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

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.

Chapters

• (00:00:08) - Faith in Healthcare: CMDA Matters Podcast
• (00:02:48) - Faith and Healthcare: Dr. Russ White and Dr. Carol Spears
• (00:03:20) - Dr. Russ White and Carol Spears: Cardiothorac
• (00:05:28) - The Three Musketeers
• (00:09:50) - Aunt Carol and Uncle Russ
• (00:11:14) - A state-of-the-art cardiac surgery center in Kenya
• (00:15:03) - Challenges of the HR Department
• (00:17:58) - The New Surgery Center at Tenwick in Kenya
• (00:20:49) - How many critical care beds are available at the hospital?
• (00:22:10) - Congenital Heart Surgery in Kenya
• (00:25:43) - Mentoring with a Coach
• (00:28:55) - Timwuk Surgery School: 18 years of excellence
• (00:33:35) - Cardiac Surgery and the Spiritual Ministry
• (00:37:14) - Dr. Tammy King on Ministry to the Trainees
• (00:45:16) - Cardiology Specialists Need More Help
• (00:47:36) - 10 Wick Hospital and the CTC
• (00:51:05) - Faith in Healthcare