Supplies and support from home
“… I remind myself that if I can give one person hope for one day , then I have fulfilled a purpose .”
— Dr . Bush
“ One girl had no fingers due to a congenital deformity . She had to use both hands to do anything . I took stiff cardboard and a rubber band and made a crude prosthesis , something I had seen in a book . In three minutes , she could do things with one hand for the first time in her life ,” he says . “ Sometimes it is that simple . It is not technology that makes a physician a physician , but being able to apply an idea to a problem .” And , thanks to support from home , being where the idea is needed . ■
Scott & White supports the involvement of its physicians in medical mission work in a variety of ways . Dr . Bush , who uses her vacation time to travel to Haiti , says , “ The operating room staff is incredibly supportive , putting aside supplies for me that would normally get thrown away . They know specifically what I can use .”
Dr . Weber says his local place of worship , Temple Bible Church , provided financial support for his year in Estonia , and Scott & White was helpful in making the experience happen . “ Scott & White removed as many barriers as possible to my going to Estonia and returning to work here ,” he says .
Dr . Verheyden uses a combination of vacation time and the week Scott & White allocates for meetings each year for his mission work . He , too , benefits from surplus supplies . “ We take a bunch of stuff that would normally be thrown away . That is one thing that made an impression on me . After every surgery case here in the United States , there is at least one huge bag full of trash . In Tanzania , we operate all day long and fill up one small wastebasket .”
Dr . Bush also is an associate professor of surgery , Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine .
Dr . Weber also is an associate professor of surgery , Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine .
Dr . Verheyden also is a professor of surgery , Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine .
The Haiti OR
Spring 09 THE CATALYST 33