Updates From Wendell Geary M.D.

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters in Kuching; Tang Sie Hing, Simon Huang, Tan Poh Tin, Simon Wong with Lee Khoon Siew, Wong Howe Tung with Chuei Lian, Tiong Tung Hui, Sim Chai Say, and Poh Teck Hwa,

At long last, a moment to send a message of appreciation along to all of you.

Your friendship and partnership continues to be a great encouragement to the medical team here. We praise the Lord for each and every one of you.

A special thanks for the time of dinner and fellowship, Friday evening, 6 June – more than six weeks ago, plus the time Dr. Steve and I had with Dr. Tiong Tung Hui for dinner and for a visit to his office. Your generosity and hospitality blessed our group of ten.

Dr. Steve Anderson, ophthalmologist, plus an ophthalmology assistant, Mary Beth Seal, along with Roger Cabe and his son, Stephen, were the members of the eye team. Roger is a pastor but has been on a number of trips with the ophthalmologists helping with technical matters. During the three weeks plus that Steve was here hundreds of people were checked. I heard a figure of 58 cataract surgeries. Many other things were accomplished on the path to setting up a first class eye clinic for the poor people of Kalimantan.

The greatest thing for the eye team was the brief presence of Dr. Edy Lubis, the Indonesian medical doctor who is nearly finished with his residency training in ophthalmology at the Gajah Mada University in Central Java. Edy and Steve had opportunities to work together. The equipment the Lord has provided was set up (one example – the operating microscope). When Edy is finally finished and comes to reside here at Bethesda/ Serukam with his family – target date early August – he will be able to get a good start with his work.

The other members of our group were four young ladies who are studying nursing in the U.S. : Carrie, Anna, Hannah, and Maria.

On Saturday, 7 June, all ten of us boarded a chartered bus, arranged by Sim Chai Say, and were on our way to Kalimantan by 10 a.m. Chai Say, Poh Teck Hwa and Chuei Lian met us at the airport on 5 June – gathered all of us with our luggage (over 20 pieces, mostly eye equipment and supplies for eye surgery) and got us to the hotel. Chai Say found a place to store the items that needed to remain in refrigeration and got everything back together for loading on the bus on Saturday.

All of us with the luggage arrived safely at Bethesda/Serukam before sunset.

About 10 days later Chuei Lian met Brian Bowman at the airport and put him on the flight to Pontianak the next day. Brian is another young university student who hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps as a medical missionary. Brian spent about 10 years of his life in Pakistan where his parents worked. Brian and the four young ladies diligently studied and began to use a few simple sentences of bahasa. As departures began Chuei Lian met Brian and Maria and Hannah as they arrived from Pontianak and caught their flights out of Kuching the next day.

Only Carrie and Anna are still here, until 1 August – daily studying various aspects of missions and the missionary call as well as participating in patient care in the hospital and in the villages.

Oma and I thank the Lord for your many kindnesses, a few mentioned here and many others already forgotten. We count the events of these past two months as one of the unique miracles of our experiences in ministry here. Without your participation this could not have happened. The Lord is touching and calling some of these people to return to the harvest here. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send workers into the harvest here in Kalimantan. Praise His Holy Name.

The contribution of the air fares money by the three of you who participated in the Medical Missions Course III in March – RM $ 1,200 - was turned over to the Dorcas Fund. Contributions to the Dorcas Fund are used for helping indigent patients to buy their medicines and food and, in some cases, their bus fare to return to their homes. We praise and thank the Lord for the church family that sent you for MMC III in March and made available this sum to reimburse your travel expenses.

MMC IV is already being planned. Please do continue to pray and plan with us. The participation of clinicians from Kuching these last two years has greatly enhanced the MMC benefits for the young Indonesian generalists being sent out to their outposts.

In closing – a bit of news; Dr. Paul and his family departed for the U.S. on 10 July. They are presently in Pasadena with Becky’ s parents, sister and brothers and their families. In a few days they will begin travels to settle the family in Minnesota after which Paul will be traveling to a number of places in the U.S. to report and encourage the brothers and sisters who are partnering with the Bethesda Ministries. Paul plans to be back here in January for a few weeks. He’s hoping to bring Becky and the two youngest children back in May or June.

God bless you all!

Opa and Oma Geary

Another Trip in July 2008 - Are You Willing?

Thank you very much for browsing this blogspot.
Special thanks to Dr. Simon Wong for spreading the news regarding our mission via TMC newsletter and personal emails.
I would like to organize another trip to Serukam in July 2008.
If you have the burden to go and skills to share/transfer to the medical staff in Serukam, please talk to me or email me at sarawak_cardiology@yahoo.com. Alternatively you may write your comment by just clicking the comment session.
To God be the glory!

Sie Hing

Second Mission Trip To Bethesda Mission Hospital

In March 2007, Dr Simon Wong Ching King, Dr Lee Khoon Siew and me made our first trip to Bethesda Mission Hospital in Serukam, West Kalimantan. We went on behalf of the medical and health team of the Trinity Methodist Church, Kuching.


(This video contains all the pictures we took during the trip and my favourite song `His Strength Is Perfect' by Steven Curtis Chapman)

We came at the time when MMC (Medical Mission Course) was held. MMC was into second year of running in 2007. It gathered young medical graudates from Indonesian medical schools for a time of christian fellowship, spiritual equipping and clinical training before they are allocated a place in Indonesian government hospital for internship. Most chose to go to the most remote places in Indonesia like Irian Jaya, Nusa Tenggara, Lombok, West Timor to serve the people's medical needs in affirmation with their calling from the Lord. Some also came to work in Serukam in response to their calling as medical missionary.

