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Archive for May, 2011

May272011

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Notes from Nashipai: Mobility

posted by at 6:46 am

Yesterday marked my first mobile clinic outing. CURE mobile clinics are intended to provide basic medical needs to people in areas close to them, to follow up with kids we’ve treated, and to assess and identify kids who need to be scheduled for a surgery. Our day started at 5:30AM as we left Kijabe for Nairobi to catch our chartered plane to Lokichar. Read the rest of this entry »

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May262011

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Hearts in Step holds D4K event in Michigan

posted by at 2:04 pm

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, Hearts In Step Christian Dance Academy in Grand Rapids, MI,  teamed up with CURE’s Dance 4 Kids Who Can’t (D4K) effort and chose to sponsor a child using their annual dance musical as a way to sponsor a surgery.   The dance musical show, called  “The Adventures of Hissy The Honey Bee: Revival at the Hive,” drew an audience of over 800 people and had dancers between the ages of 6 and 18 years old.    Read the rest of this entry »

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May252011

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Oasis Hospital Construction Update

posted by at 7:15 am

Construction of Oasis HospitalThe construction on our new state-of-the-art hospital is moving along quickly! Despite temperatures registering at 115 degrees this week, SISK Builders are plowing ahead with the new building. Each morning I walk from my staff accommodations to my office, which is the length of the front of the new building. It struck me today just how exciting it is that, within a year, I will no longer be walking across the front of this building but will be walking into the front doors of a new facility. When I arrived to Oasis in September, the construction site looked more like a meteor had landed in Al Ain and created a huge crater. Today, I am looking at the skeleton of what will be the new Oasis Hospital!

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May242011

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Patient story: Little Taonga

posted by at 12:18 am

There are so many things that our body does that we take for granted.  We never ever consider how the food we consume is digested and processed or how our body produces and absorbs vitamins.  I met a little girl today named Taonga who really made me pause and think.

Three-and-a-half-year-old Taonga was born in a town called Luanshya in Zambia’s Copperbelt province, just a short drive away from the Congolese border.  “Taonga was born completely normal and was developing normally until she turned one and a half,” said Taonga’s mother, Ailedy.  At about 1 year 7 months, Ailedy started to notice that her little girl was walking with a limp.  After two weeks of watching her daughter’s gait change, Ailedy took Taonga to the Arthur Davis Children’s Hospital in Ndola, the largest city in the Copperbelt province.  It was at this hospital that Taonga was diagnosed with a terrible disease called rickets. Read the rest of this entry »

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May232011

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Mead Minutes: Back to Kenya

posted by at 7:11 am

Good morning from Kenya!!  I am glad to be able to express that sentiment once again.  We had a wild, brief trip to the US and are now home on the Rift once again.  Freshly brewed Ethiopian coffee fills the early morning air with a rich aroma.  I selected a large mug to make a brief tour of the yard.  The birds are already up and announcing the approach of dawn.  The grass is a dark, green, cool carpet under foot as I stroll.  The fragrant flowers of the lemon tree have now become pea sized lemons scattered on the branches.  Romaine lettuce clumps are ready for harvest.  The bougainvillea branches are winding through the burnt out scaffolding from the previous fire.  The cool air is fresh and clean.  I do love early morning on the Rift. Read the rest of this entry »

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May212011

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Why a child would miss a surgery date: a doctor’s explanation

posted by at 2:47 pm

Recently there were a few cases that missed their admission dates. As I was shocked to learn that they had not made it to what could be, the most important day of their lives, doctor’s, nurses and staff here at Beit CURE in Malawi, were not.

I interviewed Dr. Nicholas Lubega, one of the orthopedic surgeons at the hospital, and asked why some kids don’t come and why people aren’t more concerned.

This is what he had to say…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAFnrs6MnEg

The thought of us in the west, missing a doctor’s appointment, being late for a surgery, interview anything really, is unthinkable. For Malawians, the idea of missing cropping or harvesting season, or missing a community member’s funeral, means missing many meals, and disrespecting their elders. Unthinkable.

Keep the families in our program and those we never hear about, in your thoughts and your prayers always.

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May202011

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Patient Story: Oroma Purity

posted by at 7:00 am

CURE hydrocephalus patient Oroma Purity and her motherOroma Purity is a daughter of Aciro Can Winifred. Their family is from Lalojo Village, Kitigum district, located in Northern Uganda. Purity is the youngest of four girls.

When Purity was born on October 16, 2009, in the area hospital, she appeared to be healthy.  It wasn’t until one week after birth that she developed abnormal and severe symptoms such as fever, irritability, vomiting, diarrhea and a rapid head size increase.

Winifred and her husband frantically sought advice from relatives on possible solutions, but it was to no avail. None of the the community members had a definite explanation or, more importantly, a solution, for Purity’s condition. Read the rest of this entry »

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May202011

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A Thousand Kilometers for Healing

posted by at 6:47 am

Some of the boys playing at CURE Hospital of NigerCURE Hospital of Niger received some special guests three days ago for a surgery camp.

Fifteen children came from Zinder  (1000 km from Niamey) under the responsibility of Sentinelles, a partner charity organisation.

Everyone is concentrating in the miracle roomThe lovely, innocent, smiling group was composed of three young girls and seventeen young boys who will be the subject  of the attention of all the staff during this running week.  Each child is here for surgery for cleft lip.

The tireless surgeon Dr. Negrini programmed three interventions per day, and the time of my writing, nine out of twenty have  received their miracle.

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May192011

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Flowers for the President

posted by at 7:12 am

Susan presenting flowers to the President of Zambia A few weeks ago CURE Zambia was extremely fortunate to have Rupiah Banda, President of the Republic of Zambia, come and visit our facility.  When he arrived, he was greeted by a bevy of CURE Zambia staff members, press, and notable public servants.  But the face that stood out the most was that of Susan, a 13-year-old from a tiny village in Zambia’s Luapula Province, who was selected to present the Zambian head of state a bouquet of flowers.  You see, Susan was born with a cleft lip that had never been repaired.  As it turns out, the president’s visit to CURE Zambia was only the background event—Susan’s story was the real story. Read the rest of this entry »

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May182011

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Place of the Wind

posted by at 6:58 am

Editor’s note:  Jenny England is the new CUREkids coordinator in Kenya.  This is her first blog entry from the field.

Ok. I’m here. Or there, from your perspective. Benson, my driver from Nairobi, delivered me safely to the front of the hospital around 10:20AM today. As a sidenote, Benson is a huge fan of Atlanta, apparently. I told him where I was from and he lit right up. Then, after the Executive Director reacted the same way, I figured out why after he asked, “There Coca-Cola has the headquarters, yeah? We love Coca-Cola. We say you might not find clean water in a village, but you will find Coca-Cola.” ANYwho, after sharing some tea with Benson and his IDP (Internally Displaced Person/People) friend Ruth, CURE’s hospitality guru, Anne Baraka, led me to my new home, appropriately called Yellow House. Read the rest of this entry »

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