Renewed

Today is my 2nd day in the clinic.  The first few days that we were here, I was getting Milan and I settled in the country and then Milan in the orphanage.  Happily, he's fit in well. He teaches Terrence reading and math in the morning, helps feed the little ones, plays with them, and then usually plays futbol (soccer) with Terrence, Dzuran, Florence, Syverine, and Absetu.  Today he brought his yoyo tool kit to try and fix the scooter that they have there but the tools weren't large enough so we'll bring the leatherman tomorrow. He gave Terrence 10 words to study for a spelling test tomorrow... we\ll see how that goes.
 
As for the day in the clinic, I wasn't quite as overwhelmed. The first day, after going through the first ward, the pediatric ward, and seeing all the very sick children...I felt like I was kicked in the gut. Seeing all these little young lives with malaria or HIV positive... I have never seen anything like this.  I was very quiet for the rest of the evening.  Thank goodness for the patience and compassion of Tim...he could see the exhaustion and overwhelming feeling I had.  I pray every morning for God to give me strength (especially this morning), and wouldn't you know that this morning when I walked Milan to the orphanage, a nun stopped and welcomed us and thanked us for our courage.  That small comment renewed my spirit... it was like a kiss from God.
 
Today was better. I feel stronger.
 
By the way, Milan is eating casserole/type dishes here. Rice with vegetable mixed in it! Of course he's flavoring it with some of the local spices, but nonetheless, eating the vegetables! Had to come to Africa to get THAT to happen!!

My first day in St Martin De Porres Catholic Mission Hospital

I followed Tim around and saw the pediatric ward first. This room had 7 or 8 little ones in there from maybe 5 months old to 5 years old. It was all very overwhelming… very, very overwhelming. 

There was a girl in the corner bed, with her grandmother at her bedside for the last 2 weeks. She came in with a fever that has not responded to anything… she is in a coma-like state… and she’s HIV +, now looking at a potential brain abscess. Looking around and seeing all these young little lives… it was like a punch in the gut.

Sr Natalia with Aday

Yesterday, in the orphanage, I had an opportunity to talk with Sr. Natalia at length about the orphans. When the mother of a baby/child dies, sometimes the family will be able to care for them. If this is not feasible, the baby/child comes to the orphanage. The father of the baby/child comes to spend time with them occasionally. There are 2 brothers who do not have a father or a mother. Terrence, who is 13y/o and his brother Moses who is 2 y/o. Sr. Natalia was encouraging some member of their family to visit with them and I believe that she has established some communication with an uncle. In Cameroon, when these boys get older and want to marry, as orphans, they have “no background”, no family. This is something that is very important in their culture. No one would want to marry someone who has no mother or father as it shows ‘who they are’, so this is why Sr. Natalia struggled to keep a relationship with some member of Terrence’s family.

Sr. Natalia would like to help the older girls gain a focus for what they would like to be when they grow up. She wants them to keep hope in their hearts. In the afternoon, we had a little fun discussion about what each of the girls wanted to be: Florence 22, a seamstress; Absetu 16, a surgeon, Shalot 8, a teacher, and Dzuran 11, a tailor. They were very shy and giggling about sharing these aspirations, and it was great to learn more about them.

There are 4 babies with HIV in the orphanage. It is a struggle at times, but they put a lot of effort to make sure that theses little ones eat well, bond, and play to help them thrive and fight the virus.

The Orphanage

Milan had his second day in the orphanage and it is going well.  He usually teaches reading and math to Terrence when he first arrives, then they play with the little ones, feed them, play and put them to bed. Then the older ones have some play time of futbol (soccer).  

The older children have their responsibilities in the orphanage; cooking, washing, holding the babies, changing them, etc., before play.  This is a little bit tough for Milan as he is not used to the responsibilities of little ones...  Louis is the one that Milan is feeding in the picture. He is three years old and has some sort of paralysis of his lower extremities. He usually drags his lower body around on the floor with the good strength that he has in his arms. His mother abandoned him perhaps a year ago, and his father comes to visit him every so often in the orphanage. Louis is the happiest, most bubbly child there. His big brown eyes and huge smile just draw you to him. And, as Milan would tell you, he's the best eater!

We made it!

Got here okay, getting ourselves acquainted on Njinikom time and weather.  

Milan finished a 400 page Redwall book during the 3 1/2 day journey here.  We left Windber about 1:30pm on the 14th of June and got to the Pittsburgh airport okay. Sat in the plane for 4 hours on the ground before they decided that the mechanical malfunction could not be fixed and the fuel tank was not good enough to go over the ocean to Paris.  So... they flew us to NY Kennedy airport where we waited for a plane to come from Atlanta to pick us up and take us to Paris. That was about 1am on the 15th.  We got to paris about 2:30pm their time (they're about 6 hours ahead of PA). 

