Boots on the Ground 8: Will
Nefosha After the delivery of unexpected twins I continued rounds. Normal stuff, at least for Africa: In one bed there was a child who was attacked by a hyena. Next to him was a boy who fell out of a tree and broke his femur. A few patients had meningitis (an infection of the central nervous system), and lots of patients had malaria so we monitored their progress. Then we got to our last patient of the day: Nefosha, a 19 year old woman with a damaged heart valve and severe heart failure. I didn’t think it...
Read MoreBoots on the Ground 7: Will
“This is Africa” We first heard these words shortly after arriving in Burundi. Two of our bags missed a connection somewhere between Toronto and Brussels and as we left the Bujumbura airport I asked the missionary who picked us up if the airline would get the bags to Kibuye in the next few days. He laughed and said, “Probably not, this is Africa.” The bags arrived 15 days later. Since then I have had plenty of reminders of where I am and, “This is Africa,” has become a regular part of my...
Read MoreBoots on the Ground 6: Chris & Will
Chris and Will: Thank you for continuing to support us as we struggle to be a “neighbor” to our patients here in Burundi. We have a long way to go before we can match the sacrifices made by the farmer in Burundi or the Samaritan in Christ’s story. We are thankful that the Lord is sovereign and that His will is being done, even as we struggle to feel like we are helping. We are thankful to have been at Kibuye Hope Hospital with excellent doctors who have experience in difficult situations like the patients I...
Read MoreBoots on the Ground 5: Will
Will: Last month a man arrived at Kibuye Hospital. Like everyone else living in the Gitega province of Burundi he was a farmer. The man was walking with an elderly woman. She was mumbling words that were not comprehensible and had no idea where she was or what was going on. She had been wandering around his field and he said that no one knew anything about her. Even though the nearest hospital was in Kibuye, a small village that is half a day’s walk away, the farmer decided he could not just give the old woman a...
Read MoreBoots on the Ground 4: Chris
Chris: Any doctor will tell you that most of a diagnosis comes from a good history and physical, not the extra tests you order. You use tests to confirm what you already know or rule out something more dangerous. The bulk of a doctor’s time is spent doing a history and physical. The med students we met at Kibuye didn’t get that teaching point yet. We were working with the fifth year medical students; this sounds like they should know a lot. However, in Africa, the first four years is like an...
Read MoreBoots on the Ground 3: Will
Will: It’s 7 pm in Kibuye, Burundi. The sun is sinking fast, only a small part of it can be seen above the distant rolling hills. There’s a large field in the center of the town square. Cows are grazing on one end, goats are on the other. The church is in the center and lovely voices can be heard, lifting up the Lord in song. Three white adults are out there as well and they are throwing a strange white disk back and forth. Children are noticing the three Mazungos (white people) and running out to play...
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