Legishon showing his head injuries.

One of the Leopards of the Serengeti as photographed by FAME’s Board Chair, Dr. Michael Rubenstein.

17-year-old Legishon* lives with his brother-in-law and two male cousins, 75 miles from home. The drought in the Serengeti has led to an acute shortage of water and has dried up the pastures for grazing, forcing them to move with their livestock and set up temporary camps elsewhere. 

It was a typical day when Legishon took the cattle out. He has been herding cows since he was a little boy, so he could easily handle the big herd by himself. As he ventured deeper into the plains, he suddenly felt something from above jump down onto his shoulder. 

“At first I didn’t know what it was, then I quickly realized that it was a leopard,” said Legishon.

Legishon tried to fight off the leopard unsuccessfully. He screamed for help, but sadly no one was around to help him.

“As I lay there with the leopard on my back, tearing at my head and shoulder, I knew I was going to die. I could see my cattle in the distance and knew that they were safe. The herdsmen always said that the leopards seldom kill cows, especially if they had the option of killing humans or goats. I prayed that this was the case. At sunset, my cousins would come looking for me when I didn’t go back to the camp, and they would find the cattle. This was my last thought before I closed my eyes and waited to die.”

— Legishon

However, after a few minutes of the attack, the leopard walked away. Legishon was left in terrible pain, unable to talk or move. He lay bleeding where the leopard had left him until some women picking firewood found him. 

“At first, they thought I was dead, and when they realized I wasn’t, one of the women who knew my family called my brother-in-law.”

— Legishon

Legishon’s brother-in-law knew of a local dispensary that had an ambulance. He called them and asked for help. The ambulance arrived at the scene and took Legishon to the dispensary.

“When we got to the dispensary, the doctor said that Legishon needed way more sophisticated medical care than they were able to provide. They mentioned that he needed a CT scan, and this was only available at FAME.” - Legishon’s Brother-In-law.

Once at FAME, the emergency response team knew exactly how to help Legishon, having treated numerous injuries from wild animal encounters over the years.

“I was very scared. I’m not scared often; actually, I’m never scared of anything, but that day I was scared that we would lose Legishon”

— Legishon’s Brother-in-law

Legishon went for an X-ray and CT scan, which confirmed that he had not suffered any neurological damage from the attack. He was given tetanus and rabies vaccine. After four days in FAME’s inpatient ward, he was ready to return home.

“Thank you, FAME. Your good hospital has healed me. I’m ready to go back to my cattle!”

— Legishon

“As a family, we are very grateful to FAME. You saved our son! I’m now taking him home to his mother, who I’m sure will not allow him to come back to the camp. When I told her of his accident, she was hysterical. Now she wants him home so that she can watch him all the time. But Legishon is a man, and you can’t watch a man. He’ll be back with the cattle soon enough, I’m sure!”
- Legishon’s Brother-In-Law

*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

Susan (left) poses with her younger sister Marta.

Meet Sisters Susan* and Marta* Duwe. Susan is 89 years old, and Marta is 68. They live together six miles from FAME, in a small village in Karatu. On this day, they are the first patients at FAME’s Outpatient department (OPD) for a follow-up visit, arriving at 8 am. They shared a boda boda (motorcycle) to get here. 

“Susan and I live together. Our children have moved on, and our husbands are dead, so it’s just the two of us. A friend told us about this hospital and said she had a good experience. Susan was suffering from back pain at the time, so we came here to see a doctor.”

— Marta

Once at FAME, Susan was diagnosed with lumbar (lower back) muscle strains. She was prescribed anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce inflammation, which gave her great relief. A month ago, she was sick again, this time with something different, so they returned to FAME. She was diagnosed with hypertension. After a month on medication, she is back for a follow-up visit. 

“We have always had a good experience at FAME. Every time we come here, Susan gets better. Today I hope the doctor gives her the same medicine as last time, as it works very well. She can now help with chores like cleaning dishes, even though I ask her not to! She says she feels stronger.”

— Marta

Susan only speaks her tribal language, so her sister translates for us. In many cases, relatives who speak Swahili are the best translators for patients, but in cases where a Swahili-speaking friend or relative is unavailable, FAME has on-site social workers who step in as translators.

“FAME is Good! They help me a lot. Marta is very young, so she has no medical issues. I’m old and always need a doctor for something. I’m happy that Marta and FAME are here for me.”

— Susan

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

“Despite her pneumonia diagnosis, Diana now weighs 6.6 lbs! I’m pleased with her progress. FAME is dedicated to supporting Diana, her mother, and families like theirs, as premature babies are more likely to have chronic health issues.”

— FAME’s Dr. Ken Karanja, Diana’s attending physician.

Baby Diana* is five months old. She is admitted to FAME’s inpatient ward with her mother. She struggles to breathe and is wheezing. Diana is no stranger to FAME; she was born here prematurely at 28 weeks gestation, weighing only 2.4 lbs. She spent one month in the special care nursery in an incubator and was 3.1 lbs when she was discharged to go home. 

“When I got pregnant with my first child, my husband was very excited and asked several people what hospital they thought would provide the best prenatal care. FAME kept coming up repeatedly, so we decided to come here. And I’m glad I did because Diana was born very early and needed a lot of medical attention to save her. FAME was very good at providing this care.” said Diana’s mother.

Diana’s mother explains that Diana has been thriving and reaching all her growth and developmental milestones before this visit. She has taken advantage of the many follow-up clinics that FAME has offered her post-discharge, which are crucial to catching any motor or cognitive development delays. The sooner interventions are implemented, the better chance of minimizing any long-term deficits.

“A few days ago, Diana had a high fever and difficulty breathing. She also had difficulty feeding and was restless. Because she was born premature, we are always on high alert for any problems. So I quickly took a bus to Karatu and brought her to FAME.” 

Diana’s mother made the 30-mile trip to get her to FAME, where Diana was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia and put on antibiotics. Using a nasal oxygen cannula, she is connected to an oxygen concentrator machine to help her breathe and she is expected to make a full recovery. 

In the next five years, FAME will build a dedicated pediatric team to run pediatric programs around wellness and growth tracking, early intervention and prevention. This will enable us to serve more babies with conditions like Diana’s. Donate today to support our growing pediatric team here.

“Since we have been here, she has been doing well. The medicines at FAME are working! I’m happy and grateful to FAME for taking good care of sick people like my daughter.”

— Diana's mother.

*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

“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