Where in the World is Bob Groom?

No, not in Egypt, anymore... 

Bob and Holly en route

It all started about twenty five years ago, when I met Doug Adkins, a biomedical engineer, who was serving at Tenwek, a mission hospital in Kenya.  We corresponded for several years about the work at Tenwek, but then lost track of each other.  Then, just a little over two years ago, I learned that teams from the United States were trying to help Tenwek start an open-heart surgery program. I contacted Tom Klein from Vanderbilt and Eric Gustavson from Brown, perfusionists that had been supporting the hospitals by sending supplies and making annual medical mission trips to Tenwek.  I learned from Tom that they desperately needed a heart-lung machine to replace the aged pump previously donated by Brown.  

It just so happened that Maine Medical Center was retiring 3

Sorin S-3 Heart-Lung Machine

heart-lung machines that were about 8 years old, but well maintained.  MMC agreed to donate the pumps; within days, Jon Wright arrived in Portland, Maine, with a van, to pick up the pumps and take them to Marion, Indiana, to be packed in an ocean container for shipment to Tenwek. 

Bob Kramer and John Galat

In early 2011, I began to correspond with Russ White, Chief of Surgery at Tenwek.  Russ told me more about the hospital and invited me to visit. In January, 2012, Bob Kramer, a retired heart surgeon from MMC, joined me on that trip to Tenwek.  We met John Galat, a heart surgeon from Ocala, Florida, and observed John and his team during their 10-day mission.  They performed about 18 valve replacements and other open-heart procedures. Bob Kramer participated in a number of cardiac and other procedures.


Several months later, I was invited by Samaritan's Purse to be part of a team that was planning to do one week of adult open-heart surgery and one week of pediatric cardiac surgery in late October, early November of 2012. 

Container Arrives!

It was an amazing trip!  It just so happened that the container with the the heart-lung machines from MMC arrived the day after I arrived!  What a joy it was to assemble them, and teach the local team the basic operation of the machines! 

Pastor's prayer of thanks to God for supplies

Men remove pump from Container

Pump Assembly

Shadrak approves of new pump

Another amazing outcome of the trip was that, after five years of working with visiting teams, the Tenwek doctors, nurses, and staff were beginning to operate "solo" while we were there, and planned to continue to schedule one or two operations per week, if possible, on their own.

Russ White and team operating
Malik Nouri providing anesthesia

Also on that trip was Malik Nouri , an anesthesiologist from Indianapolis ( pictured above). He and I agreed to pray about returning together in the Summer of 2013, to encourage and support the local Tenwek team.  

By the end of February, the dates were confirmed and Samaritan's Purse - World Medical Missions agreed to coordinate our visit.

So, that is why I am here! 
What a privilege! I am anxiously awaiting Malik's arrival.

Check out my next posting to learn more about Tenwek Hospital...