The cooperation of Volunteer reassure cleft children and relatives

I am so happy to join other 60+ medical and non-medical volunteers from Mainland China, Hong Kong and other countries in the BEAM Cleft Mission held at Guangdong Fengkai this October. We worked closely together to do repair surgeries for 85 kids who suffered from cleft lip and/or cleft palate, so as to bring big smiles to them and their family.

My role was “ward nurse translator”; being able to speak Mandarin, Cantonese (local dialect) and English, together with the medical knowledge gained from my vet nurse study, I served as a bridge between volunteers, local medical staff and patients’ family, to facilitate their communication and mutual understanding. These parents who were willing to travel such a long way for the surgery extremely treasured their kid, so they were very anxious when the kid behaved differently after s/he woke up from the anesthesia, they might cry nonstop, look dull, cough or refuse to drink for different reasons like feeling hungry, pain or wanted to be pampered, etc, and parents were desperate to know what they themselves could do to make the kids feel better.

While the workload in the post-op ward was very heavy, the nurses were tied up with regular vital signs monitoring, wound cleaning, stitches removal, medication , the bring-back-home medicine preparation, home care education, etc, and not to mention the tremendous medical record updates, but all volunteering nurses were very professional, they asked the parents questions in great details in order to assess the real causes behind, explained clearly and patiently to relieve their worries. I am so honored that I had worked with such a great and brilliant team, their professionalism, tacit understanding and cheerful partnership accomplished the mission.

I truly look forward to the next mission!

October 2018, Fengkai, Guangdong
Tammy Lau, Hong Kong

Selfless Contributions Of The Volunteers

In life there are always bittersweet moments which mix with joy and sorrow. There are always difficulties which let us grow. There are always experiences which are unforgettable.

Organised by Beam International Foundation (BEAM), I am honoured to participate in the Ziyang medical mission in Sichuan Province on behalf of CLP. This journey not only enriched my life experience, but also made me spiritually satisfied.

I was assigned to be a Patient Image Technician (PIT), who is responsible for taking photo record for more than 300 patients with cleft lip and cleft palate, before they went through the screening process, and after they received surgery. This duty allowed me to enter the operating theatre to observe the entire process of a cleft repair surgery and the workflow of the medical team. I was touched by the selfless contributions of the medical volunteers. In order to restore the smile of the needy patients, they sacrificed their holidays to support this medical mission by performing and assisting the operations one after one, day after day.

After participating in BEAM’s medical mission, my views on the meaning of life has fundamentally changed. Volunteers from all over the world contributed their best at their own positions with dedication. At the same time we worked well together. This makes me understand that everyone can bring hope to the others, as long as we make use of our own strength with a sincere heart.

I wish all the beneficiaries and their families a happy life. And I hope that BEAM can continue their mission, to help more needy children to start their beautiful life.

August 2017, Ziyang, Sichuan
Cai Zhixian from CLP Group, China

A Touching Moment

Doctoring is Parenting. Doctors not only provide consultation and treatment, but also change people’s lives and even the future of numerous families. During the medical mission, nearly one hundred patients have been cured. Their lives have been changed because of the work of Beam International Foundation (BEAM) and the participating volunteers.

I was responsible for escorting patients, medical record and taking photos. I tried to talk to the patients and their parents while leading them traveling between the ward and the operation theater. I found that many of the parents also suffer from cleft conditions. Illiteracy is another problem. Without the help of BEAM, their children may not have the opportunity to receive surgery. They may have difficulties in eating and speaking, and may grow up with the facial deformity.  Under the fierce competition in the society, they may even lose the opportunity to get out of poverty.

When I saw the parents receive their children after the surgery, I could feel their heartfelt gratitude to the medical team through their smiles and eyes filled with tears. For me, this was a very touching moment.

August 2017, Ziyang, Sichuan
Patrick Law from CLP Group, Hong Kong

感人的微笑 (Chinese Only)

黎國偉，一個來自廣東懷集縣的活潑可愛小男孩，只見他不時地在媽媽的懷抱裡探頭探腦，你稍微給他一個鬼臉，他就會發出咯咯的笑聲，手舞足蹈，身邊父母臉上也洋溢著溫馨、幸福的笑意。

如果在一年前見到他們一家三口，那是完全不一樣的畫面，小男孩患有先天唇齶裂，吸吮及吞咽困難，每次餵奶喝水老是從鼻子裡冒出來、從嘴裡漏出來，食物和口水都流到臉上，因此而營養不良，面黃饑瘦，而且人很煩燥，整天啼哭不已，夫妻倆看在眼裡疼在心上，卻又無法可施，他倆都是從農村進城務工的打工者，微薄的收入根本無力支付昂貴的醫療費用，為此而愁眉不展，為孩子的健康和將來憂心忡忡，陰影籠罩在這個年輕小家庭上。

一個偶然的機會，在熱心人士的推薦下，小國偉的父母主動聯繫了封開湯國華醫院，並在逸傑國際慈善基金會工作人員的熱情幫助和安排下，於去年前往封開湯國華醫院接受了免費手術。手術很成功，如果不細心觀察，根本不會發現小國偉曾有面部缺陷。現在的小國偉可以與其它小朋友一樣正常吃飯正常生活，健康又活潑，夫妻倆也重獲生活信心，微笑重返他們的臉上。

在採訪的時候，小國偉父母多次表達對湯國華醫院及逸傑國際慈善基金會全體工作人員的感謝，除了悉心撫養小國偉成長之外，還會積極去宣傳微笑公益行動，以親身經歷去鼓勵唇齶裂患兒家庭保持積極樂觀心態，相信世界充滿愛，珍惜生命。

October 2016, Fengkai, Guangdong
Xie Zhen from CLP Group, Story Collector, China

What is really important in life?

