CBC radio interviewed Dr. Keir Stewart and Dr. Dominique De Waard about the Canadian Rwanda Open-Heart Project. They explained the CROP team’s plan for the future to help spread awareness for the cause.
Click the link below to hear his interview:
Help us save hearts in Rwanda
In January 2023, our team will travel to Kigali, Rwanda from Halifax. We will perform one week of life-saving adult cardiac surgeries, almost exclusively valve replacements requiring heart-lung bypass at Rwanda’s King Faisal Hospital. Once the surgeries are completed, the teams will continue to share knowledge with local partners and work towards a long-term goal of building capacity to establish a dedicated center of cardiac care at the King Faisal Hospital.
Our team aims to raise $40,000 for this critical outreach mission. These funds will cover the costs of travel, lodging, immunizations and medical equipment. With your support, we can save more lives by performing heart surgeries and setting the Kigali heart team up to continue to perform these surgeries for their population on a permanent basis. A contribution in any amount really does matter. Your support has the power to make a difference in the lives of many Rwandans.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit https://projectdal.ca/project/canadian-rwanda-open-heart-project/ . When making a gift in honor of a Rwanda Heart team member, please include their name in the “gift in honor of” box on the projectDAL donation form. If you would like to learn more about the project please contact Carol Murray at carol.murray@dal.ca. On behalf of the Rwanda Heart team, thank you for your support.
We are so grateful for your support!
Our first trip to Rwanda was a great success and would not have been possible without the support of our donors. We received over 250 local contributions to the mission, which is incredible. The generosity of Qatar Airways, who donated flights to Kigali, Rwanda, made travel possible for all CR-OP team members. This combined support from all our donors allowed us to assist the staff at King Fasil Hospital to complete cardiac surgeries and follow up care on seven Rwandan patients in just one week.
We are thrilled to announce the CR-OP team will be returning to King Faisal Hospital for another week of cardiac surgeries in January 2023! We are beyond grateful for past and future support as it is truly what allows this work to be done.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Our first visit to Rwanda – May 2022
The Canada Rwanda Open Heart Project (CR-OP) team had their first successful mission trip led by Dr. Keir Stewart, this past May to King Faisal Hospital (KFH) in Kigali, Rwanda.
During the first week the CR-OP team worked alongside the KFH healthcare team to complete seven open heart surgeries on adult Rwandan patients, these ranged from valve replacements to myxoma removals. Patient selection was made through close collaboration with cardiologists and surgeons from both the Canadian and Rwandan teams.
In the OR, Dr. Keir Stewart mentored KFH’s cardiac surgeon, Dr. Maurice Musoni. Dr. Stewart describes the experience as “one of the most enjoyable weeks I have had in a long time. The degree of cooperation and dedication was a joy to be around”. The OR nurses, anesthesiologist and perfusionists formed great bonds with their new colleges while educating and learning from one another.
Over in the ICU the Canadian intensivists, Dr. Andrew Fagan and Dr. Marat Slessarev, collaborated with the CR-OP nursing team to create and stock a functioning cardiovascular intensive care unit. Through group and individual education sessions, the nurses and physicians from KFH showed their eagerness to learn and provided phenomenal post operative care to all of the patients that received surgery.
During the first week, Dr. Adam Clarke spent time in the Cardiac Cath Lab working with KFH’s cardiologists. They were able to improve the quality of life for multiple Rwandan citizens by implanting permanent pacemakers.
Once the CR-OP team was back home in Canada, updates were provided by Queen, KFH’s nurse manager. Everyone was thrilled to hear all patients were discharged from the hospital and continue to do well at home.
Working with KFH’s staff members was an incredibly positive experience for the entire CR-OP team. The team was welcomed warmly and built lasting relationships throughout the week as they learned from one another and worked toward a shared goal. The adult team is truly looking forward to their next visit.