LEAP Foundation

Back to Back Belize

fulladmin — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:39:25 +0000

LEAP is traveling to Belize twice in the next couple of months–from May 18th- 21st and again from June 8th – 11th. We will be performing corrective surgeries at the Northern Regional Hospital. During our May trip, LEAP will bring specialists in craniofacial and eye surgery, and our June trip will focus on craniofacial and hand surgery.
This is LEAP’s 17th year providing free medical services to the people of Belize, continuing our commitment to their long-term needs. We will update the blog with news during and after the trip.
This week, we would love prayers for:

1. Rapid and complication free recoveries for patients

2. Safety, health and stamina for team members

3. Precision and excellence in procedures for medical teams

4. LEAP’s actions are the embodiment of God’s good news and we can be the vessel that enables God’s continual revelation to the Belizeans

The Young Advocates Kickoff- Note from Ruth, Director of Development

fulladmin — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:35:04 +0000

Sundown at the Granada on Lower Greenville in Dallas, TX was the scene of the ADVOCATES for LEAP Kick-Off Happy Hour, Thursday,May 10, 2012. ADVOCATES for LEAP is a group of young professionals now forming to support the work of the LEAP Foundation. The group intends to help increase awareness about LEAP amongst peers.

Over 70 were in attendance to meet, mingle, and learn about LEAP’s life-changing mission from founder, Dr. Craig Hobar. He shared stories and slides—before and after pictures of babies whose extreme facial deformities, such as cleft lip & palate, were surgically repaired in field hospitals all over the world.

We are encouraged to see young professionals around Dallas take an interest in LEAP and are excited about their continued involvement.

As mentioned during the Happy Hour, a few ways to help LEAP:

1. Attend Cupcake Camp Dallas- Cupcake Camp is a fun gathering of cupcake-lovers to share and eat cupcakes for a good cause

Saturday, June 2, 1:00-4:00, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Buy $10 tickets online or at the door, all proceeds go to LEAP.

www.cupcakedallas.org

2. Register for the 3^rd Annual 5-K “LEAP into Action 5-K and 1 Mile Fun Run”, Saturday, October 13^th, White Rock Lake, 5-K $20, 1 Mile Fun Run $15 (discounts for early registration)

https://secure.getmeregistered.com/LEAP

3. Assemble Post-Op-Care-Totes- Gather a group of your friends for some purposeful fun and assemble a post-operation care tote to be taken by surgical mission teams to help ensure a more cheerful recovery for young LEAP patients around the world. For more information, contact leap@leap-foundation.org

4. Save-the-Date for the annual LEAP Gala Fund-raiser Dinner & Silent Auction, Thursday, November 8^th at F.I.G. (Fashion Industry Gallery) in Dallas, TX

If you would like to join other young professionals in spreading the word, please join us for any of the above and like us on Facebook.

Daniela

fulladmin — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:17:01 +0000

Daniela is the latest LEAP Landmark patient. Landmark patients are a group of children with complex surgical problems that cannot be cared for in overseas mission work. They are brought by LEAP on a selective basis to the U.S. to have reconstructive surgery.

Daniela has Pfeiffer’s syndrome, which causes severe retrusion and lack of growth of her facial bones. Not only is her appearance effected by this syndrome, her bulging eyes are not protected from trauma and her collapsed nasal airway and crowding of the tongue cause inability to breathe adequately. Daniela is dependent on a tracheostomy to breathe.

On March 13, 2012, Dr. Craig Hobar and Dr. Doug Sinn teamed up to perform a Lefort 3 Osteotomy with a Halo distraction—both of which were donated. In this operation, the facial bones are mobilized forward and are then fixed to the halo device, where they can be slowly brought forward on a day-to-day basis. When bone is slowly advanced in this fashion, the body regenerates more bone (distraction osteogenesis). The operation improves the functional and aesthetic problems caused by the facial bone abnormalities.

