2/2/09- hold the press….the blog has not ended! I have one last entry! I’d like to personally thank all of our volunteers who participated on this mission. I am honored to have been in the company of the most dedicated and compassionate doctors who went above and beyond to deliver the highest quality care they could under unfavorable adverse conditions. You took a leap of faith coming on this, our first group mission with DelMed. You have taught me a great deal and for this I am grateful.
Yesterday Zeke, Jules Sue and I enjoyed a wonderful brunch at a restaurant called The Butchery Shop. The name does not sound very appealing I know, but it’s regarded as the best restaurant in Fajara. It was the first taste of modern food we’ve had in a long time and it was a buffet! We all made multiple trips to the buffet and enjoyed every minute of it. It felt like we made one tiny step towards getting back to the ways of our old lives. We left with smiles on our faces and content bellies!
I’m sad to say that shortly after I arrived in Africa my grandfather of 91 years passed away. “Pop” was an avid tea drinker and I will never have a cup without thinking of him. I’d like to thank my family…Mom, Dad, Diane, Bud & Carl for everything you have done to comfort me while I was afar. Your kind words and support helped me deal with this distress while trying to stay focused here….many thanks.
Zeke, Jules, Sue and I have made our way to the coastal area and are preparing to fly home tomorrow via London to Phila. We are all wondering how cold it is in Delaware and we just found out the Super Bowl results! Bits and pieces of home are trickling back into our lives and the familiarity is nice.
See you all very soon…wait, I hope….I’m hearing in the back round on a TV that eight inches of snow fell in central London last night, the city is paralyzed…OMG! The biggest snow storm in England in 18 years! Adversity continues and so does our journey! All I can do is laugh now! I’m going to get a cup of tea and visit with my Pop.
~Lonnie
I am curious as to how the hospital is doing after your visit and what you are doing from here to help at the moment.
The solar project is complete and the hospital has reliable electricity and running water. We are sending another physician volunteer in September/October. Currently the hospital is hosting college volunteer students via a program called Operation Crossroads. There are two medical students who just left to spend a month at the hospital as well. We have many projects we would love to embark on but we need to raise funds. The hospital received a wonderful donation of brand new lab equipment but sadly cannot use many of the machines because they can’t afford the chemical reagents required. They are also looking to increase their water storage capicity. Building infastructure improvements are needed as well…they’re many roof leaks and general repairs needed. The rainy season reaks havic on the building strutures and annual funds are needed to maintain and repair them. They also lost their full time surgeon (who who returned home after two years of service) so the CEO is trying to find a replacement. So while some things are going well there are still many challenges!