Hi.  My name is Leslie Hipp.  Last year, my family and I traveled to Asia for six months to do missions work in Thailand, India, and Cambodia.  It was a challenging and rewarding time of service.  While we were in Hyderabad, India, we worked at Nireekshana, a free clinic that specializes in the treatment of patients with HIV, AIDS, or leprosy.  At the clinic, the staff do as thorough a work-up on patients as they can without the benefit of a cardiologist.  The love and compassion they show their patients greatly touched my family and me, and when we left we promised to come back one day.  In 2016, my family moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where I took a full-time position with Biosense Webster.  I have the privilege of working with Dr. Paari Dominic, a cardiac electrophysiologist at University Health Shreveport/LSU.  When Dr. Dominic heard about our time in India and my desire to return to help the clinic, he was also interested in going to assist them.  Dr. Dominic's excellent training and skills in cardiac electrophysiology were a perfect fit for the needs of Nireekshana, and we've now arranged a trip back to the clinic at the end of September.  Two ways we hope to help is by doing cardiac echoes, and 12-lead EKGs on some of the clinic's patients.  At the moment, Nireekshana has an ultrasound machine, but no cardiac probe, nor do they have a 12-lead EKG machine.  We're hoping that by raising the funds to provide these items for the clinic, we can not only contribute to their clinic on this trip, but continue to partner with them in the future.  The work they do there is invaluable to the HIV/ AIDS  population of Hyderabad, who otherwise wouldn't have a place to go to receive treatment.  Nireekshana gives them dignity and hope, and makes them feel like they're worthy of quality treatment and a long, fulfilling life.  We're truly honored to get to be a part of the work the clinic does there.  Even though you're not able to go in person to see the wonderful work they do there, you can still help them by donating to our drive to raise funds for a cardiac probe and a 12-lead EKG machine.