Tuesday, February 14, 2012
From the Hope Clinic Trauma Center
Happy Valentine's Day to all my blogging friends and family! What a long day in the OR today, but many were treated, and it's time for God to heal. We did 5 cases today including two more chronic trauma cases from the same accident as Modey. The first is a 15 yr old girl who was scooped up at the scene without parental knowledge, and taken to a nearby hospital where her right arm was amputated just below the shoulder. Fortunately they didnt recognize her other arm was broken. She was also unable to walk. She was brought here by a man who heard we had treated Modey, and knew she was being neglected. On further work up, we discovered her pelvis is shattered as well. We took her to the OR today and opened up the amputation site due to overwhelming infection, and washed several other wounds as well. We cannot address her other broken arm due to active infection, and the pelvis will require a specialist. The other boy is 19, and sustained a horrendous wound to the left side of his face and scalp. The left side of his scalp is gone with his skull exposed, and his left ear is no more. His jaw is badly broken, and we had to debride infected bone from his jaw. He cannot open his mouth very widely and has many cavities that predate the accident. We cleaned every thing up today and plan to bring him back to do it over again, and pull out all of his rotten teeth. Our goal is to contact the Mercy Ship Organization and ask them to consider taking these two kids for further repair. This is a huge prayer request, but our God knows no limitations. Tomorrow we have another full day planned in the OR, but the crew loves to work, and have been up to the challenge.
The weather was hot today, and the humidity is returning, which I'm told means we should expect some big African rains soon. It would be nice to be able to walk around without my tongue being coated with dust! Dan and I had a wonderful dinner with Jon and Anja Erikson tonight in the village. I was also able to Skype my lovely bride as well, which is almost as good as going out to dinner, and much cheaper!! The Lord is faithful here at Hope, and wherever you are as well. Do not give in to doubt, fears, or your own limitations-- you will only miss out on a chance to observe Hisnpower and glory! God Bless, Jeff
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Boom Sha laka laka, great story. So sad, yet without Hope (clinic) there is no Christ in these peoples lives. Great work, I am so glad you could step in and help these two individuals. So sad that amputation seems to be the only fix if a limb is damaged. We will have to talk more about that when you come back over a couple diet Mt. Dews.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, do they Have Diet Mt. Dew over there??
Well, your work is great, thanks for posting, have an awesome day cause God made it.
Ryan
Ahhh! Diet Dew.... Haven't seen any here-- they do have Coke with real cane sugar in the bottle, as well as Sprite and Fanta Orange. I decaffeinated myself prior to coming-- didn't even drink it on the plane ride-- and then got here, and they offered me a Coke! But I remained strong, and waited at least 2 seconds before bursting into tears, falling to my knees, and hugging the bottle of Coke, as though we had been separated for a decade... Yes, I admit it, a little embarrassing, but what's a guy to do? The milk here is awful, and dangerous! I look forward to the debriefing and the Dew! Time to get up and Cut for Christ! Matty
DeleteOH my gosh, that was hilarious...I was LOL in my office. I actually read the post to Perkins, we were both laughing bc we are both thinking about going to DMDA (Diet Mt. Dew Anonymous)because we are thinking we are addicts. Anyways, you keep up the good work, I believe your coming home in less then a week which is Great for me, but bad for Him and Guinea, because your work there is so important. I have a feeling if Healthcare keeps heading in the direction it is heading, I may be losing my best friend to the African continent.
DeleteI hope not, but I would understand:)
Until later Gator, Keep Cuttin, Snippin, and Sewin for Christ
YOUR CRAZY EYE GEYE REYE GEYE
What can I say? You bring out the best in a guy! Yeah, hard to believe. I have only two more OR days, then the weekend, and then a two day drive to Conakry, and then will arrive at PDX on Wed night around 7:30 pm. Bittersweet for sure, a lot of patients to leave behind, but I left a lot at home to come here, and am anxious to return. DMDA is a great idea... Hello...my name is Matty... and I'm a DMD addict... Man, I need some rest! Thx for the love, Matty
DeleteHey bro,
ReplyDeleteWith about a week left for you in the African OR, praying for strength and peace for you, your team, your patients, and your family. Looking forward to some debriefing and stories when you make it back across the pond.
Keep giving them Jesus...
Jay
Your prayers are what I need the most! Am sleeping well for short periods of time, but awaking renewed and refreshed, prepared to work hard and love genuinely. Can't wait to get together and compare stories from our trips. Thanks for checking up on Jen and the kids often. Hello to Shannon and the chicas! Love ya all, Jeff
DeleteI sense you are experiencing God's peace and joy in the midst of all the pain and sadness, what a blessing for even us to hear about. We continue to pray for your stamina with all the patients you are seeing. Do you have anything good to wash down the dust in your mouth? Blessings.
