When children are referred to us for medical help, the first thing we do is travel to their rural homes to see the child, meet the family or caregivers, review any prior medical history, and make our own assessment of the family’s need for assistance.

This month, we travelled to a rural province in southwest Vietnam near the Cambodian border. We had the pleasure of visiting five new children, as well as follow-up visits with two of the children already in our program.

Although these trips can be long and tiring, they are very special times for us. This is when we first form relationships with the children and families – relationships that usually last well over a year as the child goes through the process of medical evaluation, medical treatment / surgery, and follow-up care.