Yesterday the medical team of Lubango Evangelical Medical Center returned from their spiritual life conference. My timing to volunteer each July is primarily to provide the vacation coverage they need. Tonight as I walked the wards tonight of our little hospital my thoughts turned to Manuel with the infection that ate away his entire […]
Today in the midst of “normal” cases of malaria, amebas, schistosomiasis, I was summoned to see Feliciano. This boy of 6 was accompanied by his dad, who explained how over the last 4 months his kid has lost the use of his left arm, walks with an increasing limp, and now his mouth
At the Angolan medical center I’m presently being accompanied by four Canadian medical students. They are very sharp and eager to learn. The faith-basis of this facility is new to some. One student asked, “Just what is the Gospel?” That question caused me to ponder Jesus quoting Isaiah in Luke 4:17-18, “The Spirit of
Early this Sunday morning I visited the church that meets in the community just outside of town. The singing and message were both in Portuguese and Umbundo, the local language. I adore how the people clap and beat the drums and books and dishes to the rhythm of each song. Then, often we’re off
This afternoon a mother was at home alone with her girl, whose temperature was 105. Suddenly her eyes rolled back and she had a seizure, flailing his arm and legs. Minutes later I received a distressing call from the emergency ward. This 18-month old was still convulsing and barely breathing. Convulsions here in Angola
This morning a father arrived at the hospital in Angola with his son, Josifas, whose photo I took with his permission. This boy of eleven was leaning over a cooking fire, when his shirt erupted into flames. Living in the bush, his family simply covered the wound with strips of cloth, linen that became
This morning I visited virtually every patient who is being cared for here at the Lubango Evangelical Medical Center. In the attached photo I’m seeing lady of 60 years who was bitten on her foot by a snake. I also examined a man with heart failure and heart valve disease for whom we can
Abel, this young man, was riding his bicycle when he veered off the road to avoid an oncoming truck. Abel’s bike struck a embankment, throwing him head first over the handle bars. The only fortunate outcome of this accident was that Abel landed on his leg rather than his head! I’m holding up the
“Quickly, Dr. Nicholas, come to emergency ward!” António’s voice was filled with tension, and by the arm he pulled we away from syphilis patient whom I was examining. Moments later I confronted a gasping small child, Gabriel. With each breath she chest retracted and with my stethoscope I heard hardly any air moving into
Over the weekend Ezekiel, in the photo above, was playing indoors and fell into the family cooking fire. As the boy screamed in agony the traditional healer smeared cow dung and herbs over the burns covering his face and chest. By the time Ezekiel arrived at our healthcare center his skin was heavily infected