Volunteers' Experiences - Roya Vahdatinia

Medical Interns
Jan 1st to Jan 11th 2011
Berkeley University
California US

While friends back in the States were celebrating the New Year with music and dance, I had the rare opportunity to meet Dr. Bal Krishna Thapa—a neurosurgeon who still refers to himself as the son of a farmer. In the 10 days I spent shadowing Dr. Thapa and seeing his patients, I witnessed what many would call miracles. Performing invasive operations on patients with brain tumors, spinal disorders, and other neurological problems is no easy task, especially in a resource-poor setting such as Nepal. So it is no wonder of my amazement when I learned of the incredibly cheap price of surgery, as well as the success rate. Although many surgeons can use high-tech neuronavigation equipment and take out part of a tumor, few can use ultrasound machines intra-operatively to take out a whole tumor. This was just one of Dr. Thapa’s innovative ideas that has saved lives.

When I decided to come to Nepal to volunteer with the Volnepal organization, I did not know what to expect from my experience. I wanted to be immersed in another culture and open my mind to a completely new lifestyle. We are children of habit and because of this, become accustomed to doing and expecting the same things with each day. We become attached to our surroundings, and many times, forget to see the holistic view of where we fit into the web of life. I was able to get away from my everyday routine activities—which at the time seem very important to us—to get a much broader glimpse of the things that really matter. It is with these experiences that we become grateful for all that we have and all that we would like to give. My hope was to gain insight in the medical field in a more hands-on approach. The experience exceeded far beyond what I had hoped. I was fortunate enough to have an incredible exposure to a foreign culture and its people, who were warm and accepting. Although I could not understand their words when patients spoke to me, their facial expressions, laughter and pain were universal gestures which I easily understood.

As a student preparing to apply to medical school, becoming as acquainted as possible with the lifestyle of a doctor was very important to me. I had the privilege of watching extraordinary surgeons execute difficult surgeries with exceptional outcomes. The experience allowed me to not only learn about neurology and health, it gave me a deeper understanding of what it means to devote one’s life to taking large responsibility over another’s during a critical stage. I am so grateful that I was able to shadow a surgeon who treated patients like family and expected nothing in return from post-operative patients, except joy. During surgery, I recall thinking how easy removing a golf-ball sized brain tumor seemed. Dr. Thapa made surgery look simple, but of course, it is far from that. His humble nature, generosity, and vast expertise is admirable; his mental, emotional, and intellectual stamina necessary to fulfill such a duty is inspiring. The Volnepal experience shadowing Dr. Thapa has been an invaluable and unforgettable journey which will stay with me always.

(Written by Roya Vahdatinia)

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