We had a blessed time in 2007, we received more spiritual encouragement from the brothers and sisters here. We shared with them our medical knowledge and skills. Dr Simon Wong gave talks on kidney diseases whilst Dr Tang shared with them in the area of cardiology. Dr Lee led them in the devotion and shared during the Wednesday chapel service. She also imparted her knowledge about medical administration.

The Christian hospital was started by Dr Wendell Geary (US trained surgeon) and his wife, Marjorie Geary (Registered nurse) in early 1960s (even before I was born!). They have been faithfully serving among the Dayak tribe for the last 45 years. Currently the hospital is also staff by local doctors and specialists. They are the most wonderful people you ever meet on earth. They serve and treat each patient with the heart of Christ.

The trip from 2nd to 6th of March 2008 is the second for me and Dr Tan Poh Ting (she came here in 1999/2000) and first time for Dr Simon HUANG (don't confuse with Simon WONG - both are separate individuals with distinctive personalities, they will be offended if you think both HUANG & WONG are the same fellow).

We were warmly welcomed by the people there. Dr Tan taught them in the area of paediatric and gave them her books and some antibiotics. Dr Simon Huang taught them gastroenterology and hepatology. He also assisted in performing ERCP and endoscopy. I taught them cardiology and demonstrated the techniques of echocardiography to the physician and medical officers.

(Video of pictures of 2008 trips)

They were many patients with cardiac problems. 70% of patients who underwent echocardiography for heart failure have severe cor pulmonale almost end stage. You could see gigantic RV with severely compressed LV, plethoric IVC and dilated coronary sinus. Common causes are heavy smoking, post tuberculosis fibrothorax and chronic exposure to smog/smoke from cooking using burning wood. I also did echo on patients with rheumatic valvular problem and congenital heart diseases like ventricular septal defect.

It was truly a rewarding time. We also had Dr Stephen Nash (FRCS London) who is an emergency physician from UK, he teaches emergency medicine to the MMC doctors every year for the last 3 years.

I hope more specialist doctors can join me in making another trip this year, may be June or July 2008. To God be the glory!

Sie Hing

P/S: We fly Batavia Air from Kuching to Pontianak (45 minutes flight). We travel by land from Pontianak to Singkawang (3.5 hours) and from there inland (1 hour) to Serukam. (You can use google map to locate these places.) We pay for our own trip estimated less than $500 ringgits each but we are so richly blessed by the brothers and sisters in Serukam.

Angelic Voice From West Kalimantan

Angelic voice from Serukam. Trainee nurses preparing for their graduation ceremony.
The voice is so pure and sweet.

The People & The Hospital

Kids in the outpatient corridor.
Posed for the camera.
Close up of these kampung kids.
Have I scared them off??
Hospital lawnSign Post outside ER Radiology and Pharmarcy Sections of The Hospital
Dr Ivan & his son Darren

(they are returning to Bandung and Jolo in Java after serving here for 3.5 years)
2 months old Darren
Abdominal & Pelvic Ultrasound
Dr Dainwaty is learning echocardiography using this old Acuson Echo machine.
This 7 year old girl just recovered from pulmonary tuberculosis weighs 15 kg only. My daughter Carissa is 19 months old and she weighs 11 kg.
She has flow murmur due to hyperdynamic cardiac output.

On The Road

Small truck with so so so many people on it speeding from Menpawah to Pontianak in the rain.
Sometimes it drive in the middle of the road!!! Road fatalities? Why not!
They are enjoying trip on the truck, I counted they are at least 20 people on the truck!!
This truck also carries at least 20 people. It reminds me of lorry with foreign construction workers in Singapore! I hope they outlawed this practice in Singapore already.
Bridge across Menpawah river - previous Malay sultanate stronghold.
Dayak paddy fields.
Road out of Serukam to Singkawang.
Road to Serukam.

Coach from Sambas to Pontianak. Some people rather sit on top with free air-condition and shower!!
The people on top with their driver overtaking a lorry. Road fatalities, matter of time!!
Close up of people on coach.
Small chinese settlement along the coast.
Chinese settlement. Resembles any town in Sarawak??

All About Dr. Simon Huang Siong Sing

Simon teaches MMC doctors on patient with liver disease.
Simon answers questions from MMC doctors in ER.
The doctors basically glued to him in ER.
He is so relieved as he can go and do ERCP and sigmoidoscopy in OT.
Simon lectures to the doctors.
Simon receives token of appreciation from MMC doctor.
Simon is hungry for food.
Dr Indra (general surgeon), Dr Wendell Geary (Surgeon and physician par excellence) and Simon.
Dr Tang, Fransciso (hospital administrator who brings us back to Pontianak) and Simon.
Dr Wendell Geary presents token of appreciation on behalf of the hospital to Simon.

All about Dr. Tan Poh Tin

Dr Tan presents her gifts of antibiotics and books to the doctors and the hospital.
MMC doctor presents token of appreciation to Dr Tan.
Dr Tan shares with Dr Stephen Nash FRCS (London) Emergency Physician from UK regarding her experience in Afghanistan and Aceh.

Dr Stephen Nash comes every year in the last 3 years and teaches in the MMC.
Dr Tan lectures on important topics in paediatric.

Bethesda Mission Hospital Emergency Department

Emergency Department Entrance

Government Hospital Ambulance transfers patient to come here.

Some use private van to bring patients here, often take more than one day.

ER Waiting Area
It is raining outside the ER waiting area.

Resuscitation couches
Doctor performs incision and drainage of right foot cellulitis and pus collection under LA.

Dr. Dianwaty performs knee aspiration in this lady with rheumatoid arthritis.ER nurse does triage on this lady with heart failure and pneumonia.

Doctor attends to her whose saturation on room air 48% !!