Africa 3

We have had a great week here in Nalerigu. Angela is pretty much running the peds ward now. She sees everything from extreme malnutrition and sepsis to meningitis and malaria. She is also going to be the most accomplished lumbar puncturist in her intern class! Mike Kimbrell and Chuck have been busy with the adults and lately we have been running a snakebite clinic (about 4 each day). We are also seeing all the "normal" things like typhoid, malaria, TB, and even a few buruli ulcers in the past week (caused by mycobacterium ulcerans for those interested). Although we were on call for 4 of the past 7 days we have had time for some fun outside the hospital. The first picture is from the Dumba Festival. We have asked around and nobody seems to know what we are celebrating, but everyone in the town comes to the Chief's house. There is drumming and dancing and as you can see in the picture, some firing of rifles. The first few shots almost scared us to death! The Vice President of Ghana came up to Nalerigu from the south. It was a big deal around here to have him come...roughly equivalent to Dick Cheney coming to Chapel Hill. The next picture is from our trip to the escarpment in Nakpanduri today. Dr. Hewitt took us and his kids to the top and we were able to look down and see for miles and miles. We had to climb up about 30 feet of rocks to get to that overlook...it was worth it. The other couple in the picture with us and Angela's dad are Chris and Krisy Burri. They are the new volunteers that just arrived a few days ago. The last picture was taken in our room today. The heat has become stifling in the past week. It was about 110 in the shade and over 120 in the sun today! Even the Ghanaians admit that it is hot! Thanks for following along with us and please continue to keep the hospital in your prayers. Please also pray specifically for Dr. Faile and Dr. Hewitt, the full-time local physicians that work here and have dedicated their lives to serving the Mamprusi people.

Africa 2

Week 2 in Nalerigu, Ghana is drawing to a close. One group of volunteers left early this week, and a new couple just arrived. So we have had several days of call in a row. We are a little tired, but enjoying things here. A few stories...in the top photo, we went to the local market which is held every 3 days. They sell everything that the people here could want, from produce, to shoes and cloth, even a dried monkey head (I kid you not!). In the 2nd picture, we had brought some crayons and coloring books to Africa. The kids in the hospital have little to nothing to do all day, but sit there. So we thought we would try and entertain them a little....here is a sample of their artwork. We are planning to sell a few of them on Ebay this week...ha ha. On a medical note, there was a sad delivery today. One of the nurses went into labor and had to have a c-section for breach. Unfortunately the baby had an upper airway obstruction and was never able to breath. In the US they probably would have had emergency surgery, but unfortunately that is not an option here. Death is just an accepted way of life. Parents often do not name their children for several weeks, because of the high infant mortality. On a happy note, there have been several kids with meningitis that we effectively tapped, treated, and sent home. The surgeon here saved a child with a small bowel obstruction today, and several people with perforated bowels due to typhoid. So there is a lot of happiness here as well. In spite of the tough conditions here, the people are joyful and happy and have a wonderful sense of community and family. We think some US communities could learn a lot from them about how to support and serve one another. Please continue to keep us and the hospital in your prayers.

Africa 1

We have arrived in Africa. We spent most of the first 2 days traveling (4 hrs to Minnesota, 8 hrs to Amsterdam, 8 hrs to Accra, spent the night in Accra and then 1 1/2 hour plane ride to Tamale, and then a 3 hour car ride to Nalerigu.) We immediately started working at the hospital, rounding on the 80 or so inpatients. We participate in outpatient clinic 3 days a week. On other days, we have gone out with the public health team to give immunizations in nearby villages. While there, we often see some of the sicker children in the village (like in this picture.) It is not uncommon to see a one year old child who has gained no weight since 6 months of age. The hospital is filled with people suffering from meningitis, malaria, and typhoid. Usually 1-2 people die a day. People also have more common things like reflux, hypertension, and arthritis. There is extreme poverty, with the villages usually having no running water or electricity. All of that being said, the people of Ghana are wonderful. They are warm, welcoming, and very appreciative. They love their children and their families and want the best for them. I believe that it is the people here who have motivated people like the Failes (one of the full-time docs and his wife) to serve here for 18 years in what is most definitely the African bush. It has been a busy week, and since several of the volunteers are leaving, next week promises to be even busier.

MATCH DAY

We matched at Vanderbilt! We will be moving to Nashville so all of you that have been wanting to visit the Music City have a place to stay now. It was an exciting day. They call each name one at a time and you go and get your envelope at the front. I held mine until Angela got her envelope and we opened them at the same time. We are looking forward to starting residency, but right now we are excited about going to Africa. We are leaving for Ghana today and will be gone for 5 weeks. We will be working at the same mission hospital that I worked at last year. Angela's dad is going with us and my dad is joining us in a couple weeks. We all would appreciate your prayers for our travel and our time there. We will be leaving updates on the blog so follow along!