Master Sgt. Leenette Joseph, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing equal opportunity, hands a penguin pillow to a child who is on a waiting list for a heart surgery at the National Cardiology and Therapy Center in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Jan. 17, 2012. The Manas Area Benefit Outreach Society has been sponsoring the heart ward since 2003 and has paid for 172 surgeries to date. Aside from two centrifuges, the humanitarian assistance group donated six refrigerators totaling $5,290 to allow the clinic to store more blood for their patients. Joseph is deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and is the president of MABOS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lynsie Nichols)
A staff member at the National Cardiology and Therapy Center in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, shows the volunteers from the Manas Area Outreach Benefit Society where the refrigerators they donated from a previous trip are located, Jan. 17, 2012. MABOS has been sponsoring the heart ward since 2003 and has paid for 172 surgeries to date. Aside from the six refrigerators totaling $5,290 to allow the clinic to store more blood for their patients, the humanitarian assistance group donated two centrifuges. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lynsie Nichols)
Almagal Sheralieva, doctor of transfusions (far right corner), explains how the centrifuges work to Meerim Kuchukeeva, translator for the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron (right) and Senior Airman Abigail Smith, 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, services representative, deployed from the Kansas Air National Guard (left), Jan. 17, 2012. The Manas Area Benefit Outreach Society has been sponsoring the heart ward at the National Cardiology and Therapy Center since 2003 and has paid for 172 surgeries to date. Aside from the centrifuges, the humanitarian assistance group donated six refrigerators totaling $5,290 to allow the clinic to store more blood for their patients. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lynsie Nichols)
by Senior Airman Lynsie Nichols
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
1/19/2012 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Giving back to the community is nothing new for the Manas Area Benefit Outreach Society.
On Jan. 17, the group showed how generous they were by donating more than $5,000 worth of centrifuges to the National Cardiology and Therapy Center in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The machines will be used to potentially triple the amount of heart surgeries conducted in the hospital by providing proper and accurate results for blood tests.
"They really needed these machines," said Master Sgt. Leenette Joseph, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing equal opportunity. "Their machines were really old, and one wasn't even working."
Joseph is deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and is the president of MABOS. Of all her humanitarian assistance projects, none are as close to her heart like the children's heart ward.
"It's great to come to Kyrgyzstan and not only do your job, but get the chance to make a difference," Joseph said. "To be able to provide a little bit of hope for a moment is pretty amazing."
Capt. Rebecca Gallegos, 376th AEW sexual assault response coordinator, deployed from Anderson Air Base, Guam, agreed adding, "I enjoy getting to experience a different side of the mission. When I share with my families, they want to be involved and send me gifts to donate to the children."
Zuhra Kachkinbekova, mother of a 4-year-old boy, shared her gratitude with the volunteers.
"You have been very merciful," she said. "You have made our children happy and cheered them up."
MABOS has been sponsoring the heart ward since 2003 and has paid for 172 surgeries to date. Aside from the centrifuges, the humanitarian assistance group donated six refrigerators totaling $5,290 to allow the clinic to store more blood for their patients.
James Curney, who lives in Bishkek, is a regular contributor to the National Cardiology and Therapy Center who first got involved with the heart ward when a friend informed him of a family who needed help paying for their child's surgery.
"I was working as a contractor here in 2001 when I was first notified of families who needed help paying for surgeries. I paid for two surgeries out of pocket," Curney said. "As the requests became more frequent, I took them to the MABOS president at the time and gave them information about the heart ward."
Curney has maintained good relations with the staff at the National Cardiology and Therapy Center and notifies MABOS whenever there is a project to be done.
"I'm always communicating with the staff, asking what they need and how it can improve the lives of the children and their families," Curney said. "MABOS has been a big help with contributing."
During the visit to the heart ward, MABOS members took time out to play with the children who were staying there.
Master Sgt. Joe Cuthbertson, 376th Expeditionary Mission Support Group first sergeant, is deployed to the Transit Center at Manas from Beal Air Force Base, Calif., and had a unique experience during his visit to the children's ward.
"[I felt] humbled [when I saw the kids enjoying themselves]," Cuthbertson said. "These kids are going through a lot worse than we've ever gone through and they're still finding time to have fun and play and not think of their problems."
Dr. Shabraliev is the skilled surgeon who has performed all 172 surgeries on the children throughout the years. He and his technicians all agreed to perform the surgeries that MABOS helped sponsor for free.
Almagal Sheralieva, doctor of transfusions, has been with the center for 30 years. She will be the main technician operating the machines.
"We're very grateful to you for providing these modern devices to us, they are very useful," Sheralieva said.
