Rysuke’s Story

IHC first met young Rysuke in 2007 when the four-year-old traveled to Richmond for cardiac surgery with Dr. Ben Peeler at VCU Medical Center to repair a hole in her heart. During her stay in Richmond, she also received the first stage of gastrointestinal repair surgery with Dr. Lanning.  She had a congenital malformation that limited her body’s ability to manage and eliminate waste. Since then, she has received two more surgeries in her home nation of St. Vincent. Her final surgery took place on the 2010 Pediatric General Surgery Mission and was an extremely complex procedure lasting 5 hours. IHC surgical teams will continue to follow her each year, and will look forward to seeing her wild, smiling face each time they travel back to St. Vincent!