“How is your spirit doing?” Chaplain Liz asked us all during the daily devotion. “On a scale, how is it right now in this moment? Because it changes moment to moment, and that’s what keeps you in the now. Today will test your spirit. You must be in the now to adapt, and the overcome is up to you.”
Today is the first day of surgeries, and this is where we see all the planning and preparations come into play as we remember our motto, “Adapt and Overcome.” Dr. Pogo sent the surgical staff off with encouragement and trust saying, “Don’t let fear frustrate you.” So, with brave hearts and skilled hands, the teams donned scrubs, caps, masks and shoe covers determined to improve the lives of those in their care.
The first patient taken back to the operating room was an eight-year-old boy named Samuel whose mother sat dutifully by his side. They made a Facetime call to Samuel’s dad, and he showed off the new toy car the team had given to him. Then he was called back to the operating room. Samuel shivered from the cold and the nerves. How brave this child is. Drs. Pogo and Shullman, RN Amy and Surgical Tech Paul successfully performed an adenoidectomy, a surgery where the adenoids are surgically removed through the mouth. An adenoidectomy treats enlarged adenoids that can cause problems by partially blocking the airway, which can cause a variety of issues that require treatment.
After surgery, Dr. Pogo provided an update to Samuel’s mom with assistance from Jeff, one of our Spanish interpreters. Samuel was taken to the PACU and reunited with his mother whose thankful embrace to Chaplain Liz brought tears to our eyes and warmth in our hearts.
“The gratitude of the people is something you can’t explain,” said Kim Hinkle, RN in the PACU who is on her third trip. “It’s just what you see and what you feel from them. The ability for them to trust us – complete strangers – is a huge honor.”
Dr. Pogo also saw a familiar face in his OR today as Luis returned for another trachea change. He first came to the Faith in Practice team in 2021 to have his trachea changed. Years before, Luis had been attacked and had his throat slit. The trachea put in place had made it hard for him to breathe and work on the family farm. Dr. Pogo and the team replaced it for the first time in 2021, and he comes back every year for the change. This procedure truly did change his life.
There are so many more stories to tell, and it’s only the first day of surgeries. Tomorrow morning, physicians will round on the patients from today before starting the next schedule of surgeries.
We are tired, but our spirits soar.
17 total surgeries performed today:
General surgery: Five surgeries
ENT: Seven surgeries
Urology: Five surgeries
-Shari Lau
