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John’s second day in hospital

I will call him “John”. Reportedly 12 years old, he arrived at FAME weighing only 7.8 kilos. Discovered just days ago by “Mama Lyn”, Co-Founder of “Light in Africa”, an orphanage located three hours east of here, it was obvious that he needed immediate medical attention. Severely malnourished, she loaded him in her vehicle and brought him to FAME for assessment and treatment. He was immediately admitted, and the FAME team began working to save his life. Of course, those of you who know us also know that we are no strangers to “miracles” — a least our definition of miracles:) It just so happened that when this little guy arrived, we had a pediatrician from the U.S. volunteering with us. Keep in mind, we almost never get volunteer pediatricians in this neck of the woods. They seldom can leave their home practices for very long. Dr. Howard was an invaluable resource for our team, supporting and mentoring them in the management of John’s care. Still in the hospital, John has a long way to go. But he also has angels in his life, like Mama Lyn. Our hope is that we will be able to discharge him to his new family before too long. He will undoubtedly have “special needs” but Light in Africa also provides for that. We are also in the process of trying to secure “Plumpy Nut” for John, a nutritional supplement that is actually medicinal and used for cases of severe malnutrition. Unfortunately, the only manufacturer of the product in Tanzania has stopped production for now, hoping to begin again after the first of the year. In the mean time, our Head Nurse is doing her best to source some from our local government pharmacist, where apparently there is an emergency supply for just such cases. Fingers crossed, we will be able to secure enough to send John home with the supply he will need to turn the corner. 

A little girl stole our hearts five months ago. Here name is Jackline. Her father carried her into FAME Medical in a ketoacidotic coma, probably triggered by a severe infection. With the emergency care she received from the FAME team and our telemedicine communication with a volunteer consultant and Endrocrinologist in the U.S, Jackline survived this crisis. Very weak, but finally stable, she was able to go home with her parents the following day. Unfortunately, her parents are among the poorest of the poor in rural Tanzania. Just putting food on the table each night is a challenge, let alone covering the costs of her twice a day insulin. We all wondered when the next crisis would hit. But then we were reminded......there are, indeed, "earth angels" among us. Someone in the community agreed to cover her medication costs on an ongoing basis, and one of our long-term supporters and volunteer doctors made the offer of a lifetime. Dr. Duane Koenig started seeing Jackline for follow-up visits and could see how precarious her medical situation was due to the poverty she and her family lived in. He wondered how her family might feel about her attending a neighborhood Boarding School, where she would receive three good meals a day, the necessary dietary supplements to keep her diabetes well controlled, and close monitoring by a School Nurse. With the help of one of our translators, he approached the parents about the possibility and offered to be Jackline's Sponsor. The family was ecstatic, as was Jackline. For a motivated, capable child, like Jackline, this was a dream come true. Our team rallied. Siana Nkya, our Head Nurse and William Mhapa, our Community Health Facilitator, met with the school Head Master and nurse to discuss Jackline's medical condition and needs. Dr. Duane donated the money to cover her school fees and school supplies, and Jackline began attending Tumaini Junior School on February 27th. She also came in for a check-up last week. She was smiling, laughing, quite literally glowing, and she left those of us at FAME Medical glowing too.

Volunteering at the FAME clinic in Tanzania was an incredible experience. Having worked with other international medical missions in the past, I always look forward to experiencing a new place, new friends, new food, new culture, and the new lessons that I will learn. One thing that I learned while working at the FAME clinic was the importance of teamwork when providing exceptional patient care. All of us had our own jobs from sweeping the floors, checking in patients, diagnosing and treating, running the lab, filling prescriptions, organizing finances, getting more donations, recruiting volunteers, etc. Each task was essential and required great thought and care given that money and resources were limited. When there was a challenging patient case, we would all work together to come up with the best possible solution for the patient. This is how medicine should be— individuals bringing their knowledge and talents together to create something better then anyone could have done on their own. One specific patient comes to mind—a 5 year old girl that was severely malnourished with little family to take care of her. We all played a part in trying to help her: the doctors examined her and discussed possible diagnoses, the nurse was able to start an IV, the cooks made her rice to eat, the lab was able to draw blood and run rests, one of the assistants was able to translate for her tribe's dialect, the pharmacy organized her medications, and a local social worker researched possible hospitals for her to go for further care. We all depended on each other. It's sometime easy to forget at FAME that we were lacking in some resources, as the hearts of the people made up for it. Now that I'm back home, I hope to continue to practice what FAME taught me: be grateful for what you have, work as a team, and love what you do.

