Nepal is over 7,000 miles away from Minnesota, and that's just how far M traveled to us last summer. M suffered from burns on 40% of her body after an accident from a hot pot of water. Her family lives in a remote village in the mountains of Nepal that is a two-day walk from the nearest hospital. Ashley Bjorklund, MD, Medical Director of the Hennepin Healthcare PICU, was teaching at a global health education conference with a nurse who was living in Nepal. She told Dr. Bjorklund about M's situation and asked for recommendations for wound care. Dr. Bjorklund connected with our burn team, and Dr. Gayken quickly made arrangements to send critical supplies for help. M's care team in Nepal had provided the critical care to keep her alive with the limited resources they had but ultimately didn't have the supplies and equipment to care for her burns and nutritional needs fully.
At that time, discussions were occurring about M transferring from the hospital in Nepal to a Shriners hospital to receive treatment for her burns. However, Shriners could not find an interpreter for the patient and her mom. The family speaks Nubri, a dialect that only about 1,000 people speak. Without an interpreter, their hospital rules would not allow the transfer to be able to treat her. "We had been hearing about her story and were invested in her. She was a part of our community now," Dr. Bjorklund said. So, with a slight change in plans and some fundraising later, M and her mom flew to South Dakota, accompanied by the nurse who had shared her story. Then, a Lifelink flight crew picked her up and transported her to Hennepin Healthcare. "This volunteer transport came together through gifts of time and compassion. So many people said yes to helping her on her journey when it would have been so easy to say no," said Dr. Bjorklund.
The new plan was for M to get nutritional rehab at Hennepin Healthcare and, ideally, get an interpreter to get her to Shriners. Our interpreter services found someone who could communicate with and interpret for the mom. Many of the Tibetan Hennepin Healthcare team members could also communicate and bond with the mom through their similar languages and cultures. They surrounded M and her mom with comfort, support, and food throughout their stay. "It was like the true coming together of all these resources to surround this little one," said Dr. Bjorklund. DEI Clinical Consultant, Kunga Norzom, MSW, PsyD, checked in with M and her mom as much as possible to advocate for them and ensure mom was getting emotional support and reassurance. "This is a true story of resilience and faith.
A mom who faced many challenges and almost lost hope, but she got up every time, stronger and more determined than before. She walked for days carrying her injured child on her back, then took a flight to a country she didn't know anything about. She is the true hero in this story. It was her trust in healthcare and humanity that made this possible. I could see in her eyes how grateful she was for our support." Kunga also worked on resources for the care team to help them connect with M and her mom. She created a document sharing about where they lived and explained cultural and community norms to help with communicating. Once M finished her treatments here, she left for Shriners for treatments on her burns.
After four months, M returned to Minnesota to say goodbye before she headed back home. "It was so fun to see her. She was a healthy, happy toddler playing. She was coloring with another kid in the toy room and had this head full of hair and this vibrant smile. It was a big difference from the scared and sick kid that arrived, to this truly thriving toddler that came back, which was impressive," said Dr. Bjorklund. "It was such a privilege to be able to support this family through a very difficult time. Everyone played an important role in this story, it was a total team effort." said Kunga. She accompanied M and her mom to the airport both times. "I got to witness her full transformation, from her first day at Hennepin Healthcare to her flight back home to Nepal. It was pure magic to see M smiling and giggling again. She even let me hold her, which demonstrates our ability to build trust with M and her mom," said Kunga. This was all possible from the efforts and care of several of our Hennepin Healthcare team members who showed up in many ways. "This child's thriving, and she has a long road ahead, but now she has a road ahead. So many people contributed to this amazing outcome. I am so grateful for all the people who showed up for this child. I feel blessed to have been a part of her journey." said Dr. Bjorklund.
