May 20th

May 20th 2019

Today the group split into two groups. One group went to Selian hospital and did clinics while the other group went and visited hospice patients in their homes.

The team went to a market to buy and pack food for local hospice families and the next day half the team delivered them to the families and got to see how there life was and there situation they are in.

There was one hospice patient in particular who has HIV, she lived with her 18 year daughter who took care of her because her husband and two sons abandoned her when they found out she had HIV. As we gave her food the nurse was giving her a check up and was asking her questions about how she was feeling and any symptoms that she might be having, the the patient and her daughter started crying. The nurse had asked about her daughters health and if she has HIV and it turns out that the mother unintentionally gave her daughter the virus by by caring and living together.

This experience was very emotional and humbling to me. Me being the same age as her daughter made me realize how fortunate and lucky I am to be in the position I am in to live in the country that I do and have the parents that I have! She didn’t get to decide to have her life land neither did I and it really hit me hard.

I’m so fortunate in this life and did nothing to deserve that, just luck.

Maddie

The team that went to the clinic were shocked how many of the patients conditions could have been prevented or managed because of lack of resources and their lack of access to health care and they have no money to get to health care.

They appear at our clinic with the light of hope in their eyes because they feel God has sent us to help them.  Many we were able to help but for some their is nothing we can do and the look of hopelessness in their eyes is what pierces my soul.  Their was a 19-year-old who had fractured his elbow when he was 8 years old and it was mismanaged and had a frozen elbow in which it was frozen at 90 degrees.  He had this for 11 years!  After doing x-rays it was determined that we could not do anything except to do surgery and would freeze his elbow such that he could not bend it and then he would not be able to feed himself.  His look when he left the room has made a lasting impression on the team.

 

Please continue to pray for the team.

Mama Gayle