Perspectives Spring 2015

The visual of the children in their ripped clothing, some only wearing one shoe or no shoes at all, still sad- dens Dr. Toomey. “When the kids saw the team had extra T-shirts and that they could get a second one, they began pushing and shoving each other to get to the front of the line. This des- peration in such young children brought tears to my eyes,” she stated. “The team also brought sports equip- ment for an orphanage, including soccer goals, volleyball net, basket- ball hoop, and different balls to play those sports. “To us Americans, a total knee re- placement may not be that scary of an operation,” Dr. Toomey added. “It certainly may not be enough for our sons, daughter, aunts, uncles, and grandchildren to all come to the hospi- tal to watch our first walk. At the hos- pital in Arusha, every bedside had at least three family members there for the majority of the day, with three pa- tients in most rooms. The patients and their family members were so grateful, thanking us with every therapy session. One of my patient’s sons has since emailed some of the team with how his father was progressing and letting us know that we are always welcome back in Tanzania.” Before explaining the surgical process to each patient, the hospital’s director made one thing clear to the team—in the Tanzanian culture, the word free means worthless. As a re- sult, the team members were advised to never tell the patients the surgeries were free. In fact, the hospital charged each family a very small fee so as to not insult the patients’ pride and self-worth. The Tanzanian people are very proud and hardworking, which was ev- idenced during the initial patient eval- uations to assess which patients could go through with the surgeries. One woman, who was in her late 60s, asked when she could start lifting weights after the surgery. The team was taken aback, wondering what this older, arthritic woman was doing lifting heavy weights. She expressed eager- ness to get back to working on her farm lifting the cattle. “It was an incredible experience, and one I will never forget,” Dr. Toomey explained. “I feel so blessed to have been a part of such an amazing group of people and help the Arusha community. I feel so lucky that I was able to have such an unforgettable ex- perience right before beginning my ca- reer as a PT. It was a great inspiration and friendly reminder as to why I wanted to become a PT—and the type of therapist I need to become.” Patient Boniface Zakayo Sida (with Dr. Toomey) walking for the first time after knee-replacement surgery. TANZANIA PT Fort Lauderdale