Kim Ostrowski mission to Kenya

I have been given the amazing opportunity to travel to Bomet Africa in with one of the surgeons I work with at Froedtert Hospital as well as a perfusionist and another nurse. Dr. Pearson, our surgeon, will be performing cardiac surgery at Tenwek Mission Hospital and myself as well as another nurse will help recover the patients post operatively and help teach the nurses at work on Tenwek how to continue to care for these patients once we leave. I am so excited for this amazing opportunity. It is something I have always dreamed of doing and can't believe I have been given this opportunity.

A little bit about Tenwek Hospital. Tenwek is located about 4 hours away from Nairobi and serves provides care to about 600,000 Kipsigis people and is also a referral center to the larger region. It is a 300 bed hospital with a range of surgical, medical, maternal, and pediatric services. We will be doing mostly mitral valve replacement and repair surgeries, as Rheumatic fever affects many people in that area. Tenwek hospital not only has a nursing school, but also provides medical training to family practice, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery residents.

I am raising money to cover some of the travel expenses, licensure fees, and costs of some of the vaccinations not covered through my workplace. I would also love to make a donation to Tenwek. This will be the 5th trip a group of my colleagues have gone on and each previous trip has resulted in amazing care and stories and I am so excited to be a part of this amazing opportunity.

Thank you so much for any support  you may provide and keeping me in your thoughts as I embark on this amazing opportunity.