August 2016 DRC

Joanna and I

On the top of the hill.

You ever have those days where you’re off from work and you wake up earlier than you normally would excited to start the day?  Today was one of those days.  Thanks to Joanna who has been working Saturdays for me, I have some free time to get some things done and do some things that I’d like to do.  I’ll be sad when she and her husband leave at the end of September to go back to Holland to deliver their second baby.  After that, they are relocating to more rural hospital north of here.  I’m not so secretly hoping that there’s a delay in getting the required airplane strip (either grass or dirt runway) in order so they can come back to Nyankunde.  Part is selfish, I will really miss the good help in the maternity ward, but really I will miss her friendship.  I am currently praying and asking for someone to help in the maternity ward.  The 2 doctors typically assigned are both administrators and rarely, if ever, around.

Playing Frisbee.
Yes, it's the 7 month pregnant lady playing.

I’m trying to think about what else has been happening here….

The color of "clean" water during the rainy season.

We’ve had several people visit over the last several weeks.  I already mentioned the group of 5 people who were here to run a kids’ program.  There was also a pilot/mechanic helping MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship).  And, we recently had a doctor from Columbus area stop by on her way back home.  She’s been working in central Congo doing research on kids with malaria that affects their brains.  It was great to have her here and to see what steps she’s been making in figuring out how to diagnose and treat cerebral malaria.  For all those Michigan State people, she’s basing her research off of Terry Taylor’s work in Malawi.  Small world.

 I almost forgot.  Thanks to MAF, I was able to travel for 4 days to Goma and across the border in Rwanda right off of Lake Kivu.  I went with Patrick, Anna and their kids.  It was great to get away and relax for a couple of days.

Flying over one of the volcanoes.

We were also able to buy the ultrasound machine because of everyone’s donations!  I’m just waiting for a back-ordered part and for someone to bring it here.  Thanks to everyone for helping.  It will help not only with day-to-day things, but the doctor that visited also mentioned using the new machine to help with some research for ladies who have blood pressure problems in pregnancy.  It’s a bit complicated, but it’s doing middle cerebral artery dopplers to determine part of the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in the brain to see if, eventually, it will effect diagnosis and/or treatment.

I’ve also had a chance to talk with an organization called Serge https://www.serge.org/ .  Next May, when my contract with Samaritan’s Purse is done, I have to figure out what I’m going to do.  This organization was recommended to me.  We discussed different opportunities they have available, but they also discussed the possibility of continuing to build up the hospital in Nyankunde and to develop personnel, especially in administration.  It’s the idea of having a team of people in place with support from their organization in helping facilitate the work here.  There are several other people from Samaritan’s Purse who have been talking with the people from this organization, so we’ll see what happens.

As always, I continue to work and be involved in what’s going on the community.  I’m starting to do community teaching on contraception and family planning.  It’s a big deal when you have 7, 8, or 9 kids.

Dinner with some of the doctors

I’ve also continued to learn how to cook since coming to Congo.  My typical stand-by of spaghetti or cereal doesn’t work here, so I’ve been learning a little at a time.  I make bread, cook with eggplant and pumpkin, and I’ve just learned how to really filet a fish.  I’m thinking about buying some pork ribs to see if I can make bacon!

Things continue to be interesting.  Pray for me as I continue to try and organize the maternity department.  It’s hard to see any change, but other people say it’s there.  Also pray for me, as I will be the only doctor dedicated to the maternity ward starting Sept 21^st.  I will need wisdom to know how to set up boundaries to preserve some sanity while not ignoring the urgency of cases.  Also, pray that the nurses will figure out when to call for help.  I often get called for things they can handle and don’t get called for total disasters.  Pray that I won’t get really frustrated as we work out the process.  And, pray that the administration will take it seriously that I need someone to train.  Not only will it help me now, but in May 2017 I will be in the US for several months to take a break, to take the last step of my board exams, and to work to pay off my loans.  I could be gone as long as 6 months.  In the mean time, I will continue to train the midwives how to do C-sections and treat more complicated cases.

The tile floor came up this week...no grout between.

Happy Labor Day to everyone!  You are missed and loved.

Thanks for your continued support and encouragement

August 2016 DRC

Hello from Congo.

Bonjour du Congo.

I hope everyone is enjoying the end of July heat!  I thought I’d share some things that I’ve found myself saying or heard other people saying in the last several months.

J'espère que tout le monde profite du chaleur au fin Juillet!  Je pensais de partager certaines choses que j'ai entendu au cours des derniers mois.

“Hey, I was going to Skype, but a tree branch fell on the internet wires.”

"Hey, j'allais Skype, mais une branche d'arbre tombé sur les fils de l'internet."

