While I thought I’d be able to add to this blog on a daily basis, it turned out not to be the case. First, reliable Internet access was near impossible, with the hotel server being only able to allow brief periods of connection, between competing guests. Finally on day three after our arrival, the Riverside Holiday Hotel IT specialist, the elusive “Mr. Go”, was able to get us a (semi) reliable network connection – I had to manually reassign the IP address every 15 minutes or so – quite a problem when you’re trying to FTP files to a website! Following that, by the time we finished with surgery, rounding and returning to the hotel, it was all I could do to finish resizing, re-labeling and then uploading images, before reviewing the next day’s schedule – making notes for future improvements, etc. before collapsing on my 5’2” bed (I’m 6’4” – Ha!).

I will begin however by saying that by all measures, the Operation Sunrise 2007 China Mission was a clear success. Any more words beyond that are just icing on the cake, and the blog that follows only hopes to give greater depth to our daily mission life and to thank those who made this success possible. I know that I’ll never be able to thank each and everyone of those that participated in the mission, so please accept my most sincere thanks to all of you, even if you’re not directly mentioned in this blog. I encourage our members to submit to me your thoughts about the mission, and I’ll post them on this site. Through this, the mission will go on for as long as we add to it, and hopefully will merge with other Operation Sunrise future missions.

After the 15+ hours flight from Chicago, we landed in Hong Kong. Leaving Chicago wasn’t as painful as in the past – something I attribute at least in part to taking the upgrade to Business Class. This afforded us direct passage to the oversized baggage section we were checked in quickly and without delay and then onto a sympathetic TSA inspection. Because we pack three large footlocker sized bags filled with medical equipment (cautery unit, suction machine, three full sets of surgical instruments, gloves, gowns, masks, shoe covers, scrubs, electrical transformers and connectors, etc. etc.) it’s desirable to have these inspected in our presence so that the trunks can be not only locked but duct taped closed on both ends. TSA goes out of their way to accommodate us and allows the additional taping at the end of their inspection (even thought the trunks were subsequently opened elsewhere in the depths of O’Hare and re-inspected – but not re-taped, oh well). Each trunk weights about 70 pounds, so we’re carrying a total of about 350 lbs of medical equipment as well a small amount of personal effects. Going to the gym pays off here as you get a workout lifting these trunks on and off the trolleys in each of the three airports prior to our final destination. I consider myself lucky however, as the San Francisco team manages a collective 40 + trunks containing all other medical supplies that comprise our complete mobile operating room.

After arriving in Hong Kong, we spent the night in the Regal Airport Hotel which, in connects directly to the airport proper and made for a flawless transition. The hotel may have been a bit pricey, but the convenience was well worth it after the long haul and with the abundance of luggage. Moreover, the hotel offers many amenities making for a very pleasant overnight stay – a club lounge with a wonderful breakfast overlooking the South China Sea and staff who define the phrase “superlative service”. We reunited with some of our colleagues (others arrived 2 days later) and spent the night discussing the planned mission, defining logistic details, and taking the tine to get reacquainted as many of us had not seen each other since the 2005 China Mission. That night Tim (our founder), Peter (Director of Anesthesia for Operation Sunrise), Heather and I had a light dinner in the hotel – after beginning our time honored regimen of daily Peptobismol tabs (which Craig contends that the CDC recommends taking 6 (!) tablets daily to prevent routine traveler’s diarrhea).

The following day, we boarded DragonAir to Qingdao after other group members met us in the airport (who had just arrived from both San Francisco and Australia). After a brief reunion, we then boarded the 2 hour flight to Qingdao and after clearing customs (without any problem whatsoever), loaded the bus to our final destination of Linyi City – about three hours bus ride to the northeast. So far:
Chicago – Hong Kong – 15 hours
Hong Kong – Qingdao 2 hours
Qingdao – Linyi City 3 hours
TOTAL: 20+ hours in transit (can you say “jet lag”)

After the 3-hour bus to Linyi City, we checked into the Riverside Holiday Hotel and quickly off loaded personal belongings. Walter designed specially colored tags that differentiated medical supplies from personal belongings, so that the medical supplies could be taken directly to the hospital the very same day. After arriving at the hotel and following a brief check in, we proceeded to the hospital to set up the operating room.