Dr. Corina Chapeskie’s* presentation at Calgary 2013 Taste the World, wine tasting April 24, 2013
“Thank you all for coming……
Before I explain why I cme out and why I continue to work with Angkor Hospital for Children I want to take a moment to thank some of the people who made tonight possible. And I mean that literally.
As some of you may know this year’s event almost had to be postponed, and if it hadn’t been for Matt and Kim Hall and the energetic Steve and Tannis Cochrane we might not be here tonight.
They stepped up, took on co-chairing the event, and went above and beyond to make this a great night and ensure that Angkor Hospital for Children and Medical Action Myanmar would not go without this year so if we could give them and the committee a big round of applause….
One of the most rewarding aspects of working with Angkor Hospital for Children is being able to witness the rapid evolution of this hospital made possible by these kinds of pro-active volunteers who jump in to solve problems, start projects and lend a hand wherever they can.
Because of people like this, Angkor Hospital for Children has gone from a one room shack to a World Health Organization approved teaching facility dedicated to meeting international standards while improving the quality of care in Cambodia. This goal has lead to clinical investigations and numerous collaborative research projects with people from Harvard, Oxford, John Hopkins and many other institutions.
The hospital now has guidelines for fluid and drug use, a large Intensive Care Unit, fully functional Operating Room, dental, ophthalmology, and physiotherapy clinics, and a microbiology lab where culture and sensitivity tests are conducted onsite. (some of the children you see in the slide show behind me with parotid swelling suffer from burkholderia infection. Before Angkor Hospital for Children research showed this organism existed in Cambodia these children would have had no chance of adequate treatment; once septic from this there is an 85% mortality rate)..but I won’t go on about that because I might take up your entire night.
These advancements are fueled by the energy and enthusiasm that come from Angkor Hospital for Children being a teaching hospital but what keeps these projects running, and what keeps people like John and Nina Cassils working tirelessly to ensure that the hospital does not collapse or regress despite its ever-growing patient load is that whenever you visit Angkor Hospital for Children you will encounter parents whose determination and dedication is just indescribable.
There are countless stories I could tell you of parents who sold everything including the shirts off their backs and travelled for days to reach Angkor Hospital for Children in the hope they would find care for their children.
Angkor Hospital for Children dose not stop striving to improve care so for those of you thinking of volunteering or donating I assure you, you will not find your time or your money is wasted at Angkor Hospital for Children.
As volunteers you will be expected to bring not just your skills but also to teach this new generation of doctors who will be leaders in pediatric medicine in Asia.
As a donor I can assure you this organization makes every dollar count, from people like Nina Cassils who find ways of saving shipping fees such as asking volunteers to carry medical supplies over the boarder to the Operating Room Nurses who taught me you do NOT open an entire 4X4 of gauze if you only need half (that is done in the sterile section so the rest can be saved for another case).
I could talk all night about specific families, Cambodian medical students and the research at Angkor Hospital for Children that inspires me but…I think we would rather have more time to hear Nate Hall and Riley Donelson play so if you are interested I can tell you that later at the donation table. I will just leave you with this
Angkor Hospital for Children stretches every dollar and maximizes every educational resource they can to improve care for the children and families that work so hard to get there. Thank you all for your generosity and for coming out tonight.”
Corina (rt) at Taste the Worlld
Corina on location in make shift clinic at school auditorium in SiemReap
*Corina has traveled to Angkor Hospital for Children, as a working volunteer dentist, on 5 occasions
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