I come from a long line of wanderers so it is not strange that I go to South Sudan - Now called The Republic of South Sudan - to work at Memorial Christian Hospital. I have been doing this since 2008. The hospital is located in the bush near the village of Werkok. It is northeast of Bor, if you look on a map. People walk, sometimes for days, to get medical care. Dr. Ajak is the Dr. Boss-man. He arrived a week after I did in 2008 and has graciously stayed, keeping the place open and allowing me to continue to visit and work.

Memorial Christian Hospital & Compound

Memorial Christian Hospital & Compound
I will be returning to South Sudan next month, October, 2011. I am very excited to be on my way back to the land I so love. I miss the people and hardly a day goes by that I don't think of my colleagues and friends. And, as I said in the past, I come from a long line of wanderers and the call to get back wandering is very strong!

I have recently added pictures to my blog. Please go to the beginning of the blog and read forward to see the work that is being done. This puts faces on all the people I have written about. Learn about Gabriel and his family, Dr. Ajak's work and all the Mamas. I will begin writing again as I prepare to go next month. I hope you join me on this adventure.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bor here, Bor there,

Dr. Cooper talking with Dr. Ajak
Ajak is in Bor at Bor Hospital attending an education seminar and getting CEU credits. He is working with Dr. Warren Cooper - who has worked with Dr. Chupp, Dr. Dan Stephen, Dr. Lim, etc. from Southwest Medical Clinic back home. Such a small world. He knows all those guys. Yesterday I took the burn patient to see him, for an opinion on how it is healing. He said that it looks really good and to keep up the same routine. I will continue to debride every day. A few more days ought to be all that is needed.

He is so sick, not much could be done
Then today John Makach, our mechanic/driver, took me to a neighboring village to find a boy with a heart condition. We were to take him to Bor Hospital so Dr. Cooper could do an echo cardiogram on him. They were suppose to be at the hospital on Monday but did not show. So John and I went looking for him. We found him in the hut of the traditional healer. She had made slices on his chest to bleed out all the bad. It was really sad. He is so pathetic. He is 10 years old, weighs about 40 pounds (maybe) and is skin and bone with large joints. His knees hurt so bad he has difficulty stepping up. His breathing is shallow and at a rate of about 36. I felt so bad for this little guy. We got him to the hospital and Dr. Cooper did the echo. It was very painful for the boy because of the burns on his chest. He was very brave though. Unfortunately, the bottom line is he needs a transplant. If it had been a mitral valve, Tenweck could have repaired it. But the ventricle was not moving. He has lots of problems with the heart. His name is Aluang Kuong, please keep him and his family in your prayers.
Traditional Healer's tukul
Our trip to Bor today was crazy! We got a little rain last pm. But closer to Bor, they got lots of rain. The roads are pure slippery mud. We might as well have been on ice. John did a great job, not getting stuck. It is easy to see why the road are impassable during the rainy season.

Hope all is well with everyone. Lot's of snow?
Love, C
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2 comments:

  1. David BartzFebruary 25, 2010 at 1:48 PM

    No snow, here... but G and I are going to try again this weekend for the parents. Health willing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 27, 2010 at 5:53 AM

    Snow here and a lot on the east coast.

    ReplyDelete

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