“The service here is always fast and good. The patients who come to FAME get cured, and that’s why we keep coming back.”

— Celina’s husband.

26-year-old Celina* and her husband are no strangers to FAME. Since 2014, they have been coming to FAME for medical attention. 

“My friend moved from our village to Karatu to work at FAME. When he returned to visit, he talked about his new workplace, this beautiful hospital in Karatu with outstanding doctors.”

— Celina’s husband.

That same year, Celina fell pregnant with their first child and promptly started her antenatal clinics at FAME. When she gave birth at FAME, despite being full-term and having had an uncomplicated pregnancy, her baby had a chest problem, and she spent four months in our Special Care Nursery (SCN).

“We were distraught, but FAME healed her. We stayed at this hospital for a long time but left with a healthy baby,” said Celina.

Since then, Celina’s family keeps coming back to FAME for different ailments, some that required hospitalization and others that didn't. In 2016, she gave birth to her second baby at FAME. 

Today, Celina, accompanied by her husband and youngest child, is visiting FAME’s Outpatient Clinic (OPD). She is suffering from chest pains, a cough, and intense headaches. 

“This started a few days ago and is getting progressively worse. It's very cold in our village in Ngorongoro at the moment, so I suspect I may not have been dressing warm enough. I decided to see the doctor, and my husband was kind enough to accompany me. It's a long journey from home to FAME, over two hours!” said Celina

At FAME, Celina had an X-ray and blood work. She was diagnosed with Pneumonia and given antibiotics to take home.

“I’m happy with the fast service. Since we come from quite far, it’s nice that we don’t have to spend a long time here waiting to see the doctor.”

— Celina

FAME’s OPD is integral to fulfilling FAME’s vision of improving access to quality healthcare. With over 27,000 visits in 2021, our OPD remains one of the busiest departments at FAME. It provides triage, diagnosis, and treatment for patients who do not have to stay overnight at the hospital. And for the patients who do have to stay overnight, many of them will pass through OPD first.

*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical

Sisina

Sisina (center) poses with her husband (right) and his friend (left)

Sisina* is a 28-year-old woman and mother of four. She lives in a village in Ngorongoro, 37 miles from FAME. For a few weeks now, Sisina has suffered from severe stomach pain and nausea. She had been to three different clinics close to her home, but she had found no relief. One of the clinics had suggested that she might be pregnant with her fifth child, but she wasn't. The other diagnosed her with indigestion and prescribed an antacid, but this did not help.

“I was feeling poorly. I couldn’t take care of my children. I was in pain and miserable. My husband was very worried. He told me he wanted to take me to a hospital in Karatu called FAME to see a doctor. But it was very far from our village, and I didn’t want to leave my kids alone. So I said No.”

— Sisina

However, Sisina’s symptoms got worse. She was now vomiting, experiencing fever, and having a bloody stool. That’s when her husband put his foot down and forced her to come to FAME. 

“She was very sick but still very stubborn. She didn't want to leave home. But she was getting worse, and we had exhausted all possible medical interventions close to home. A friend had told me about this hospital called FAME in Karatu, and I thought we should try it. So I put my foot down and brought her here.” - Sisina’s Husband.

Accompanied by a friend, the couple took a bus to Karatu town and then a bajaji (auto rickshaw) the remaining two miles to FAME. Once at FAME, Sisina was received by the emergency department. She had a CT scan and blood work done. The doctors gave her a prompt diagnosis of gallbladder perforation and informed her that she would require immediate surgery. 

“When the doctor mentioned surgery, I was very scared. My husband and I asked the doctor many questions, and he was very patient with us and explained everything. Together, we agreed on the surgery.”

— Sisina

The surgery was a success, and after two hours, Sisina was reunited with her husband in FAME’s inpatient ward. 

