With out even looking up to make eye contact the doctors
mutters, “No malaria, just a little bit of Typhoid.� Surely he could not be talking about me. I got vaccinated, have been drinking
clean water, and eating safe food. Looking across the room I meet eyes with
Michelle who bursts into laugher, which only confirms my sentiment. I almost chuckle the words “wait a
second, you are joking right?� But he was serious. I had contracted Typhoid.
You see Kenya was a month of sickness. It started with lice then moved to 8
cases of Malaria. So when I
started to feel sick I just assumed that a diagnosis of Malaria was
inevitable. I went to the hospital
with Liz and Michelle to help with the immediate medical attention they clearly
needed and get tested “just in case.�
In the morning I was just feeling a little bit “off�. Little did I know that at some point
during the day I would be hit with the worst headache of my life, intense body
aches, and would be wanting to do nothing but curl up in a ball and sleep. Typhoid also manifests in your GI tract
as well but I will spare you of those details! Typhoid is serious business so I am VERY THANKFUL that we
caught it on the same day I presented symptoms. I was given meds immediately which I am sure helped me
recover quickly. For those of you
who are freaking out right now I am fully recovered, healthy and happy. It was no walk in the park but I am
sure as far as Typhoid goes I got off fairly easy. I was sick for about 5 days
before I felt closer to my usual self.
I wanted to share this with you because a hospital
experience in Africa has me thinking about all that we are blessed with in the
states. We take for granted that
we have regulations and standards to keep things clean and sterile. Daniel, the nice young man who drew my
blood did not wear gloves because they didn’t have any. 1 in 3 people in Busia have HIV
or AIDS. You can’t tell me that’s
safe. There are no laws to protect
your privacy or prevent hospitals from overcharging. We were almost charged double because we were American. Thankfully Daniel had heard me preach
the week before and took it upon himself to ensure that we not only were
charged the correct amount, but that we had the best care as well. The waiting room was crowded, with
nowhere to sit, sick people everywhere, so we plopped down on the dirty floor,
covered in dirt and God knows what.
The medical staff did their job to the best of their ability with what
they had and what they are trained to do, but standards are just
different. I feel so detached from
news and politics in America at the moment, but I know that healthcare is
always a hot topic. How often do
we stop and be thankful for the highly trained doctors we get care from? More often than not we don’t, we just
sue them instead. Do we appreciate
the fact that there is always a hospital with in a safe distance that will be
able to meet your needs? We don’t
have to worry if our children, friends, parents, or grandparents will die of a
disease that not only has prevention, but a cure. You don’t have to worry about mothers or newborns dying
because of simple and small complications in childbirth. The hospital we go to ALWAYS have
access to the medication we need when we need it. It seems to me that people are either annoyed with long wait
times in the waiting room, or lack of face to face times with doctors, or
both. What would happen if you
began to consider the things we do have, the care we are blessed with, the
highly qualified staff, and facilities we receive care in rather than all the
negative? It is by grace you live
in a country where all of these things are easily accessible. I hate to end with a cliché but the
truth is there are millions of Africans who would love to take your spot in
line in the waiting room.
That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all those in the medical profession for the care you give day in and day
out. Thank you for the million
little things that go unnoticed in which you give your patients the best care
possible.
More specifically than that, Claire you are a hero. I’m proud of you and love you
tons. Keep doing what you do so
well. It is a gift. Your patients are very lucky to have
you.
And one more… Francie, I thought of you all day at the
hospital. I know one day you will
be able to train medical staff over here.
You are a gift to those around you. Your passion for patient care is an amazing example of
love. Thanks for sending me
out. I couldn’t have done this
without you
*** Getting
Typhoid set off a series of events that brought me all the way across
Kenya. This is part one of a 3
part story. We will pick up the
saga enroute to take a plane to Kijabe hospital for better medical care! To be
continued…***
