In his years working with POF, Dr. Veith has made numerous volunteer trips to Vietnam and Bangladesh to treat children and adults suffering from limb loss and deformities. Even today, explosions from Vietnam War landmines cause more than 2,000 men, women and children to lose limbs each year.

In Bangladesh, overloaded vehicles share narrow roads with ox-drawn wagons, carts and pedestrians. Farming and other equipment is outdated and not properly maintained. Combined with a lack of infrastructure and safety regulations, frequent accidents that often result in the loss of limbs and death occur. Since 1990, POF has given thousands of people in Vietnam, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone a renewed sense of life with fitted prosthetic limbs.

In addition to limb loss, limb deformities from polio, clubfoot and other disabilities prevent thousands from walking and leading normal lives. Clubfoot deformity affects approximately one in 1,000 births worldwide.

“Children in developing countries often receive inadequate or no treatment for clubfoot deformity, and this leads to lifelong disability,” said Dr. Veith.

POF has a nonsurgical program to treat infants with clubfoot in Son La Province located in the mountainous region of northwest Vietnam. Using the highly effective and inexpensive Ponseti casting technique, most babies treated do not require surgery later and their feet function well in adulthood.

“In the months and years to come we hope to expand the Ponseti casting program to additional provinces in Vietnam, as well as in Bangladesh and Sierra Leone,” said Dr. Veith.

Dr. Veith is past president of the POF board and practices at VOA’s Renton clinic. He plans to continue medical missions with POF, finding fulfillment in helping people who would otherwise never be able to walk.

05/05/2009