Give and it will be given to you (Luke 6:38)
Pediatric cardiac mission to Papua New Guinea, November 2023
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38).
I’ve explained before my periods of silence in this space, when conviction and responsibility limit my time to write.
It is my tradition to write an update on the return home from mission trips for our non-profit For Hearts and Souls, where my pastor pediatric cardiologist husband Kirk and I serve with others caring for children with congenital heart disease. We just completed two such missions, the first in Papua New Guinea and the second in Tanzania. I’ve been blessed to share my updates from these trips in this space.
When we do back-to-back missions in two countries on one trip, for instance, I usually only write one update. Our experience in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was incredibly different than our experience in Tanzania. I anticipated this would be the case, so this time I wrote my PNG update as we traveled to Tanzania. Please enjoy this first update prior to my posting the second.
This was Kirk’s 10th trip to PNG and my 3rd. Kirk’s initial trips to PNG were for screening and diagnosis of children with congenital heart disease and for training of physicians in diagnostic cardiac ultrasound. A team of us first went there to conduct cardiac catheterization procedures in 2018. We returned for another procedure trip in 2019. We were scheduled to return in 2020 but were prevented from doing so by covid restrictions.
Kirk finally returned for a screening and assessment trip earlier this year. He had worked with pediatric cardiologist Dr. Cornelia at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) on past trips, but that hospital had not had catheterization lab capability. Dr. Paki Molumi, an ENT surgeon, became the CEO of PMGH in 2019. He observed that, though the foundation Operation Open Heart had been faithfully bringing teams for over 30 years, PMGH had very little of their own capability. He has made it his goal to decrease their dependence on visiting teams for cardiac care. Kumul Petroleum has been very generous in funding a new heart center at Port Moresby General Hospital, with facilities, supplies, and staffing. On Kirk’s last trip, he was given a tour of this facility and offered to bring a team to work with them there.
There were eight of us on our team: Kirk (pediatric cardiologist), me (pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist), Dr. Tom Jones and Dr. Allison Cabalka (pediatric interventional cardiologists), Grace Cabanas (nurse), and Jeff Cabalka (servant and spreader of joy) were all veterans. Riley Folsom (nurse) and Dr. Samara Thambar (resident physician from Brisbane, Australia) joined us.
We have very few seamless trips. This one was close. Ms. Jane Huka worked for Kumul Petroleum as a project manager for over 20 years. She did one project with Operation Open Heart and the Lord led her to resign her career to become a full-time volunteer. Her administrative capabilities were part of what made this trip so seamless. She assisted with our licensing, credentialing, and visas before we arrived. She met us all at the airport, arranging our transportation and lodging. She helped arrange travel for children from the highlands of PNG to receive screening and care.
We were welcomed on the evening of our arrival, on Sunday, with a dinner with our hosts, that included Dr. Molumi, Ms. Katherine Johnston (Deputy Chair of the hospital board who oversees their cardiac care efforts), Ms. Jane Huka, and the physicians and staff of the cath lab. We were truly spoiled with generous hospitality all week.
Monday, we screened 15 children at the hospital. 5 were inoperable, 5 need to be referred out of the country for surgery, 1 will not need any intervention, and 4 were appropriate for interventions by our team. One of these was 7-year-old Alex. He had been scheduled for surgical repair by a visiting team later this year, but we found he could be treated by a catheter intervention by our team, sparing him open heart surgery. We took care of him and 2-year-old Matalina on Tuesday.
One of our few disappointments this week was the inability to screen and treat more children. Covid restrictions interrupted screening efforts. PMGH used to conduct regular screening outreach, but their portable ultrasound has been broken. Efforts were made to spread the word as much as possible. Ten children that Kirk had screened previously were brought from the highlands. Five that need intervention are currently lost to follow-up. It is very difficult to communicate with families in outlying areas in PNG and to get them to Port Moresby. Kirk hopes to return to help with increased screening.
Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Diane Olitaa was persistent in calling families all week, so we were able to screen more each day, ultimately finding two more children who need to be referred out of the country for surgery and two more who were appropriate for care by our team. One was 5-year-old orphan Abednego, who had been abandoned by his mother and taken in by another family. It was truly our pleasure to care for him on Thursday, as well as 6-year-old Francesca.
We did two procedures each day on Tuesday through Thursday. We started Wednesday with our most challenging case. It always seems there is one patient we got on the plane for and this week Dalcy, who we cared for on Wednesday, was that child. She’s 18-years-old, has rheumatic heart disease, and severe mitral valve stenosis. Kirk met her on his previous trip and did not think she would survive until we arrived. We were thrilled to find her alive. Her case was long and challenging, but successful in opening her mitral valve area and giving her more cardiac output. We pray she can gain weight and will continue to do well in anticipation of, ultimately, a valve replacement surgery out of the country. We took care of 6-year-old Cynthia after Dalcy. Our final statistics were 3 PDAs (patent ductus arteriosus) & 2 ASDs (atrial septal defect) closed with devices, and one mitral balloon valvuloplasty.
We always feel we receive more than we give on these trips but confess that sometimes the giving is difficult in many ways. The cooperation, capability, care, and generosity of our hosts and the staff of PMGH made this trip truly special. “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17a). We thank Him for this week and pray that He was glorified. Lord willing, we will continue this collaboration to help more children of Papua New Guinea.
Congenital heart disease refers to children born with cardiac defects. It's incidence is relatively constant throughout the world (except it is higher in places where close relatives marry and have children). The difference throughout the world is access to cardiac care for these children.
God bless you and the team for serving!! 🙏🙏❤️