that the surgery went well. In any language the love of family is so beautiful. It was such a privilege to be a part of the OR team that helped this family through a tough time.
We are now finished with surgery for the week. Tomorrow morning we will round in the ICU on the patients we operated on and make sure they are well and there are no complications before we head back to Mumbai.
It will be a big travel day as we have a six-hour car ride to Mumbai, then a 15-hour flight to New York. I am happy to be coming home but sad in a way also. I have made some good friends with the medical staff here. I know that next week I will again have many luxury items around me (like air conditioning and reliable electricity!) but they will have to make due with what they have here. I hope that we have made patient care better for them and that the work we did here this week will continue after we leave.
I will post pictures next week after we return.
Regards,
Dale Ruby
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