When he was 7 years old, Mikiyas (on the left in the first photo) suffered a traumatic dog bite injury to his throat that left him with severe scar tissue, narrowing his airway to nearly the size of a pinhole.
The team first met Mikiyas at a CSI screening day in February 2025, when he was 18 years old. He had spent a decade struggling for every breath — physical activity, including walking to school, was nearly impossible, and viruses or colds could quickly become life-threatening. At that time, the surgical team was able to intervene and open his airway, allowing him to finally breathe freely.
Fast-forward 16 months: Mikiyas is now more than 6 inches taller, attending college, and walking between classes with ease.
Today, he returned for follow-up care as some scar tissue had reformed — a common occurrence with complex airway reconstruction. But this surgery also represented something bigger.
“Today was a perfect example [of CSI’s focus on education and training],” CSI volunteer nurse Theresa Philbin shared. “The pictures show Dr. Kassaw Ketemaw learning how to do airway surgery, anesthesia learning how to assist in said surgery, and an entire OR staff (including me) seeing something for the first time.”
#SurgicalTraining #GlobalHealth #pediatricsurgery #nonprofit
Pediatrician Dr. Paul Melchert demonstrating a key part of global healthcare delivery: adaptability.
When supplies aren’t readily available, creative problem-solving has to go hand-in-hand with clinical expertise.
In this video, Paul flexes his pivoting skills to make things work with the resources available — all in service of providing the best possible care for his pediatric patient.
#pediatrics #GlobalHealth #Ethiopia #changinglives #doctorlife
Day 2 in Bahir Dar: 8 life-changing surgeries completed and another great day in the OR.
Today’s focus was on head and neck masses, with ENT fellow Dr. Kassaw operating alongside CSI surgeon Dr. Chris Discolo while medical residents trained with CSI volunteer Dr. Raj Petersson at the second table.
Theresa Philbin, RN, shares, “watching the local team work seamlessly with our OR staff is amazing.”
Baby Marie (pictured in photo #2) will receive surgery on Thursday. When the team first met her at just 3 days old, CSI provided her family with specialty bottles and formula to help ensure she could feed and grow strong enough for surgery.
More still to come this week in Bahir Dar.
#nonprofit #pediatricsurgery #GlobalHealth
The first OR day at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital was a success, with five children receiving specialized ENT surgeries and additional patients screened for care in the days ahead.
All surgeries today were all performed by ENT fellow Dr. Kassaw Ketemaw — underscoring the growing local surgical capacity made possible through our partnership with College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.
Did the team have power the whole day? No. But the work continued anyway. These are hurdles the staff in Ethiopia navigate regularly with resilience, skill, and unwavering dedication to their patients.
#GlobalHealth #pediatricsurgery #Ethiopia #nonprofit #cleftstrong
“We were very shameful about the baby's cleft before surgery, now we are proud and we feel very happy about the surgery. We would like to thank you very much.” Parent, Ethiopia
