Good news/bad news. Successful surgery but an uncertain future.

It was touch-and-go to get to Dak Ta’ock where we hoped to meet up with Palungin and his father. It was miles of bad road and hours of miserable weather; mud nearly to the running boards and a constant, cold drizzle. I wouldn’t have faulted our driver if he had simply announced, “Enough is enough,” and turned tail for home.

Last year We Help War Victims sponsored Palungin’s trip to Vientiane where he was treated by surgeons from Interplast, an Australian charity. Surgeons from that NGO (non-governmental organization) come to Laos for ten days every year and provide surgery to burn patients and other people who require reconstructive surgery.

Last year the surgeons removed a huge tumor from Palungin’s face. By first removing one of the boy’s teeth they were able to work from inside his mouth and minimize the scarring to his cheek.

When I last saw Palungin and his father 10 months ago, they were overjoyed with the results. Palungin expressed his pleasure at the prospect of returning to school. (He had ceased attending out of embarrassment over his appearance).

However, all was not as good as the boy’s family might have assumed. The Australian surgeons left before the Lao hospital received a pathology report on the mass that they removed from Palungin’s face. Upon departure, the surgeons could only speculate on whether the tumor was malignant or benign.

Recently, I was advised that even if the tumor was determined to be benign, that status didn’t guarantee Palungin a long, healthy life. The physicians informed me that if they had not successfully removed all of a benign mass, it could return and threaten his life. Worse still, if the tumor was malignant, Palungin’s prospect for longevity would be bleak.

Sadly, there exists now no record of the pathology report. The specimen might have been lost, a report might not have been created, or the report may have been mislaid between the lab and the hospital.

Whatever the circumstance, no one knows the nature of Palungin’s tumor and what future treatment might be needed. So, today’s mission was to find him and convince his parents to take him to Vientiane in five days’ time for new tests. In spite of the roads being nearly impassable in today’s rain, our driver got us to the village where we found him looking absolutely terrific following his recovery from last year’s surgery. His parents didn’t fully understand the need for more tests since he looks so healthy but we called in all of our “trust chips” and got them to agree to make the journey.

Chalk one up for the visiting team!