This was my first mission with Beam and I was so thrilled to be a part of this great cause. We often take what we have for granted and don‘t appreciate or realise what is really meaningful in life. We often seem to forget what life is really all about.

Seeing the joy and sense of accomplishment in the parent’s eyes, made this trip worthwhile. Seeing a grown-up man in his 50‘s smile and feel confident for the first time in his life made you think what a smile meant to him. Seeing the reaction of a mother when she saw her 6-month-old baby, gave her the hope and conviction that her baby would have a normal life, just like the rest of the kids in her village.

I listened to so many stories of struggle the families endured bringing their children to Liangshan for the hope and chance of a surgery which they would never be able to afford. It was obvious that most of these kids had never seen a doctor in their lives. I saw the daily struggle and hardship they went through in order to see their most beloved children smile again.

What is really important in life?

Thank you medical volunteers for your efforts and dedication. You are the real heroes. Thank you.

July 2015, Liangshan, Sichuan
Hoss Vetry from The Ritz-Carlton – Sanya, Yalong Bay, Child Life Coordinator

My Trip to Fengkai

Night was falling. We embarked on a journey to Fengkai, China to support Beam, an organization which offers free surgeries to children with cleft lips. It was a five-hour ride, and I was very excited for it was my first time there.

I embraced the morning with much excitement and eagerness. We arrived at the hospital and a crowd of reporters swarmed in as if we were some kind of movie stars. I felt as proud as a peacock to be part of this meaningful event. I was terrified to see hundreds of patients from miles away racing towards us. My heart sank as I saw the desperate looks of the poor children.

My major duties at the hospital were to play with the little children and distribute toys to them, bringing them joy and happiness. Their laughter warmed my heart. When they entered the operation room, I was as anxious as their parents, but seeing them return safely was a relief.

I spent my whole weekend there. Through this experience, I realized that we are very fortunate and we should volunteer more to help others in need.

October 2015, Fengkai, Guangdong
Ashley Tong, Student Volunteer, Hong Kong

The 1,000th Smile in Fengkai

Earlier this October, it’s the second time for the Kong family (孔家) to join our Fengkai Mission seeking free surgical treatment for their son Chui Jin (垂津).  In the 7^th month of pregnancy, the couple were much shocked and helpless when the doctor said their child would have cleft lip and cleft palate.  When Chui Jin was just two months old last year, his parents already rushed to our medical mission but were sadly turned down because he was too young to receive the surgery then.

In 2015, having gotten a 10-day leave from work, the father Kong Wei Xin (孔維信) and mother Lu Yong Chan (呂永嬋) took Chui Jin to Tang Guo-hua Hospital again.  This little boy was eventually arranged for his first cleft surgery – also the 1,000^th smile we created together with our volunteers throughout the past nine years in Fengkai, Guangdong. It is always not easy for us to mobilise volunteers around the world to organise each medical mission; it’s equally challenging for the needy parents to fight for suitable medical treatment for their children with clefts.  No matter what, none of us would give up on helping them BEAM again as their smiles are the best reward of everything, and we look forward to changing more lives with the support of you all in future.

October 2015, Fengkai, Guangdong
Linda Wong from CLP Group, Story Collector, Hong Kong

“I have to carry on!”

The beautiful smiles we create count on the concerted efforts of each and every supporter. Our long-term volunteer Jenny Chadwick, who has just completed her sixth mission in Fengkai in October 2015, is definitely included.

A British teacher of the Chinese International School (CIS, 漢基國際學校) in Hong Kong, Jenny got to know Beam International Foundation 13 years ago.  “I was the Head of Year 8, and found it a worthy cause to help the needy children suffering from clefts, so we named it as the Year 8 charity then.”  She said a lot of things were done, such as organising the “Wear A Smile Day”, to raise over HK$100,000 in support of our medical service. Jenny also went for her first medical mission in Guangdong with five CIS students.“ I was so shocked that I just couldn’t believe some Chinese people didn’t have the money to do the surgery.  I told myself that I have to carry on!”  From then on, our yearly collaboration with CIS was initiated.

We change both smiles and lives of the needy patients through our medical mission, and Jenny believes that the more students who can have this life-changing experience the better.  Besides setting up the Smile Club with our Student Programme Leader Rachel Sutcliffe in CIS, Jenny is eager to arrange senior students to volunteer to our mission during the school’s Service Week because they can be part of a real team to contribute.  Having students helping in the operating theatre, ward and child life area this year, Jenny is proud of their performance throughout the mission indeed.

October 2015, Fengkai, Guangdong
Jenny Chadwick from Chinese International School, Child Life Coordinator, Hong Kong