Moving Day – May 4th – it really happened. At first it looked like we would have to wait for the furniture people to come and assemble the furniture. As an interim measure, I asked if I could pilfer some furniture from the shipment that had come the day before that was to be used in the various bungalows and the hospital. They said yes and we put an interior design scheme together that is unique in all the world. Eclectic doesn't begin to describe it. We have wicker stands that would probably be used to store bath towels and others that are probably flower pot stands. We have some stackable plastic bins that look like those things you put your cat in and others whose original function I can't begin to imagine. But of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it is sheer beauty to these eyes. The front two-thirds of the building were totally functional throughout the entire day of moving. We timed each move between patients so we didn't miss a beat with regard to patient service. The day after the big move the furniture assembly team came. When I came in on OD3 (Operational Day 3), the new furniture had been assembled. The lab guys had completely cleaned and organized the new lab. All of the boxes of miscellaneous stuff has been emptied and properly (or at least neatly) shelved. I spent all day either doing blood chemistries using the new machine coupled with some more old-fashioned tests or sitting at the lab bench next to the window that overlooks the cornfields with the mountains in the distance. The masked weavers are just outside that same window. It was better than I could ever have imagined. And when I look around the lab with its state of the art equipment and stainless steel counters juxtaposed with the wicker bookcase and the plastic cat bins, I think it is quite perfect. And when I further reflect on my impatience while waiting for a full year for the lab to be completed, I also think of the residents of this area who have been waiting for generations for this kind of access to quality health care. Somehow my vision seems pretty myopic. Yet another lesson learned.

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of traveling to Africa to do something that would benefit those less fortunate than myself. And for the longest time, I was unsure what I could possibly do to help. After finishing grad school, receiving my degree in Occupational Therapy, I decided it was the perfect time to make the long awaited journey to Africa to see what I could do to help out.

Originally, a friend and I arranged to spend 4 weeks volunteering at the Rift Valley Children’s Village. We thought that we would only be able to visit the FAME clinic due to our busy schedules at the Children’s Village. We were very fortunate that things worked out and we were both able to join the remarkable FAME team. We accompanied 18 other FAME staff and volunteers as we traveled to Laghangareri for the first of 24 mobile clinics. I was unsure what to expect, but extremely excited and curious about the mission.

I was stunned on the second day of clinic when what seemed like hundreds of people were lined up seeking medical treatment when we arrived early that morning, and even more showed up on each of the following days. I was astonished by the stories I heard of how far and for how long many of these sick individuals had traveled to obtain medical care. One elderly woman asked us if she could sit down to rest for a little while, she had traveled for 2 days to get to the mobile clinic. It amazed me how these individuals who in many cases are very frail and sick are able to travel such extreme distances to get the medical care they needed. In many cases it was not only a sick parent, but also one or several sick children that made the treacherous journey.

On this same day, an older man was brought in by a community leader, by truck because he was unable to walk. The man suffered from paralysis below the waist following a sickness approximately 2 years ago that continues to persist and now also suffers with severe decubitus ulcers on his buttock and opposite hip. They were some of the worst ulcers I have seen. His wounds were treated at the clinic and he was started on antibiotics. Things were then set up to check on him at the end of the week, and arranged for him to be seen at the FAME clinic. I was able to help transport him back to his boma (mud hut). I was stunned by the condition this man was living in; he had to lay on a piece of cardboard on the dirt floor with a thin blanket covering it, and his blankets were filthy and soiled. We provided him with a foam cushion to help with comfort and positioning. I helped to educate the family through a translator, instructing them on proper positioning, wound care, and hygiene. They were also provided with the materials for dressing changes until he was seen at the clinic. With very few resources and limited knowledge of the language, this intervention and patient/family education was lot different than it would have been done in different circumstances. Despite the limited resources, it amazed me how resourceful all the medical professionals were and the incredible things that could be done in “the bush” to help these individuals.

As I begin my career as an Occupational Therapist I will now take with me something very special, something that will stay with me forever. Dr. Frank and his team are incredible; they make such a huge impact on so many lives. Joining the FAME mobile clinic was such a life changing experience that I am so glad I was able to be part of and I hope that I am able to be part of something so special again someday soon.