US doctor performs ‘marathon’ weekend of surgeries in Bahamas
by Eric Rose
Monday, April 5, 2004
NASSAU, Bahamas (BIS): American spine
orthopaedic surgeon Dr. William Stevens is leading a voluntary team of
specialists through a three-day “marathon” of paediatric spinal surgeries at
the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) in Nassau.
The endeavour, which began April 03, seeks to address the medical demands of
seven children, starting from as young as five years of age.
“We have seven cases of children in dire need who have severe spinal
deformities, and they will be operated on, followed up, and corrected – and
some reconstruction – in the next 72 hours,” said Dr. Daniel Johnson, Director
of non-commutable diseases and consultant in podiatry at the PMH.
Orthopaedics is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention or
correction of injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated
muscles, joints and ligaments. According to
the Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon at Provident Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and
co-ordinator of the undertaking, Dr. Vietta Johnson, this “mission” is the
second of such paediatric-based orthopaedic trips to The Bahamas, which, she
added, is a facet of “Haley’s Gift II.”
“Haley was a little girl that I had the
honour and privilege of taking care of when she was born,” Dr. Vietta Johnson
said. “She had orthopaedic deformities and I was asked to see her. Haley then
broadened my vision of what was happening in the paediatric arena here in The
Bahamas. Although she did not live more than four months, she actually left a
legacy, and that’s why we are here. She touched many people.” Haley was Dr.
Daniel Johnson’s daughter. In April, 2003,
Dr. Vietta Johnson was a part a team from Loyola University that came to The
Bahamas to perform paediatric orthopaedic work.
She praised Dr. Stevens for coming to The Bahamas to volunteer his time and
ability, and called him a “spine surgeon extraordinaire,” a term, she added,
she does not use lightly. “He does a lot of
reconstructive spine surgery in both adults and children, which gives him the
foresight, in taking care of children, of knowing what often happens when
things are missed and they become adults,” Dr. Johnson said.
“A lot of people can’t say that … He does
the cases that a lot of people will not do. They send them to him.” Dr.
Johnson said she witnessed firsthand his dedication to the project, and
commended his preparatory work, even going as far as obtaining donated spine
equipment from DePuy Spine, Inc. (a Johnson and Johnson company).
“I will not give you the dollar amount on how much the instrumentation costs;
but, trust me when I say it is no small endeavour,” she said.
Dr. Vietta Johnson said that DePuy Spine, Inc. not only donated the equipment,
but also sent a representative with the equipment to train nurses.
“You have to understand the lengths to which this company went,” she said.
“They trained the nurses, gave an in-service (special seminar) and then they
sent their Vice-President of Strategic Accounts (Mr. Bo Jamieson) along with
Mr. Rodd Newman, who is the regional director for all the accounts in Arizona
(the state where Dr. Stevens practises), all to come on this trip.
“I look at this, personally, as an honour to me for them to actually come and
support me in my endeavour and, more importantly, for the children and the
people of The Bahamas.” Mr. Bo Jamieson said it was a privilege for DePuy
Spine, Inc. to be a part of the project, and it was a pleasure to assist.
“This is a life-altering situation, for not only the patients; but for their
families,” he said. “Part of our credo talks about giving back to the
community, and this is a situation that I am sure we, in this room, can all
appreciate as giving back to the community.”
The president of the Crippled Children’s
Committee, Mr. Bismark Coakley, thanked the group of doctors for volunteering
themselves to help the children. He said his group usually assists the
Orthopaedic Department in finding funds for children to travel to Shriners
Hospitals in Philadelphia and Florida. However, this year they were told that,
because of ongoing wars in which children were being injured, the hospitals
might not have space for the some 15 Bahamian cases of scoliosis (abnormal
curvature of the spine) who were in great need.
“When we were told that somebody was going to come to visit us and look at
these cases, we jumped for joy,” he said.
Representing the Minister of Health and Environmental Services, Director of
Public Health Dr. Baldwin Carey thanked all of the persons involved in the
project, and added that he knows that the cases would be in “good hands” with
Dr. Stevens. When asked about how he
personally feels about performing the surgeries, which were termed “possibly
life-changing” for the children, Dr. Stevens paused before giving the
following response: “Honestly, it’s hard for
me to talk about. It is very humbling. It’s an honour. I was told I was given
a gift, which means that it’s not mine, and it is my obligation to share.
That’s how I feel.”
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