Following the operation, Daniela returned home to Mexico with her family to heal. While home, Daniela’s schoolteacher and classmates asked her to visit. She was able to participate in an Easter egg hunt at school and was shown a lot of love. With tears of joy, friends and teachers gave her drawings, hugs and listened to her story. When reflecting on her day at school, Daniela said to her mother, “Mom, now I’m happy with the blue halo Dr. Hobar put in my head. Now, I’m the most beautiful girl in the world.” To which her mother replied, “You were the most beautiful girl before, but now you are even more adorable.”

Daniela is returning to Dallas this month to have her halo device removed and should also be able to get rid of her tracheostomy in the near future.

Healing in Haiti: Orleans

fulladmin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:56:10 +0000

Because LEAP is committed to long-term care, we are able to see progress in our patients through the years. Our latest trip to Haiti allowed us to facilitate Orleans’ continued healing.
Orleans was born with a condition that made it almost impossible for him to eat or breathe. In fact, he was so weak he actually died. The doctors resuscitated him but each breath remained a struggle. In the aftermath of the earthquake in 2010, there were hundreds of others to care for and nothing more could be done for weak baby Orleans. The doctors sent him away with his mother to die at home.

Unwilling to do nothing, with her baby again in respiratory distress, the mother returned to the tent hospital two weeks later. This time, when Orleans’ labored breathing finally stopped, the rescue attempts failed. The attending physician pronounced Orleans dead, wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the makeshift morgue at the end of the room.

The doctor left to attend to the hundreds of earthquake victims in need. As he walked away, he heard a slight sound. He walked back, unwrapped the baby and found he was alive!

Dr. Anna Tran recognized that baby Orleans was “a survivor”. She made several frantic phone calls and within a few hours, thanks to the Landmark fund, Orleans and his mother were on their way to Dallas on a private jet. They were greeted by Dr. Hobar, his wife Robin, and Mariline, the Haitian patient who was recovering in their home.
Medical City Children’s Hospital accepted Orleans. Through a series of surgeries and excellent care, Orleans’ health was turned around. He returned several weeks later, with his mother, and a LEAP team member to his home in Haiti. LEAP doctors have seen him multiple times each year and provide his mother with the necessary supplies he needs until his tracheostomy can be removed.
On our most recent trip to Haiti, Orleans visited the LEAP team at Espoir hospital. Orleans is thriving. Dr. John McClay examined his airway, and found it to be wide open. He placed a partial covering over the tracheostomy that will allow Orleans to talk and it can be removed in a short period of time. Also, Orleans has not taken anything by mouth and has been sustained through a gastrostomy tube running into his stomach. During his exam, Dr. McClay felt confident enough in Orleans’ progress that he allowed him to try to drink. Orleans passed with flying colors and he went on to eat solid food without a problem. For the rest of that day and until he left the hospital the next morning, he enjoyed multiple meals.

Orleans has an excellent prognosis and LEAP is thankful to continue to be a part of the journey.

April 2012 Haiti: Recap

fulladmin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:54:23 +0000

Since the earthquake in January 2010, LEAP surgical teams have returned to Haiti regularly to help meet the great medical needs of children. From April 12^th-16^th, 24 LEAP volunteers traveled to Port au Prince to spread the love of God through free surgeries for children.

After evaluating and treating approximately 70 patients, we determined that 46 needed surgery. Our team included three surgical specialists- Craniofacial, ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat), and Urology. The next three days were packed with back-to-back surgeries. Two operating rooms were used simultaneously. All the while, our team members exhibited endurance, professionalism and joy.

LEAP returns to the same location year after year to ensure excellent long-term patient care. In many cleft palate cases, several surgeries are required for a successful outcome. On this trip, doctors provided the necessary subsequent surgeries for returning patients.

