In an email on 12-30-05 Joi writes:
"Hi, everybody!!! Just a quick email to let you all know that our trip went very smoothly. All of our bins got here on the same plane as us---- Kudos to Hawaiian Airlines for all they did for us!!! Let's see, we arrived last night to a great committe of big strong Samoan men to unload our medical supplies and take us to our hotel. It was great to see Brooke (from Alabama) again. And Dani from Bend (whom I hadn't met til 2 nights ago) is a another fabulous gal. Our team rocks. I snuck over here to email Duane about supplies, and the crew are still over at the hut setting up the hospital.
Sandy and I have already been on the radio and the tv news this morning. We've treated a patient already---a pup with tetanus: classic symptoms!
Our hotel rocks. It is indeed the former Rainmaker, but our rooms are brand new with air conditioning. No one has even slept on my mattress before me. Right on a sweet little beach. Soft absorbent towels. A great breakfast. Right across the street from our surgery site. THEY HAVE COMPLETELY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS.
I feel very excited and incredibly proud of the crew we've got. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! I feel like I'm home. The Humane Society has gone all out for us. I smell success. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!"
On Jan 5, 2006 Joi writes:
"Okay, I made my mind up long ago that most folks who do volunteer work with animals are usually a bit nutty. Take for example: One of the gals that will be spending each day with us and is part of the Humane Society took us for a beach walk Monday. She took Becky, Julie, Brooke, Dani, Andie and me. We didn't really know what to expect, particularly when she put leashes on her two cats and we headed off. Now, I like to think I enjoy a bit of adventure, but FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!!!!!!!! She took us along a harrowing path along the beach of lava rocks, trudging through bush or walking along a 12 inch path along abrupt falls to waters below. I got stuck carrying one of the cats (who of course was anxious, hot, panting most of the trip... I felt like I was wearing a mink stole in 98 degree weather) for at least half of the trip. It was surreal. She was a good sport about it (even when it was quite apparent that her cats HATED the situation), pretty much clueless that she is insane. I don't wish to exaggerate, and certainly it seemed like an eternity, but it was probably a 3 1/2 hour ordeal. I'm glad we went, but oi! I heard Dani mutter at one point, "You know you're a redneck when..." We will all look back fondly on this adventure and laugh, and of course we are thankful to be alive."
On Jan 12, 2006 Joi writes:
"Well, if ever there is a day when you feel like you made a difference, yesterday was one! We got to work to find a family waiting with their dog who had had a dead puppy sticking out of her for 3/4 of a day. (Apparently they didn't think to contact us the night before. I suspect they didn't think we'd come??? Pity.) You know it is bad when they haul in your patient, feet up, holding onto her by her feet, kinda like a pig on a spit. She was nearly dead.
Now, as a vet out nearly 13 years... I've smelled some bad smells but whoa mama, this was a nasty foul smell. The pup was stuck but good. She may have been hit previously and have a busted pelvis that street healed, or it may just be that the now dead pups were monsterous. So, we started bolusing this nearly dead dog fluids, antibiotic, narcotics, etc. Tried to remove the rotting pup but couldn't (had to remove what we could externally and intra-op I pushed the remaining portion of the pup into her uterine body and removed it with the green/grey colored uterus. Duane was running fluids/hetastarch/etc into her, I was surgicating as fast as my little hands could sew, and Julie (our emergency/critical care vet of the team) ran the show. Yes, her heart stopped halfway during surgery. Yes, it looked bleak. And yes, Dr Julie made a miracle happen. A little CPR. A little magic. Today she looks pretty darned good. Vomiting a smidge, but alive. Cutest little dog you ever saw. Her name is Princess. I am so proud of our team. It is fabulous to take along your very own criticalist when practicing medicine in 3rd world nations. Julie rocks."
Joi writes on Jan 27, 2006:
"Hello, dear friends. Well, on my way home from the "Tropical Medical Hut" after our last day of surgery. We just packed up our bins and we leave tonight for 6 days in Western Samoa. Yes! A true vacation. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!!!!!!!!!!!! And even better, we will not stink of dog anymore. Hee hee hee!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The final tallies are yet to be in (ie numbers of transmissible venereal tumor by Dr Cindy and Ronna) and the hundreds of physical exams and such. Nonetheless, we do have one important number to give you an idea of how hard we worked: 792 surgeries in 19 days of surgery. Pretty darned good. We blew away the record we set when some of our same group went to Bora Bora with another organization, and we had shorter days and fewer days. We must be getting better as we age.
Duane and Karen are staying for an extra week and are borrowing some of our supplies and are doing their own volunteer trek. Good luck to them!
Personally, I'm tired. In fact, I'm downright pooped. This afternoon was the cumulation of 10 months of work: Bob getting our nonprofit status, Sandy and I requesting donations from anyone who would listen, zillions of emails to Cheryl in American Samoa and drug reps, blah blah blah. If I wasn't so tired I would cry. I feel like crying, but in a good way. So this is a dream come true?!?!? I'm mighty proud. It wasn't the smoothest process, but I think this may be the best thing I've ever accomplished. I'm so thankful for Sandy, or I could never have put this together. She is my other half in this deal. We share a dream. And what a team. I'm happy to have met Sarah and Ronna and Jen and Cathy. I'm happy to reacquaint myself with the volunteers I didn't previously know very well. And I'd say we all know each other a whole lot better now!"
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