ReplyDeleteDrinking about 3 liters of water a day to keep up with losses via perspiration, and the occasional Coke, but the dust seems to prevail! The humidity is gaining which should provide much needed rain soon. Thanks for your specific prayers and words of hope. Jeff
DeleteI've waited a long time to respond to this last post. The injuries you are cleaning and binding up are horrific and I can't even imagine the pain these poor people are experiencing, let alone the mental anguish that is accompanying them. And they truly need Jesus to comfort their souls. Lord God help them! Praying you will have strength to carry on and be a light in the darkness. May God hold you up through the days ahead and keep you healthy, loving and faithful in all things. Ps.34:15 "The righteous cry and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit." I love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteI took a cue from you the other day, and began adding a few Psalms to my daily reading, and just read those same verses last night! These folks tolerate pain with amazing dignity, probably because their everyday lives are filled with pain. The two new trauma pts were all smiles today, because they are actually receiving pain meds, and they know they are being loved and cared for at Hope. My heart remains gentle and sympathetic for these people, regardless of how busy the days can be. We laugh and carry on with the patients during rounds, trying to bring some joy to their otherwise hollow and empty lives. Thanks for your specific prayers. Love, Jeff
DeleteWe are so selfish and spoiled here. Understanding how much the people of these struggling nations suffer and how often their hope is destroyed, it breaks my heart to see what else the must endure. I am praying for these broken bodies and their wounded hearts. I pray that this clinic will continue and thrive as it's name alone offers encouragement to the people that are ministered to through medicine. The impact of good medical practice will help fight despair. I will also pray against jealousy and greed from the other hospital- and of course for you!
ReplyDeleteFred
Americans understand very little when it comes to pain and suffering. This small Clinic may be the only source of solid medical care in the region, and certainly the only place to be treated as a human being, deserving of love and respect. Thanks for praying for the Staff here-- and, oh yeah-- for me as well! Hello to your dear wife and all those at Calvary. Jeff
DeleteJeff, Jen told me about these two kids. How awful in this day and age that people are handled in this way. Reminded me of the motorcycle guy's leg in Kriz's office long ago. So happy they are at Hope for proper care. Will pray that they can be transf to the ship hospital. Had a great Valentines dinner with three young men at Casa. They acted like gentlemen and it went smoothly. You would have been proud. Thanks again for your excellent blogging and giving specifics to pray for. Expecially you and your awesome team. It's going to be hard for you to leave I'm sure. Will the doc be back before you leave so you have a chance to talk to him? Love and prayers, Judi
ReplyDeleteAre you sure the three young men you dined with were my sons? Glad to hear they didn't burn the restaurant down. I don't believe Dr. Jean will be back prior to my departure. It is likely that we will pass each other on the road to Conakry. I haven't visited the other hospitals in the region, but from the stories I've heard, I'm in the best place to help provide solid care. Hope all is going well with all of your preop stuff for surgery. Say hello to Gpa. Love, Jeff
DeleteMatty
ReplyDeleteI have been amazed over and over by your blog, by the experience, by the lives of people you have been placed to affect in more ways than one, and by the way you simply going has affected others here at home, like me. I am going to be using your blog to bring a little reality to my Campaigners group. It's an interesting discussion with these high school juniors how you are dealing with so much brokeness in the physical realm, which they simply can't imagine - me either - compared to how our brokeness is wrapped up inside and hidden from those around us.
So thanks for keeping it real, and maybe we could skype you into our group some morning when you get back.
Enjoy your evening as you rest for another day!
Jeff
The people here expect to be "broken"-- physically, spiritually, emotionally,etc-- it's just their way of life, a rite of passage. Their brokenness is a complete upheaval of basic needs-- food, clean water, shelter, clothing, personal safety-- all "rights" that we in America "deserve" and take for granted. When they receive adequate medical care, they are stunned, for it isn't expected, nor do they believe they deserve it! Suddenly their are others around them telling them its acceptable to experience healing, and they don't have to rely on bribery or cheating to obtain it. Even the many who are being led astray by Satan, under the guise of Islam, realize that what is happening here at Hope, comes from a "power" they have never seen. I'm sure that we could witness miracles in the States if we were willing to focus on the basic needs that are being met, become grateful for these answers to prayer, and lay aside the cluttered schedules and " priorities" that define our cluttered lives. Sadly, I had to travel to the uttermost parts of the earth to awaken to the reality of Gods love and grace. It will soon be time for me to return to my own personal "Jerusalem", and I must continue to keep my eyes fixed on Him, or my own American lifestyle will skew the miracles God has for me, my family, and all of us who claim that He is Lord. I'm available anytime to talk with your group! Hope you guys have a great weekend! I will miss being there with you... Matty
DeleteGreat work done by the your team.
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ReplyDelete