Once there, with the delay, we missed our connection to Douala and had to wait for the next day's flight. It was a 4hour wait in line for the complimentary hotel, but we met 2 gentlemen from Kosice, Slovakia who I ended up having to translate for. The following day we left at about 2pm and got to Douala at almost 9pm (with 1hour back from Douala-9pm to Paris-10pm).  

We were so happy to see Sr. Xaveria and Emmanuel, our driver.  I considered myself pretty tan amidst my American friends, but in Africa, I am very white!!  There were many, and I mean MANY helping hands at the airport, and even Sr Xaveria had some difficulty explaining to them that we did not need assistance.  Anyway, we got to the car and came to our place of sleep at the Shishong hospital with the Sisters there.  We had french fries, green beans with carrots, and some beef stew with orangina (an orange soda).  All of the Sisters were very nice, welcoming us and embracing us.  The following morning we didn't leave as early as planned which allowed us to witness the raising of a blue water buffalo on top of a building.  No, not the animal... not that exciting!! But a huge blue container, (the size of a buffalo) that had to be hoisted on top of the builiding for the well to function and provide water to the hospital.  That was a very long process, and I'll figure out how to connect video so you may see this.  Needless to say, most of the hospital was outside coaching them and suggesting different ways to getthis buffalo up... and at the end was a great round of applause.

And then began the 8 hour drive to Njinikom... Thanks God, neither of us got carsick.  That was but by the grace of God. About 3/4 of the roads were paved, while the last part of the trip was dirt roads and very bumpy.  We stopped for the most delicious pineapple, so sweet, and a fruit called Leechee.  Half way we had lunch of pizza, which was surprising to me, and it very good too.

So this brings us to now, today we slept in because we had such a hard time getting to sleep. Milan and I were making up stories and telling them to each other to help get each other sleepy. We hope to visit the orphanage today and will attend mass at 5pm.  We have lunch and dinner with Tim, the doctor here that lives above us, and he is very nice and great to have conversations with.  He is thoroughly impressed with Milan's yoyo and spintop tricks.  Milan needs tape to fix a spintop so we'll see if this is possible.
 
We will update soon, hopefully with pictures next time.

Thoughts of Africa

Well, we are set to fly in about 7 hours...

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind.  I completed my Nurse Practitioner studies and took the board exam 2 weeks ago; completed a 10 year career as an RN one week ago, obtained a new job as an NP 2 days ago, and finished packing for Cameroon last night... 

So now that I can breathe easier and the brain cells have slowed down a bit, I can share a bit of what has been happening with my thoughts of Africa...

It's very interesting, the comments and thoughts that family and friends have when they hear about an upcoming mission trip.  For instance, my mother asked, with all the deaths from malaria, why don't they already have a vaccine?  Well, my initial thought was that a malaria vaccine was just not an option as a profitable endeavor in the pharmaceutical  arena.  Who would fund such a global effort?  Well, this question spurned a bit of a research curiosity and I did find that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has put forth a large donation toward an effort to create a vaccine against malaria. And this is why:

• Malaria is one of the planet's deadliest diseases and one of the leading causes of sickness and death in the developing world. According to the World Health Organization there are 300 to 500 million clinical cases of malaria each year resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million death
• Children aged one to four are the most vulnerable to infection and death. Malaria is responsible for as many as half the deaths of African children under the age of five. The disease kills more than one million children - 2,800 per day - each year in Africa alone. In regions of intense transmission, 40% of toddlers may die of acute malaria.
• About 40% of the world's population - about two billion people - are at risk in about 90 countries and territories. 80 to 90% of malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa where 90% of the infected people live.
• Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest malaria infection rate. Here alone, the disease kills at least one million people each year. According to some estimates, 275 million out of a total of 530 million people have malaria parasites in their blood, although they may not develop symptoms. 
• Of the four human malaria strains, Plasmodium falciparum is the most common and deadly form. It is responsible for about 95% of malaria deaths worldwide and has a mortality rate of 1-3%. 
• In the early 1960s, only 10% the world's population was at risk of contracting malaria. This rose to 40% as mosquitoes developed resistance to pesticides and malaria parasites developed resistance to treatment drugs. Malaria is now spreading to areas previously free of the disease.
• Malaria kills 8,000 Brazilians yearly - more than AIDS and cholera combined. 
• There were 483 reported cases of malaria in Canada in 1993, according to Health Canada and approximately 431 in 1994. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States received reports of 910 cases of malaria in 1992 and seven of those cases were acquired there. In 1970, reported malaria cases in the U.S. were 4,247 with more than 4,000 of the total being U.S. military personnel. 
• According to material from Third World Network Features, in Africa alone, direct and indirect costs of malaria amounted to US $800 million in 1987 and are expected to reach US $1.8 billion annually by 1995.