“I was very happy when they brought her back to the ward and said that everything had gone well. She was still unconscious, so I sat by her bedside and waited for her to wake up. When she did, I asked her how she felt, and she said better than before! This made me very happy. I made a joke that I saved her life by bringing her to FAME, but she didn't find it funny. Sisina is always very serious.” - Sisina’s husband.

“I am thankful to FAME for the good service they have given me and the fact that it’s affordable. When I saw how beautiful it was when we arrived, I was worried it would be very expensive! I am pleasantly surprised that they put the welfare of their patients before money. Thank you, FAME.”

— Sisina

After nine days, Sisina was allowed to go back home.

We are very happy about the service, and we pray that FAME continues to provide this much-needed help in our community.” - Sisina’s husband.

“I want to congratulate FAME. What you are doing here is amazing. We pray that you continue to do it for years to come.” - Sisina’s husband’s friend.

*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical

It was a sunny morning when 7-year-old Leah* and her friends left school for home. She goes to a government school close to her house, so she usually walks home after school. Everyday on her walk, there is a big busy road that Leah has to cross. One day, while the cars stopped for Leah and her friends to  safely cross the road, a boda boda (motorcycle) came full speed past the stopped cars and hit Leah.   

“I heard a lot of screaming from my house. Since it's a busy road with a big market, I thought the vendors were having a dispute. That was until one of my neighbors barged into my house. She told me that a boda boda had hit my daughter and that some good samaritans who saw the accident had taken her to a nearby clinic on a bajaji (autorickshaw).” - Mama Leah

Mama Leah rushed to the clinic, where she found her daughter being given first aid. Her head was bleeding, and she had a huge gash. The doctor was starting to stitch her up. 

“I fell on my knees when I saw she was alive. I thought she had died. I was relieved that the cut wasn’t too bad and that her eye had not been injured”

— Mama Leah

After Leah was stitched up, she started vomiting blood. Concerned, the doctors asked Leah’s parents to bring her to FAME, as they did not understand why she was throwing up blood when she only had a head wound. They thought she might need a CT scan, which they could not do. FAME’s CT scan machine is the only one in a 75-mile radius.

In a panic, Leah’s father called a friend with a car to bring them to FAME. He had been to FAME before when he was involved in a boda boda accident last year.

Once at FAME, Leah was quickly taken to the emergency room. She had an ultrasound and CT scan, and the doctors diagnosed her with a serious liver injury. Thankfully, all her other organs had not been impacted. 

“My husband and I were shocked. We didn't know that she was hurt anywhere else besides her head, and we were focusing on that. We thought the vomiting blood was due to the head injury! If it were not for FAME, Leah would have died as we continued treating the head wound!” - Mama Leah 

Leah was referred to KCMC hospital in Moshi for surgery. FAME provided the ambulance and one medical staff. The surgery was successful and Leah and her mom were allowed to go home after spending a week in the hospital. This week they came back to FAME for a medical check-up. 

“We owe everything to FAME. The compassion FAME showed us is remarkable, and the quality of the service provided is impeccable! The emergency department received us quickly, and the test results didn’t take long! I don’t know what would have happened if we had had to wait hours to see a doctor, or worse if we never got the right diagnosis”

— Mama Leah

Over the next 5 years, FAME is focused on expanding its general surgery and emergency response, so cases like Leah’s can be treated entirely at FAME.

Leah is now much better and back to her playful ways. She’s also eating well and misses her school. “Every day, Leah asks if she can go back to school. She misses her friends and teachers. I tell her I think she should stay home a little longer, as she’s just survived a horrible accident!” -Mama Leah.

Click here if you would like to learn more about how you can support FAME’s strategic priorities.

*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical

This week we had a special visitor to FAME, little Maria*! 

In 2018, 2-year-old Maria was born in a Karatu clinic, six miles from FAME. She was one of three triplets and sadly, the only one to survive. Born at only 30 weeks and after the loss of the other triplets, the doctors at the clinic in Karatu advised her to come to FAME urgently. Maria and her mother arrived at FAME as a last resort to try to save her life. 

