Heart Is Easy, Soft Is Hard: How Two Surgeons Built Kenya's Only Open-Heart Program

Every episode is free. Keeping it that way isn't. Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward? → Give to Faith in Healthcare: https://cmda.org/givepodcast Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource. What does it take to build one of the most advanced cardiac surgery centers in East Africa — from a napkin sketch to a 400,000-square-foot hospital treating hundreds of open-heart patients a year? In this episode of Faith in Healthcare, host Dr. Mike Chupp sits down with two of his closest friends and former colleagues, Dr. Russ White and Dr. Carol Spears, both veteran missionary surgeons at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. Together they helped launch Tenwek’s general surgery residency nearly 30 years ago — and have now returned to lead its brand-new Cardiothoracic Center. In this conversation, they share: Why only 5% of Kenyans who need cardiac surgery currently receive it — and how Tenwek is changing that The journey from a single operating room to a state-of-the-art six-theater cardiac facility How the PAACS training program has produced 48 surgeons and physicians serving across Africa The hospital’s guiding philosophy — “We treat, Jesus heals” — and what it looks like to minister to patients’ hearts, both physical and spiritual A candid, moving story of walking through loss as a hospital community The urgent, ongoing need for cardiologists, surgeons, and missionaries willing to serve This is a story of medicine, mentorship, and unwavering faith — and a firsthand look at how God can use “broken vessels” to build something extraordinary.