All Work and No Play

I've been neglecting my blogging duties yet again. COPE is hosting an Indochina Regional Conference on Club Foot and Cerebral Palsy from Sept 3-7th and we're in full organizational mode currently. It's amazing how much logistical organization and work goes into something like this. It's a great experience, good for the resume and eye opening in a lot of ways. I definitely have a new appreciation for all those national conferences I attend for prosthetics and orthotics.

Sengkham, our local orthotist, is well practiced in the method.

Just this morning we had a minor snafu when the issue of MC came into play. Our Lao National CEO was supposed to play the role but due to logistical and political issues, she has decided not to. So, as it turns out, my Lao counterpart and I are taking on the duty. Not such a big deal, other than now I have to look more put together and less stressed. I was hoping to be a "behind the scenes" person who could look frazzled and a little on edge and no one would notice or care. Oh well.

An example of how repeated casting corrects clubfoot, without surgery.

It's an exciting even in that we are bringing delegates from Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. We're hosting it in conjunction with ISPO (International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics), who provide the international expertise. We're responsible for all the logistics.....I'm pretty sure ISPO is getting off easy with this arrangement. :)

The course will be ran over five days. The first day will be opened by the Lao Vice Minister of Health and the US Ambassador, and is basically a regional meeting to allow people to share their techniques for implementing systems and protocols for treating clubfoot in low income countries. Lots of discussion about the Ponseti Method and surgical intervention of untreated clubfeet. It's a really interesting topic, and worth reading about. Amazing how debilitating neglected clubfeet can be and the treatment is relatively simple and easy if done as an infant.

Locally made brace for clubfoot, the Steenbeek

 brace.

The next two days of the course are lectures by the ISPO experts on Cerebral Palsy, which is an extremely complex topic and one that is controversial, even in western countries. Then the last two days, we seperate the participants out into three groups to assess patients, cast for braces, etc.

All in all, a ton of work and prep but hopefully will be a good learning experience for everyone involved. And luckily, Ian and Saleema are arriving the following Sunday! They'll spend a few days with me in Lao and then we'll all head to some amazing Thai islands for much needed lounging, sunbathing and general debauchery!!!! 

A sweet little boy with neglected clubfoot. Imagine having feet that are painful and difficult to walk on, such a debilitating deformity.