Mama Maria knew of FAME, having grown up and still living in Karatu; however, she had never been here before. Doing everything she could to save the life of her baby, she looked for a taxi that would bring her and her critically sick daughter to FAME. 

Mama Maria had not expected this tragic turn of events. Her first children are twins, who were delivered naturally and are healthy and thriving. When she found out that she was expecting triplets, she was shocked but expected an experience similar to her first one.

Once at FAME, Maria spent 26 days at FAME’s special nursery on oxygen. She was in a critical condition and the mother was losing hope that she could recover. 

“I cannot put into words how good the medical care at FAME is. When we came here, I had suffered a huge loss and had completely lost hope that she could be saved. Over those 26 days that Maria was in the special nursery, my mental health took a hit. I was sure that she was going to die just like the others.”

However Mama Maria found lots of support and encouragement from the nurses at FAME.

“The nurses really talked to me and encouraged me. Without them, I would not have survived that terrible time. They became my friends! We celebrated every little progress Maria made, and that slowly started giving me hope.”

After 26 days, Maria was ready to go home and meet her older siblings.

“I recommend that everyone come to FAME when they’re sick. The level of care is very high. I wish I had given birth here, maybe all my babies would have survived!”

— Mama Maria

*While the patients’ names have been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share his photos and stories with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME.

Frank* is only 4-years-old. He is at FAME because he suffers from epilepsy, a brain disorder characterized by repeated seizures. He has had this disorder since he was nine months old. 

This is not Frank’s first visit to FAME. Frank has been here many times, including once to see Dr. Michael Rubenstein and the team of neurology residents and fellows from the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who come to FAME twice a year to provide neurological care to our patients. 

Frank is back at FAME because he suffered 16 seizures last night, according to his mother. Lately, he has experienced an increase in seizures, which has led to him being pulled out of school. His school has been very supportive of his condition, but when his seizures happen every other hour, they cannot handle it. He's also running a fever that won't break. His mother is very worried about him

“The seizures have gotten worse lately, and the high fever is a new thing. I'm happy that a well wisher helped me bring him to FAME. Frank was on medication for six months before, and that helped him tremendously. I’m here to ask the doctors if they can help me control these seizures, maybe with the same medication again.” - Mama Frank 

At FAME, Frank and his mother are working with Dr. Anne Ghati, FAME’s focal neurologist. For almost 10 years, Dr. Anne has been working closely with Dr. Rubenstein’s team of Neurology residents and fellows, learning a lot in the process.  And just this May, Dr. Anne spent one month at University of Pennsylvania doing an observership with their neurology team.

“I am very familiar with Frank’s case. On the day he was admitted to the inpatient ward in the morning, he had already suffered four seizures. His mother explained that he got seizures after every one to two hours. I prescribed him phenobarbital, a prescription medicine used to treat and prevent the symptoms of seizures. Due to this, he only suffered a few seizures during admission.” - Dr. Anne Ghati

In some cases, epilepsy can have a genetic component, which may be the case with Frank, as his mother recalls having something similar between the ages of three and seven. 

“My mother tells me that I also had seizures when I was young. She is not sure whether it was epilepsy since I never saw a doctor and the condition resolved itself, but I fear this might be what Frank has. His two older siblings are okay though, they don’t get seizures. It’s only Frank.” - Mama Frank 

Frank also had the chance on this visit to consult visiting volunteers, Marin Jacobwitz, NP and Dr. Daniel Licht, who are visiting pediatric neurologists from the University of Pennsylvania.

“I love FAME for their good and caring service. When he was admitted to the inpatient ward, every time Frank suffered a seizure the medical staff would come running to help me and make sure that he was okay. When I came to the reception the first time, they immediately fast tracked me into seeing a doctor. I didn’t have to wait in line with a child suffering seizures. I was and still am very grateful to FAME. You share the burden of this disease with me. Thank you!”

— Mama Frank

*While the patients’ names have been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share his photos and stories with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME.