Different Safari’s…….

June 26, 2022

Safari simply means “journey” in Swahili. We all take safari’s…..all are different and individualized. I am on my safari at the hospital with the goal of assisting all those working there to be able to perform better services and to assist the patients and families with their needed care as well. With the Oklahoma Christian Students here, my safari changes a bit so that they can have a positive safari here and learn many things from the hospital. And on occasion, I am blessed with the opportunity to participate in an animal safari like I was this past weekend with the girls.

I know it has been several week since I have posted. This is the one piece of my journey which gets neglected when I add items to my days and weeks. So where to begin? I think the first thing to tell you is that many times cases in the hospital become complicated. We had a 6 yr old little girl with 2nd and 3rd degree burns to bilateral legs and arms. The dressing changes were very painful for her. The students stayed with her all the time. We medicated her for the dressing changes, however, many times the medication did not help completely. The bibi (grandma) was here with her as we were told the mama had run away and the baba (dad) was hard to locate. So day after day, we watched her in pain and fear. We also watched as her legs did not improve and in fact, her toes began to die. Last week, we began looking for the baba in earnest as it became apparent where the demarcation (viable and unviable tissue) line was. We would need to amputate at least the right leg just above the knee and possible the left one below the knee. Disfiguring surgeries are not accepted here. In the states, we don’t like them either however, we have the ability to get access to prosthesis and have lots of equipment to aid the patient with care. Here there is not any help. This girl would pose a lifetime burden to the family with the amputations.

Once baba was found and arrived at the hospital, we have the awful burden of spelling out the risks and benefits of the surgeries to the baba. It was very emotionally draining as we had already done this several times with the bibi. The doctor in charge of her care was becoming very emotionally tired. The baba would make a decision and then change it 15 minutes later. This continued until I finally said this is it. You tell me what you want and then no more changes. He decided to take her to the regional hospital in Mbeya. So we loaded her onto the ambulance and sent them on their way. I used workfund money to pay for her hospital bill here at Chimala. However, I will tell you as I told the baba…at the regional hospital they will not perform any care without payment in advance which this family does not have. We have called the hospital several times since she left on Thursday last week and cannot get anyone to give us an update. I would be willing to help with her needs there as I can, but at this time do not know what is going on. This is totally in God’s hands at this point. No longer can we help, so we pray and know that it may be God’s plan to take her with him.

This case was particularly hard for the students as they have not seen a lot of cases from beginning to end and with such sad endings. But they are troopers and are still going strong. They have gone on Male circumcision clinics (which I will not describe, esp since here the males must be 10 yrs and older!). They have gone on mama/baby clinics where we perform monthly weights and vaccinations for the children. Some of these clinics will see 200-300 clients/day! And they have worked in all of the hospital wards. Some have also worked in the laboratory.

Every night, I meet with the girls and we do “highs, lows and rose buds”. We talk about what they liked the most and why; what they disliked the most and why; and what they hope for tomorrow. This is our “debriefing” if you will. It allows the girls to vent about the bad and hope for tomorrow. Sometimes they wish for better or more equipment, sometimes there is a cultural issue they don’t quite understand and sometimes we just cry or laugh depending on the “safari” that day.

The girls only have two more weeks, so we like to participate in a few fun and no worries events. The pictures below are from this past weekend.