A Perfusionist Who Cannot Carry His Bag

"Passion is a Pursuit of Happiness through Suffering". When I read this interpretation of passion as a pursuit of happiness through suffering, I remembered a few medical volunteers of Children’s HeartLink during our trips to China over the past 13 years.

A Perfusionist Who Cannot Carry His Bag

Kris Nielsen is a perfusionist from the Twin Cities. His job in the OR is to keep the patient alive on a heart-and-lung machine while the surgeon operates on the stopped heart. His work is nothing short of magic.

During our first trip together to Lanzhou, China in 2010, Kris explained that the protocol for heart-and-lung bypass was largely standardized, so he was pleased to see a familiar set up in the OR where we would work the next day at the First Affiliate Hospital of Lanzhou University. The first day of surgery was a success. The medical team from the University of Minnesota and the local team bonded quickly. Kris observed closely, kept his surgeon informed, and shared his observations with his counterpart from Lanzhou. After discussing some ideas with his new partner, Kris helped implement a few changes during the next day of surgeries. It was amazing to see them chit-chat with only one or two words in English and a lot of nodding.

At first, Kris dealt with his jet-leg with an early morning run to the Yellow River. He was full of energy. Kris and Raj, the anesthesiologist on the team, spent a lot of time together. Naturally, they joked with each other inside and outside the OR all the time. Kris teased Raj mercilessly after Raj had been schooled on how to gracefully put a needle in the tiny vein of a Chinese baby by the local staff on the first day.

But on the third day of the trip, Kris became quiet in the OR. He asked for a blanket and wrapped it around himself. His responses to the surgeon were down to one or two words. By the late afternoon, I found him lying down to rest in the break room. It looked like the jet-leg had finally taken a toll. Kris missed our group dinner, and then he missed our breakfast, too.

It was the Montezuma’s revenge that punishes travelers in the middle kingdom just as in the Aztec empire, regardless of the purpose of the mission. Kris had struggled for two days without telling most of the team. It pained Kris so immensely that Raj had to carry Kris’ backpack as they walked together from the hotel to the hospital the next morning. Raj had his revenge as well.

I shared Kris’ story a few times with other volunteers on their first trips to China, and I no longer laugh some of them favor KFC over the handmade noodles or other street food that I couldn’t resist on the streets of Lanzhou.  

Kris Nielsen and his fellow perfusionist from Lanzhou First Affiliate Hospital, 2010.

Note: Thank you Ryn W for the editing.