What an amazing trip. A chance to see old friends and make new ones. This year’s trip to Tonga had a different feel to it from the previous trip to Tonga I have been involved in. This was due to operating on the adult patients in the first week and the paediatric patients in the second week, a change from the last trip to Tonga I participated in. The adult week turned out to be very challenging for me. I am fortunate enough to work in a hospital that operates on both adult patients as well as being a referral centre for acute paediatrics. The adults we operated on were much sicker than I had been expecting due to Rheumatic Heart Disease, something that is rare in Australia. Some of these adults were much slower to recover and spent a number of days in ICU. This gave me the unique experience of being able to speak with them each day and get to know them more than I would ever have the opportunity to in normal circumstances. For me this was a highlight of the trip, something that I don’t get to do at home either. These patients were so grateful towards the entire team for the care they received. As usual, I personally got more out of being given the opportunity to care for them, a theme common amongst regular volunteers.

Paediatric week commenced as we were still finishing our final day of adult surgery. It was so lovely to see my paediatric colleagues arrive and was just the boost I needed after a week of very long hours at the hospital. The children bring joy and smiles to everyone. Their families are so trusting and it is such a humbling experience to have them so naturally and willingly hand over their children into the arms of a theatre team dressed in scrubs looking like they are on their way to a fancy dress party. The children arrive in theatre with great smiles on their faces, unfortunately we handover their care to our amazing ICU nurses and Intensivists having lost those smiles along the way. They are quick to return and it brings a smile to my face to return the next day to see them smiling again, sitting up in bed colouring in or playing up with the toys that have been generously donated by the OHI team. This year we had the added pleasure of being visited by one of the children we had operated on in 2015. It was so lovely to see him again and how much he had improved and grown from when we first meet him in 2015.

One of the most rewarding things, for me, volunteering on these trips is working with the local staff in their environment. Whilst we are constantly teaching them and they are wanting to learn more and more they teach me as well. The adaptability and exposure to other healthcare systems has enabled me to challenge myself and my practice, enhancing the care I provide to any patient in my care.

Thank you for your extremely generous contribution to myself and OHI. I am entirely grateful to be given this opportunity and am looking forward to my next trip with OHI.

Thank you
Rebecca