At AMM’s annual gala on May 17, Art Ushijima, president of Queen’s, Michael Gold, president of HMSA, and Dr. Brad Wong, president of AMM will be honored for their support.
For the past 30 years, AMM has been helping the less fortunate on our
shores and beyond. It began originally as a small group of Filipino
surgeons who wanted to help poor children with cleft lips in their
native land. A simple operation that takes mere minutes in the hands of a
capable physician began transforming these kids’ lives.
“With the cleft lip, they cannot suckle at their mother’s breast because they cannot get suction,” says Wong, who joined the organization in 1988 and now serves as its president. “They have trouble eating and speaking, but they live with it despite being ostracized – and yet in 45 minutes, with a trained surgeon, their life is changed.”
The mission has grown dramatically through the years, branching out from the Philippines into Nepal, New Guinea and several other Pacific islands with an all-volunteer surgery crew performing more than 15,000 life-changing operations.
While Hippocrates urged future physicians, “If he is in need of money, give him a share of mine,” how does one convince doctors to neglect their practice to go help others they will never see again and whom they actually have to pay to treat?
“It is my experience that people who are sacrificing the most don’t even think they are sacrificing; it is really a puzzle,” says Wong, who finds that doctors who volunteer come back again at an 80 percent rate. “We all want to help others, but, for me it was something that is not definable. It is kind of in your genes; it is not an altruistic thing, not a conscious decision to do this because this is better. It just kind of happens. It feels good to do.
“The odd thing is we pay money to go take care of their patients for free! It is $65 to get a temporary license, so I pay $65 for the privilege of taking care of their patients for free.”
For Wong, this is a small price for the enrichment he receives and is much more exciting than touring around France on a Europass or cruising the crystal blues of the Mediterranean.
“It is better and more exciting than taking a vacation, taking a tour or looking at a cathedral – that is pretty passive, and after three days I am pretty bored,” says Wong. “But on a mission, there is not a day of boredom. It is exciting every day to have this feeling you are helping this person, and not just one, but seven or eight patients a day.”
The surgeons have expanded from their original campaign to fix cleft lips and now specialize in a variety of safe, elective operations, but avoid risky procedures that might hurt their future acceptance into these countries.
Not all their work is done overseas. Locally, they launched Kokua me ka Laulima, “Help with Many Hands,” which offers general surgery services to the uninsured and the poor here on Oahu in a partnership with Queen’s and Castle medical centers.
“Over the years, The Queen’s Medical Center has been proud to support the Aloha Medical Mission,” says Art Ushijima, president of QMC. “One of the projects we are especially pleased to support is Kokua me ka Laulima, a collaboration among AMM, Castle Medical Center, private surgeons, anesthesiologists and community health centers to provide free outpatient surgery to the uninsured poor in the state of Hawaii. For Queen’s and our dedicated staff, it has been gratifying to experience the improvements made in the lives of those who have no means to obtain needed medical care.”
“With the cleft lip, they cannot suckle at their mother’s breast because they cannot get suction,” says Wong, who joined the organization in 1988 and now serves as its president. “They have trouble eating and speaking, but they live with it despite being ostracized – and yet in 45 minutes, with a trained surgeon, their life is changed.”
The mission has grown dramatically through the years, branching out from the Philippines into Nepal, New Guinea and several other Pacific islands with an all-volunteer surgery crew performing more than 15,000 life-changing operations.
While Hippocrates urged future physicians, “If he is in need of money, give him a share of mine,” how does one convince doctors to neglect their practice to go help others they will never see again and whom they actually have to pay to treat?
“It is my experience that people who are sacrificing the most don’t even think they are sacrificing; it is really a puzzle,” says Wong, who finds that doctors who volunteer come back again at an 80 percent rate. “We all want to help others, but, for me it was something that is not definable. It is kind of in your genes; it is not an altruistic thing, not a conscious decision to do this because this is better. It just kind of happens. It feels good to do.
“The odd thing is we pay money to go take care of their patients for free! It is $65 to get a temporary license, so I pay $65 for the privilege of taking care of their patients for free.”
For Wong, this is a small price for the enrichment he receives and is much more exciting than touring around France on a Europass or cruising the crystal blues of the Mediterranean.
“It is better and more exciting than taking a vacation, taking a tour or looking at a cathedral – that is pretty passive, and after three days I am pretty bored,” says Wong. “But on a mission, there is not a day of boredom. It is exciting every day to have this feeling you are helping this person, and not just one, but seven or eight patients a day.”
The surgeons have expanded from their original campaign to fix cleft lips and now specialize in a variety of safe, elective operations, but avoid risky procedures that might hurt their future acceptance into these countries.
Not all their work is done overseas. Locally, they launched Kokua me ka Laulima, “Help with Many Hands,” which offers general surgery services to the uninsured and the poor here on Oahu in a partnership with Queen’s and Castle medical centers.
“Over the years, The Queen’s Medical Center has been proud to support the Aloha Medical Mission,” says Art Ushijima, president of QMC. “One of the projects we are especially pleased to support is Kokua me ka Laulima, a collaboration among AMM, Castle Medical Center, private surgeons, anesthesiologists and community health centers to provide free outpatient surgery to the uninsured poor in the state of Hawaii. For Queen’s and our dedicated staff, it has been gratifying to experience the improvements made in the lives of those who have no means to obtain needed medical care.”
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