While LEAP has been providing medical care worldwide for 21 years, there were several firsts on this trip:

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) assembled post-op-boxes for a more cheerful recovery for the patients

A connection was made with a Christian school, Quisqueya, who may be able to provide translators for subsequent trips

Orphanages, Kingdom of Kids and H.I.S. Home For Children, now know firsthand of the life-changing, free medical services provided by LEAP

Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement. We are already looking forward to our next trip to Haiti, scheduled for this November.

April 2012 Haiti Trip

fulladmin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:50:43 +0000

We have a great team of 24 and are working closely with the Haitian doctors and nurses. Haitian medical students are rotating through the hospital and observing the surgeries. We are operating with a Haitian urologist and a Haitian ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeon. We evaluated and treated approximately 70 patients on Thursday extending to 10 pm, and operated yesterday until after 10 pm. We had some equipment issues in the morning that delayed start in one room, but we were still able to were still able to complete four cleft cases, 4 ENT cases and 8 urology cases. We have a full schedule through tomorrow and will return to the states Monday. More than half of our patients are children from Christian orphanages throughout Haiti.

Meeting the missionaries who are devoting their lives to these children on an every day basis has been inspiring, and taking care of these children by surgical reconstructive surgeries has been joyous. We are also getting referred many difficult cases by the Haitian medical community. Dr. McClay will operate on two large neck and face tumors today. All cleft patients have had their ears drained of fluids and tubes placed to prevent infection and preserve their hearing.

We have been blessed by the return of several patients who we have operated on previously. They are all doing well. Thank you for your prayers and support, which are essential components of our LEAP mission.

To view more photos, check out the blog posts by Dr. Liz Drum, LEAP anesthesiologist: http://edrum19.blogspot.com/

Returning to Haiti

fulladmin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:45:48 +0000

LEAP is excited to be returning to Haiti this week! We established a strong presence in Port au Prince after the earthquake, and have returned multiple times per year since. LEAP is committed to the long-term needs of Haiti’s children.

In addition to cleft and craniofacial surgery, LEAP is bringing a team of specialists for urology and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery or Otolaryngology). We will be in Haiti from April 12th to April 16th at Hospital Espoir in Port au Prince and will update the blog with news during and after the trip.

This week, we would love prayers for:

Mission Team: safe and healthy travel
Surgeons: to operate with precision and excellence
Patients: to recover without complications
Host Hospital: to enjoy the sweet aroma of Christ long after we are gone

Want to help our team further? Consider giving during our 48 hour campaign beginning tomorrow, Tuesday April 10th: www.causes.com

India 2012! Part two

fulladmin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:46:27 +0000

As LEAP left the hospital in central India, the patients and their families left their respective tents in the make shift “camp” to form a line and give our team members love and gratitude for what we were able to accomplish in our short time in India. We were told by the locals that God had answered their prayers to bring these children to a new life through surgery. Parents misunderstood why God would allow their children to be born with deformities and were further misled by myths within the village which proclaimed curses as the root cause. As a result, many of these children are dismissed as valuable members of society, denied an opportunity to interact with others in the village, and offered little hope for the integration. However, our hope is that through education and these corrective surgeries this village can experience God’s presence in a new light and see that even those born with deformities are valuable.

The word of the LEAP mission, now 10 years old in India, and through the reach of CICM’s 900+ churches there is now a huge stretch for patients from farther and farther away to seek aid on each new trip. LEAP strives for excellence in providing life changing surgeries in some of the poorest and most neglected regions of the world, but that is merely our toolset; our mission is to share the love of Christ and show these people, who ultimately show us, our God knows no boundaries.

Check out our Facebook page for many more photos from the trip.

The people of LEAP – volunteers, donors, prayer partners, and supporters – are who make these trips transpire. One great example is Jackie Reed. Jackie is a living legend! From working months to make things perfect in the warehouse for every surgery, to keeping things moving efficiently during the trip, to packing 30 plus trunks in less than an hour so we don’t have to deny anyone surgical time, and so much more — no one else can compare. Jackie’s presence and efforts were crucial on this trip and LEAP can’t thank her enough for all she does.