“Can I call you back?  I can’t hear anything because of the rain on the tin roof.”

 " Est-ce que je peux te rappeler?  Je n'entends rien à cause de la pluie sur le toit de l'étien."

“Um, we can’t do your case today because there isn’t any water at the hospital.”

"Um, nous ne pouvons pas faire ta cas aujourd'hui parce que il n'y a pas de l'eau à l'hopital."

“Are there any gloves around?”

“Maybe check in the OR.”

“Oh, there aren’t any in the whole hospital?”

"Est-ce qu'il y a des gantes?"

"Puet-etre verfies à la salle d'op."

"Ah, il n'y en a pas dans l'hopital?"

"Is that a child or goat crying?"

"C'est un enfant ou une chèvre qui crie?"

“I think he had an anaphylactic reaction to Malaria.”

“Is that even a real thing, or are you just making it up?”

“It’s real.  I read this study….”

"Je penses qu'il a eu une réaction anaphylactique à la malaria."

"C'est réal, ou tu l'imagines?

“Was that your 3-legged dear making that noise or you?”

"C'était toi ou le cerf avec trois pattes qui fait ce bruit?"

“I’m going to catch a chameleon.”

"Je vais attraper un caméléon."

“Do you have any jet fuel so I can kill these ants?” (An infestation of army ants…think the very last, very terrible Indiana Jones movie).

"As-tu carburéacteur afin que je puisse touer ces fourmis?"

“Hey, where did you get those Skittles?”

"Hey, tu as trouvé ces Skittles où?"

“I’m so stoked. I found 4 tires for my 4 wheeler in Dubai.  And, it only cost $80 to ship them to Uganda!”

"Je suis tellement content. J'ai trouvé 4 pneus pour mon 4 roues à Dubaï. Et, il ne coûte que $ 80 à les expédier en Ouganda!

“So, I bought this machete to take back to the US as a souvenir and then noticed the ‘made in China’ sticker on the handle after I got home.”

"Alors, je l'ai acheté cette machette pour reprendre aux États-Unis comme un souvenir, puis remarqué le Made in China autocollant sur le manche après je suis rentré."

“I totally found soda water and it’s made in Butembo.” (about 6 hour drive from here)

"J'ai trouvé eau gazifiée et c'est fait à Butembo."  (à peu près 6 hours en voiture d'ici)

“Sorry it’s your day off, but…”

"Désolé, il est ton jour off, mais...."

To a MAF pilot’s wife who is 6 months pregnant, never been out of the US before, and arrived 2 weeks ago: “I think you have a kidney stone.  Did you bring anything stronger than Tylenol with you?”

Pour la femme d'un pilote de MAF qui est enceinte de 6 mois, n'a jamais été hors des États-Unis avant, et est arrivé il y a 2 semaines: "Je pense que vous avez une pierre au rein. Avez-vous apporté quoi que ce soit plus fort que Tylenol avec vous? "

I think you get the idea.

Je pense que tu as compris l'idée.

Outside the airport in Bunia waiting to send off Willem and Joanna
after Willem had an anaphylactic reaction to malaria.
Notice the plane in the background (a remnant from the war).

You can fix anything with duct tape!

Removing fibroids (muscle tumors) from the uterus.

Celebrating the advancement to the nursing students to the next year.

A type of ginger candy that apparently is great for nausea in pregnancy.
It was brought by a team of people who worked with the youth for 2 weeks.

A mom finally going home after several weeks in the hospital.
She had developed a hole from her bladder into her uterus after trying to deliver her baby.
It's a miracle the baby is alive and great that the mom goes home healed.

Me with Salama, the midwife in charge of maternity,
and my 'I love Detroit' t-shirt from my grandma.

Celebrating the last week of training for 2 of the doctors (Nono and Emmanuel).
They are hoping to get their license numbers so they can start working.
It can take months or years for people to get their number.

Pray for peace in the country as elections are likely to be postponed or cancelled.

Pray for a sense of team unity.

Thank God for good health and the ability to work.

Pray that we will continue to make wise decisions in helping and supporting people in what they do here (most of us have multiple people asking for help with building homes, buying food, paying for schooling, helping with medical expenses).

Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray and support me in the work that I'm doing here.  Thank you, too, for the very generous gifts in order to purchase the new ultrasound.  We are waiting for a backordered part and then someone to hand deliver it to Nyankunde.

Upcoming plans:

August: Maybe going to see Goma at the end of this month (a town south of here) if I can catch a flight with MAF.

December: Christmas in Nyankunde

January:  tentative plans to travel to a different hospital in Africa to see working conditions, etc

February 13-23: CMDA medical conference in Thailand!

May: finish 2 years with Samaritan's Purse

June: return to the US