June 20th
Hi, it’s Mama Gayle. I visited the hospital to check on our post-operative patients, and they’re all doing exceptionally well. I’m thrilled to hear that the woman who underwent thyroid surgery is recovering so well that she’s been discharged from the ICU and admitted to the ward. Afterward, I consulted with the doctors performing surgeries on some of my other patients. Unfortunately, the dreaded trip to the accountant ensued to review the hospital bill. This usually takes about 2-3 hours for us to go through the detailed list, but we managed to complete it successfully. It’s truly remarkable that we’ve been able to assist so many patients with life-changing surgeries.
During my visit, I encountered a 16-year-old young man we met at the orphanage. He has severe club feet. He was brought to Selian, and we conducted X-rays. Unfortunately, we discovered that the bones in his feet are already fused, making it impossible to perform any surgical treatments to correct them. It’s disheartening to realize that if we had intervened when he was younger, he could have undergone surgical repairs and developed normal walking ability. Now, he walks on the side of his feet, and we’re concerned about the risk of developing open pressure wounds. Fortunately, a doctor specializing in orthotics was able to provide him with custom-made shoes that provide support and protection for his feet, preventing pressure wounds. He was overjoyed by the news and will return next week to collect his new shoes.
There is a young man who came to my clinic in January with severe hip pain, and after taking x-rays, the doctors said he needed to have a total hip replacement. He will need to be referred to Bugando Hospital in Mwanza to have this surgery done. The cost is very high and so we advised him to apply for insurance, and this would decrease the cost significantly. He came to my outreach clinic again, in fact he arrived at 600 am to make sure he could see me. He said he could not come up with any money to get the insurance he needed. The look of sadness pierced my heart. He is a young man and could be working but now can barely walk with crutches. We gave him pain medication. I am currently working on finding out what type of insurance he needs and the amount and then Hope Ministries will pay for it. Then he has a 3 month waiting period and then I will transfer him to Bugando Medical Center for surgery. Please pray for this poor young man. The look of sadness and hopelessness when he told me he could get no money made me so sad and he was wearing the same hoody that I remember him wearing from January clinic. Please pray I am successful in getting this all arranged. Nothing is easy in Tanzania, and I have sure learned patience.
I went around the hospital saying goodbye to all the staff and doctors that are such good friends and a joy to work with. As they say in Africa “it is not goodbye, but until we meet again”.
The team is out on safari and went to the Ngorongoro Crater today and saw a lot of animals. They were so excited. I will post some pictures they sent to me.
Thanks to all the donors who have contributed to Hope. May God bless you. Sending a lot of love to my family and friends. Please keep praying for us.