What an incredible week in India! Part One

fulladmin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:05:16 +0000

We are sitting at the Children’s Home, resting from an incredible week. Three of our team members left this morning, seven will leave tonight by train, and the rest of us will leave in the morning by bus. In sum, it can get pretty interesting logistically to arrange travel for nearly 40 people to a remote place halfway around the world! We evaluated and treated 150 patients on evaluation day and selected 78 for surgery. Due to the speed and efficiency of the team, we were able to add 14 cases from a waiting list and completed 92 major surgeries!

Many of the patients presented to surgery with cleft lip and palates, while some returned for further repairs on primary clefts, which often prove to be much more complex surgeries. We also did several burn reconstructions, including one little girl whose wrist and thumb were folded into a nonfunctional ball of scar tissue. The majority of these children would not have been operated in the United States due to anemia, poor nutrition, runny noses, and other issues. All surgeries were successful with beautiful, life changing transformations safely done – a tribute to world-class anesthesia, recovery room nurses, operating room nurses and techs, respiratory tech Haley Forman, dedicated surgeons, excellent pediatricians, and many others who comprised this LEAP team. We were aided greatly by “Mr. Sony,” our friend and Indian operating room technician who repaired anesthesia machines, Bovies, suction machines and many other essential tools that would have been deemed irreparable under normal circumstances. The Indian nursing students were essential for translation. They were great and enthusiastic helpers and sponges in soaking up the lessons our nurses taught them. Our hosts at the Children’s Home and the hospital raised the bar for helpfulness, graciousness and support.

Dr. Cheryl Cermin and Nora Hooks ran a very effective orthodontic clinic, placing orthodontic feeding appliances in seven infants, orthodontic appliances in two more, complete braces in three patients, and treating 19 patients overall. A very exciting part of their work was training the dentists at the hospital. According to Dr. Cermin, their skill and enthusiasm was at the highest level. These dentists are from the region and are committed to the Lord and to our partner CICM for the long term–a rare thing to find in this area of the world.

Drs. Ana Tran and Yuri Cook provided pediatric care to the LEAP patients at the hospital, more than 150 children in three different villages and to an outreach ministry at the Children’s Home. Having a pediatric team definitely increases the level of excellence in medical care in LEAP missions and opens up multiple levels of ministry.

The LEAP ancillary team attended the graduation of the senior nursing students and were guests of honor, giving the devotional prayer and handing out the diplomas. LEAP and the CICM nursing students are great partners in every LEAP Central mission. The LEAP surgical team was visited by the mayor of the city and the cabinet minister of this region of Central India, two political leaders in India, who praised the LEAP team for their excellence and service in providing life changing surgeries to children in one of the poorest regions of India.

One of the greatest blessings was hearing the testimonies of five pastors, partnered with CICM, and leading churches in different areas of Central India. The stories of transformation, persecution, persistence and growth of the body of Christ were beyond imaginable, in many ways mirroring the difficulties and success of the church during the time of Acts. We are excited to share more stories, photos and videos of this amazing trip in the near future. Stay tuned for more on Facebook and here!

Headed to India!

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:30:28 +0000

Today, LEAP is excited to send a team to India! This year, we have expanded our medical team to have four operating rooms and are planning on completing 50-100 surgeries. For the first time, we are taking two pediatricians to go to the villages and complete physicals. Other trip members will be showing God’s love by handing out an outfit to each person we care for. We anticipate going to two villages, each with about 250 people.

This week, we would love prayers for:

A safe and healthy trip for our team and patients.
Blessings upon the family members and friends supporting our team members here in the USA.
Travel mercies, including a smooth walk through customs.
Gratitude for our partners CICM: for the work they have done in preparing for our arrival and in making it a successful trip.

Be sure to stay tuned! We will update the blog with news from India during and after the trip.