Coordinating Care for Patients
By Brian Cohen, M.D.
Dr. Cohen is a member of the Foundation’s Advisory Board. He has been extremely helpful in evaluating cases, especially those from other countries, and determining the best treatment plan for each patient. He has also found the appropriate doctors and surgeons for these cases, who have often provided their services at no cost.
I have had the privilege of being involved with The Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation from its earliest planning stages. It has been gratifying seeing the Foundation grow into a thriving charitable organization that is helping people worldwide. I have been involved in coordinating the care for a number of young people from abroad who have medical problems requiring expertise beyond what can be found in their native lands.
The first case I was involved with was that of a young man from Haiti with an unusual tumor of his jaw that was not only dramatically altering his appearance, but was starting to interfere with his nutritional status. Dr. Maria Papageorge of the Department of Oral Surgery of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, and Dr. Donald Annino, then of the Department of Otolaryngology at Tufts-New England Medical Center, removed the tumor and performed the extensive reconstruction that was needed to restore his jaw to essentially normal appearance and function.
My next case was that of a young woman from the Island of Anguilla who had extensive keloids (very prominent scars that look more like tumors) on her face. Dr. Gary Rogers of the Department of Dermatology at Tufts-NEMC removed the keloids and Dr. Markus Fitzek of the Department of Radiation Oncology delivered radiation to the areas to prevent their re-growth. We learned several months later that this young woman was getting married. Before this procedure, she would not even venture out to go to work.
The Foundation also had a young girl from Ethiopia come to Tufts-New England Medical Center for evaluation of mitral stenosis. This condition is a narrowing of one of the valves separating the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart. Advanced mitral stenosis results in fluid backup into the lungs causing shortness of breath with exertion and when lying down. Dr. Ani Banerjee of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology reviewed the echocardiograms that were done in Ethiopia, and felt the girl would need a procedure to correct the narrowing. Instead of surgery, a less invasive procedure, balloon valvuloplasty, was advised (where a catheter is threaded into the heart via an artery, and the valve is opened by expanding the balloon attached to the catheter).
Because of her weakened condition, this girl had a rocky time when she first got to Boston. She spent several days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit because of the fluid backup in her lungs, but after she was stabilized, a balloon valvuloplasty was performed. Dr. Jim Locke of Children’s Hospital came over to NEMC, generously donating his time and expertise to perform the procedure along with the NEMC cardiologists.
I am currently reviewing additional cases brought to our attention by the Gift of LIfe, another charitable organization helping arrange medical care for people worldwide. Never having been involved directly in charitable work before, I have to say I’m amazed at the number of people willing to devote their financial resources, energies and expertise to helping people in need. The medical, nursing and administrative staffs of Tufts-New England Medical Center in particular have gone out of their way to help me make sure these patients are well cared for.