 The world’s first large-scale clinical trial of a malaria vaccine has just completed enrolment. In seven African countries, 15,640 babies and young children are receiving the so-called RTS,S vaccine being developed by GlaxoSmithKline in a public-private partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI). 
http://www.malariavaccine.org/world-malaria-day-2011.php
 
RTS,S is the malaria vaccine candidate furthest along in the development process. In clinical trials conducted over the past decade, it was the first vaccine candidate to demonstrate that it can provide substantial (53%), although not complete, protection for young children and infants in malaria-endemic areas against infection and clinical disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly species of the malaria parasite. In 2011, RTS,S is in the midst of a large-scale Phase 3 trial that involves 11 study centers in seven African countries. The RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate was created in 1987 by scientists working at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals laboratories, the vaccine division of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Evaluation of RTS,S in adult volunteers began in the United States in 1992 and in Africa in 1998. The Phase 3 efficacy trial began in May 2009, with the first child vaccinated in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, one of 11 trial sites in seven sub-Saharan African countries participating in the study (the others are Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Mozambique). 
  
While Cameroonians  struggle to survive through preventable diseases that take lives on a daily basis,  there are still some questions about how they deal with the smaller inconveniences we have... such as menopause and hot flashes, home remedies... the dental hygienist wondered about their dentition...  there is such a curiosity for the part of the world that is so far away and foreign.
 
As for my own thoughts... I really don't have a whole lot yet.  My mind is open and curious, calm and hopeful.  I hope that they will receive me as a Nurse Practitioner as I have put many additional years of study in the hopes to help them. I am excited to see my son's reactions and perceptions to all that he sees.  He is hoping to teach some children how to yo-yo there and of course, play soccer! And I am hoping he'll break down and cut his hair while we're there!!
 
I would like to give a special thanks to all of our friends, family, and the parishioners of our parish St. Anthony of Padua in Windber, Pennsylvania.  They have been praying for us, for the sisters, orphans, and patients of Njinikom, and have provided wonderful donations to assist the efforts.  I am sure that the Franciscan Friars of St Anthony's agree that we will be in good hands with the Franciscan Sisters of Cameroon!

Introduction

Beginning as a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1996, I went on for my RN and worked all night shift for 10 years on a trauma/surgical step-down unit in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. I had always felt called to missions and began this future by asking the US Army to send me wherever they needed nurses the most. Later as a mother, Milan became my sole "mission" until he was about 7 years old. While we didn't go to any missions, the mission at home as a mother was just as diverse, exciting, and challenging. At the age of 7, we began our experience as missionaries together. We started out slowly and locally, beginning in the Appalachia Mountains of West Virginia and stretching to the Indian Reservations of South Dakota. Later we ventured to Mexico where we spent our time with the children of an orphanage. These were not medical missions yet, as I wanted to gently introduce Milan to missions. So it was in these early missions that our purpose was minor home repairs, painting, playing with the local children, sports ministry, and sharing the love and Word of God. Having been "cradle Catholics", this was a new experience in which we joined other faiths in a type of ecumenical experience of being Christ's hands and help to others. While we all had different backgrounds for the practice of our faith (Pentecostal, Baptist, Protestant...), it was wonderful how He brought us together in a common understanding of His love for us and sharing His love with each other and others.

Through the experience of missions, I needed to expand my medical knowledge so that I would be able to do more for those who were sick, and so over the past 5 years, I completed my doctorate as a Family Nurse Practitioner. During my schooling, Milan and I had our first "medical mission" in Managua, Nicargua with my instructor from Robert Morris University, Dr. Carl Ross. I was a bit nervous in that I wasn't sure of how Milan would feel in this trip. What would he do while I was seeing patients?... Well, it seems that God always has the answer and He knew just what to do with Milan. While I did community home inspections, he played soccer with the local children. While I was in the clinic, he played ball with the children in the waiting room. During evening preparation for the clinic, he counted out tylenols and ibuprofen for the "take-home" baggies for our patients. It amazed me how naturally he adapted to all the different situations...

Hi, my name is Milan. I am 12 years old and just finished the seventh grade at St Benedicts Catholic School in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. My favorite hobby is yo-yoing and I tied for first place in our school talent show with it.  My favorite subject is social studies because my teacher makes it fun.  I play basketball, soccer, and hockey. Hockey is my favorite.  I am going to work in an orphanage in Cameroon, which is pretty close to the equator in Africa.  Well that’s it.

We are excited for this new opportunity, not only to serve those of Cameroon, but to serve side-by-side with those who share our same faith. We thank Mission Doctors Association, especially Elise and Jessica for opening those doors to us. Above all, we thank God for all of His blessings and pray for His guidance and strength. Thank you all for following this experience...
God be with you,
Maria and Milan