MONGOLIA MAY 2010


When I learned in January that I am going to Mongolia (as trip logistics coordinator) with a team of doctors and nurses, I was terrified. My first thought was to run . . . well ok, I just jog. I have been with IVUmed for 3 years, so this trip was a long time pending. The opportunity for me to be in the heart of IVUmed’s mission (Teach One, Reach Many) will be a momentous lifetime opportunity. I have not been out of the USA since I came back by boat in 1961 from Germany.


Through generous monetary donations and volunteers, we assist global communities obtain the training needed to bring them into the 20th century in urological care, thereby recognizing IVUmed’s vision as well as Catherine R. deVries, M.D. its founder.


As I anticipate Mongolia, I am quizzical, gathering invaluable information in preparation for my departure on May 28, 2010.


Optimistically, I hope to document all aspects of our trip. Most importantly will be recognizing the continuous and generous donations received from corporations and individuals. We also wish to acknowledge the manufacturers and/or distributors who donate the supplies need for our surgeries. The doctors, nurses and non-medical staff also donate numerous hours and hopefully I will also be able to acknowledge their great contribution.


The logistics of coordinating a trip are staggering. Included elements are the completion of site visits, site contacts, receiving volunteer applicants. The selection of volunteers will result in a team of nine medical and two non-medical volunteers. Approximately 85 children and adults will be aided by the IVUmed team alongside approximately 30 Mongolian physicians and nurses in two separate hospitals. Our mission is to teach urological surgical procedures to the doctors and nurses in Mongolia, thus sharing unique privileges from a developed world with developing countries and deliver care in challenging conditions and materially disadvantaged regions.


An approximate estimate for a trip is $45,000. This excludes volunteer and administrative hours which have a perpetual value within the global community. Prior to departure, coordination of documentation for visas, immunizations, insurance, air travel, ground travel, accommodations, supplies, packing, conferences, and interpreters are all arranged. And we haven’t even left the ground yet!


Our efforts include packing eight 25 gallons totes containing numerous airways, blades, catheters, clamps, drains, dressings, forceps, generators, medications, needles, retractors, scissors, scopes, sponges, sutures, syringes, rolls of tape, tubes, several instrument sets, cuffs, gloves, hemostats, stethoscopes, thermometers and markers to list just a few items.


At the completion of the trip only two totes return with blades, airways, scissors, forceps, hemostats, main instrument sets, retractors and unused medications. Leaving supplies and equipment behind helps create a sustainable situation.


Our fingerprints don’t fade and are perpetual in the hearts of those we touch; what we do only for ourselves die with us. If we contribute in a small way to help the development and self sufficiency of those in need, we imprint our fingerprints in the hearts of the lives we touch forever.


Heather LeMelle 2010