By thorough integration of values and mission, Daughters of Charity organized a successful, multi-disciplinary response to change the future of a young woman with a rare and devastating syndrome.
Early in March, Hoa Tran, 20, endured eleven hours of surgery, inching towards her final treatment for Blue Nevi Syndrome. Thanks to the generosity of the physicians and staff at O’Connor Hospital, and the surrounding community, Hoa will soon be heading home to Kim Long, her native village in Vietnam.
The well-honed medical team at O’Connor, led by neurosurgeon Peter Nguyen, and plastic surgeon Hien Nguyen, worked diligently to complete the procedures begun several months ago. Throughout Hoa’s treatment, the hospital community has provided more than $300,000 worth of pro bono medical services including use of the operating room, MRI, CT scan and all laboratory fees.
In awe of the unique surgery being performed, many have commented on the incredible skill of the physicians and nurses working to heal Hoa. But neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Nguyen put it all in perspective when he commented, “Hoa is the incredible one here.â€
Hoa was born with Blue Nevi Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that can cause large tumors and small lesions all over the body. It’s a miracle that Hoa did not succumb to death due to infection, but instead, has lived for two decades, wearing a hat every day of her life to hide the abnormality that covered the back of her head.
Kim Long village is the only life Hoa has ever known. Sister Linh Dao, a member of the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose and a nurse at O’Connor Hospital, met Hoa and her father, My Tran, there while on a medical mission, and the rest is history.
“I was missioned to Kim Long during the summer of last year,†Sister Linh reports quietly. “I took note of Hoa’s rare condition and proceeded to share the situation with O’Connor Administration when I returned home.â€
Sister Michele Randall (right), a Daughter of Charity who serves as vice president of mission integration at O’Connor, heard the story and jettisoned into action. Within days, members of hospital administration and a group of caring physicians agreed to donate services to save Hoa’s life.
“We were able to organize the medical and facility services quickly,†Sister Michele recalls, “but before anything could be done, we had to get Hoa here.â€
Kiet Ha, director of business development at O’Connor, stepped in and coordinated a process fraught with bureaucratic red tape. “It felt as if the endless stream of paperwork would never end,†he says, “but we were able to move through the necessary procedures and bring Hoa and her father here in a timely manner, arriving in September, 2007.â€
He cites members of the Vietnamese and Catholic communities in San Jose for pulling together and leading the successful effort to raise funds, organize transportation, housing, and other services needed by Hoa and her father during their lengthy stay in the Bay Area.
With gentle care and compassion, hospital staff steered Hoa through a battery of lab tests, a CT scan, and an MRI. Physicians concerned about Hoa’s low weight incorporated Ensure into her daily diet, adding 10 pounds to her slight frame within an eight week time period.
Last November, plastic surgeon Hien Nguyen placed tissue expanders under the skin above Hoa’s forehead to stretch and expand the tissue. During subsequent weekly office visits, Hoa was injected with saline solution that inflated the expanders, and thus, stretched the skin. The eleven hour follow-up surgery, performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Nguyen and Dr. Hien Nguyen, included resecting the tumor, removing the expanders, closing the defect by placing a cement “cap†over the exposed opening and covering the cap with Hoa’s expanded skin tissue.
Following several weeks of recovery, Hoa will return home to her village in Vietnam, where loved ones await the return of their beautiful girl and a new, more public life stretches out before her.
Contributed by Patricia Smith, who specializes in communications for the Daughters of Charity, Province of the West (USA).
Tags: Health, Vietnam
