Mikinduri Children of Hope

March 17, 2008

Being a bright beautiful morning, we prepared ourselves for yet another busy day. All the nurses, pharmarcists and the team of the vision clinic went to the clinic to start their day’s event. Lona and faith had to work on the distribution of the mattresses and other supplies. They visited tent by tent to ensure that the needy ones get them first. In the process they met a young lady of 20years old that was physically handicapped. The girl’s legs were completely destroyed, she couldn’t walk. The girl’s family helped her to do everything. The best part of this is that she was so determined in life and wanted to make the best out of it. She had this beautiful smile and she had a small grocery business beside their tent and tried to make money. We were so touched and helped her by offering her a wheelchair, to enable her move from one place to another. She was so thrilled by this act and she could not stop thanking the Lord.

We had a very early start because today is our last day in the camp. We are taking Ruth, the 13 yr old girl, who has severe spinal problems and badly swollen leg to Kajabi hospital.  She showed up with a bright pink dress, clean but very old and stained, and with a jacket that at some point had been white, but now was a dirty off white. She had a blue knitted woollen cap on her head, which she always wears. When I make a fuss over her, she always smiles but turns away with embarrassment. Her mother is the same but not to the same degree. So by the time we left the camp it was 9.00 o’clock.

As we drove along in the combi, Ruth with her badly curved spine could just see out the combi window. I don’t know if this was her first ride in a vehicle or not, but I am absolutely sure it was her first time on the main highway. She was absorbing every scene as we drove the 2.5 hrs to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital, and as we departed the combi, I found myself with a great urgency to prey like never before that something could be done to help her. We reached the waiting room and there was only one other family waiting. After about 15 min the admin person, after hearing our urgent story, told us that the surgeon was in the operating room and we would have to wait. As we moved upstairs I could imagine a three hr wait. To our great surprise the surgeon, and American, had just come out of the OR and after about five min’s was talking to us and examining Ruth. He felt her badly deformed back and without delay informed us that there was nothing could be done. He continued to explain why and the potential future impacts of that condition. Essentially she may live to her mid 20’s because of complications with her lungs.

He then went on to examine her hideous looking leg(I am not being disrespectful). He lifted her dress and examined up her thigh and squeezed the calf area and after about 5 min’s told us that the condition is neurofibrosmatosis. He explained that the only real solution is to amputate her leg about 6 in above her knee, and give her a prosthesis.

If her parents agreed they could fit her in mid May. I agreed that MCOH would cover the entire cost including transportation and mothers accommodation, the prosthesis etc. The total cost $1000.00 cdn. Can you believe it? I was so impressed with this hospital and with the staff. They were incredible.

As we climbed back into the combi, I felt a great relief that at least she would have some reasonable normality in her short life. We continued on to Nairobi. Neither Ruth nor her mother had ever been to the “big city” She was glued to the window as she ate the fresh mangoes and bananas we bought at a roadside stand for lunch. We said good buy to Faith, who was accompanying them back to the camp in Nakuru, another world away from the crowds and busyiness of the city. We then started our 5 hr drive to Mikinduri arriving after dark at 7.30.

Tomorrow is filled with meetings with the Community Dev Comm  as well as some inspections. Tonight I am working on doing an inspection on the accounts of the projects.

Even being in Mik seems like another world away from the camp in Nakuru. I got a phone call from Jessie, the camp director about some funds I left which I had allocated to the Polytechnique program. “Save the Children” had agreed to purchase some of the materials for the school desks and Jessie wanted permission to use the $1000.00 to purchase more sewing machines, since there are now 20 confirmed students in the tailoring program.

Our new jekos have been used in the kitchen at the camp and have performed well, so thanks to our technology committee members for that contribution.

The weather in Mik today was at least 35 degrees and it doesn’t get much cooler at night. The villagers tell me that is a pure sign of the start of the rainy season.(but not until I leave on sat).

I hope this email goes thru after all this one finger typing.

Prayers are needed for the mother of the little baby whom we rushed to hospital when we were here in Oct. He died on Monday from complications with malaria. I thought we were winning the battle with that little one.

Peninah, the mother of the little child who died, whom we sponsored for spina bifida shunt operations is working at the sewing center. She seems to be doing well. Jennifer the blind lady who runs the knitting machine says hi to all her friends from Can.

God bless to all. I will try to get off one more blog before I depart for home.

Happy Easter to all.

From Mikinduri

Ted

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 6:06 pm and is filed under Dispatches. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.