Case of the month

Imagine that your child has a deadly medical condition, but you can't find a hospital for help. You have limited time, and take your child around in search of hope. I, for one, cannot imagine such a trial. All the time, God brings people to us on death's door, and He provides them healing.

Meet Desmond, a 7 year old boy who came to us last week. Desmond's parents have been taking him to different hospitals and clinics for 9 months searching for help for his breathing difficulties. Finally, his parents heard of a mission hospital 3 hours north of us and made the long 10 hour drive there. He was then referred here to Mbingo.

We took him to the theater and found a large piece of a fish head inside his trachea. He was breathing through a space smaller than a straw. Unfortunately, since it had remained for so long, he had developed a severe reaction (granulation tissue) which had to be removed also. Praise God, Desmond is breathing normally now and went home yesterday! Please pray for him, as I will need to check on him to make sure his scarring process does not continue to narrow his airway. By the way, when they started his IV in the theater, he just held out his arm with a slight flinch....no tears (tough boy)! Thanks to my colleagues, Dr Acha and Marie Claire who quickly diagnosed him.

Once again, I'm reminded how thankful I am to have access to medical care, especially for my four children. I'm so thankful that God has spared this boy.

Isaiah got to encourage him also with the toy airplane. Lovin' Saturday rounds with my boy.

Tour de Mbingo Hospital, Part 1

Here's a few sites you may see around Mbingo if you come for a visit. Sorry this isn't a comprehensive tour, but hopefully you can get a feel of the hospital.

The latest theme around Mbingo: construction. This will be our new laboratory.

Here's our operating room. In Cameroon it's called the 'theater'.

In the back of the hospital buildings, there is space for the patients caregivers to cook, wash clothes, and sleep. Every patient admitted to the hospital must have a caregiver. In the US, the hospitals serve you food, clean you, etc. In the developing world, when you are admitted to a hospital, you need to provide those services yourself since the resources are so limited. The foam mats you see to the left is where some caregivers have staked out a place to sleep at night.

I could write awhile about the identity of the hospital, what makes its heart beat, and what it stands for. But this mission statement posted in the administration building pretty much sums it up.

Here's the helicopter landing pad with a recently rescued sick person.

If you go up to the hospital on Saturday, you may even see a little nurse running around!