01 January 2015

Hang on and keep the faith!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

    On December 23rd I had a busy clinic day in Voi Kenya. In the late afternoon a 32 year old man walked into my office, neatly dressed and speaking English.  The clinical officer had referred him because she was worried he had leprosy or an autoimmune disease.  From the description he gave me he had a common skin disease.  I had been seeing lots of complicated cases so I was relieved this wasn't going to take a lot of time.  I asked him to remove his shirt so I could see all the rash...just to make sure.  As he started to pull off his shirt he said, "I'm a police officer".  I thought his comment was a bit strange but he was more polite than most officers I'd met.  Off came the shirt and then he pulled out a pistol from his hip and laid it on the desk...the barrel pointing at the wall and not at me. A squeak escaped from my throat and he said, "I had to tell you".  I concentrated on the skin and confirmed my diagnosis while gathering my wits.  I later learned that this clinic is the medical home for the Kenya Wildlife Service, of which he is an employee.  It made me realize, one never really knows what is hidden and who is protecting you. 

     After Christmas Josephine came to help us with our cleaning on Saturday, as she usually does.  I routinely asked her how her Christmas was...expecting the answer to be 'wonderful!'  Instead she sadly told me her nephew was shot and killed the day before Christmas.  He was out late at night eating with some friends and a thief ran by the place where they were seated at the side of the road.  The police shot in the air twice and then three times at the thief who got away.  Her nephew was shot through the left upper chest and died before reaching the hospital. He was 24 years old and was midway through his training to become a mechanic.  His father had died of AIDS last May and he was the hope for the family.  

     This morning I awoke to the news that a two year old boy accidentally shot and killed his 29 year old mother in a Walmart store in Hayden, Idaho when he reached inside her purse where the gun was hidden.

     So, as this year of 2014 draws to a close I have visions of guns running through my mind.  I looked up at the wall of our flat and saw this flower amazingly anchored by two roots horizontally attached to various pipes along the wall.  In the small opening nearby sat a pigeon.  I suspect that we rarely know how precarious the situations in which we live our lives truly are.  Neither do we trust that God is always with us no matter what.   

     January 1st is World Day of Peace and the feast of Mary, Mother of Jesus.  It is also the tradition of Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Kenya to pray and work for peace on the first day of each month throughout the year. Let us put away the violence in our lives and make our world a more peaceful place.

PEACE OF THE MOURNING DOVE TO YOU

     

01 December 2014

WORLD AIDS DAY 

Today Judy and I will go to St. Patrick's Dispensary in Bangladesh to celebrate with the theme  FOCUS, PARTNER, ACHIEVE: AN AIDS FREE GENERATION

     There is still a tremendous amount of stigma related to this disease and we are working to change that so people will get the treatment they need.

Alice and Priscilla with their vegetables

      Recently I went to church and found Alice and Priscilla selling their vegetables under a tree in the church compound.  I asked Alice if I could share their picture and story with you.  We had first met about a year ago when one of the priests asked me to see them for a medical problem.  Priscilla had been abused by her father and Alice, or Mama Priscilla as she likes to be called, was very distraught and anxious to make sure that her daughter would be alright. The father was removed from the family and there was safety on that level.  Priscilla had no serious physical ailment from the trauma but she was quite shy and cautious.   Alice needed reassurance and support so they could move on with their lives.  My ministry funds were used to address the medical needs. Next came the question of survival. The priest offered Alice a place to bring vegetables to sell at the variety sale held by the church each week. With zest and hard work they have made a start with their little 'business'.  I buy my vegetables from them and although I had to help Priscilla with her math as she counted up how much I owed she is much more confident and outgoing than last year.  In the picture you can see the sparkle in her eyes.
     Christmas is coming and it speaks to me about family and God's love for us.  To come into our world as a little baby born in a stable amidst the straw, the cattle and the odours they produce is something to ponder.  It certainly wouldn't be my idea of a safe delivery and we are trying our best to provide better than that for the most needy in the villages and informal settlements of Mombasa.  There is nothing like the love of a parent for their child to give us an image of how God loves each one of us. I saw that image in Alice and her love for Priscilla.  I hope this time of waiting during Advent will give birth to this same kind of love, peace and joy in your own lives and families.
     To date there is still no person with Ebola Virus disease in Kenya.  The epidemic continues to rage in West Africa, which is about as far away from us as New York is from California.  The stories of suffering and death are heart wrenching and it will be a very long time before those people see some improvement.  For the countless orphans that are left without family their lives are forever changed.

Priscilla, Alice, Susan

     Insecurity has come again to the coast of Kenya.  Mosques have been raided by the police and a bus was attacked by Al Shabaab.  Teachers and health workers were going home for Christmas and 28 were executed by Al Shabaab.  We feel so sad for those families and continue to take care for our own safety.
     Many thanks to each of you who contributed to the Maryknoll Lay Missioner retirement fund in the last few months.  I am planning to work as long as I can and will sign another three year contract with Maryknoll Lay Missioners next June.  On December 12th it will be thirty years since I signed my first contract in 1984. My how time flies!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in the New Year.

     PEACE OF THE NEWBORN BABE TO YOU

  

01 November 2014

Susan with a group of saintly sick ones in Mrima Dispensary

HAPPY FEAST OF ALL SAINTS!!!

     When I arrived at Mrima Dispensary on Oct 24th I found all these people waiting for me. This is the second month in a row that this many people have turned up early at this clinic near the Tanzanian border.  It takes me at least two hours to get there.  We have to cross a ferry and one never knows how long that will take. In addition we always get stopped by several police officers who are looking for ways to make more money for their pockets rather than protecting the safety of the average citizen.

     What makes this bevy of saints so special is that in January of this year this clinic was not functioning at all and there were no patients for me to see!!!  We had worked very hard since 2010 to get the building renovated and supplies and medicines stocked.  But the staffs were horrible. We had two nurses sent by the government and they only worked two days a week in the clinics for pregnant women and immunizations for young children. They pocketed the money they collected from these clinics and moved around to other places on the other days of the week. We paid three other staff.  The receptionist was also pocketing money.  The clinical officer (like a physician assistant) was rude to the patients and didn't know how to properly care for them.  The lab worker was in cahoots with the receptionist.  So we got out a broom and made a clean sweep!!!

     Now we have a nurse sent from the government who is very good and she has been delivering 10 to 11 babies each month.  The clinical officer is young and inexperienced but she is trying her best and learning from the patients we see together.  The receptionist is a fine young man with common sense and good ideas for improving the services.  So far he seems to be accounting accurately for the money he collects.  So with the improved staffs the patients have returned and I have plenty of work to do.

     On the home front for Kenya in general, we still have avoided the Ebola virus, unlike the USA and other countries much further away.  There have been some violent incidents on the coast which are felt to be linked to members of Al Shabaab who have come in from Somalia.  We don't go out at night and take reasonable precautions.  But we  are able to do our work and I don't feel in any more danger than if I was in New York or Chicago.

     Thanks to all of you who have offered to contribute to the retirement fund.  If you don't know what I'm talking about look at my blog for September.  There's still one more month to go before I'm officially 30 years with Maryknoll and I hope you'll take $30 out of your pocket for the retirement fund if you haven't already done so.

PEACE OF THESE SMILING SAINTS WITH EMPTY POCKETS TO YOU!!!

01 October 2014

Susan, Nancy and Winnie behind 

     If you look closely you will see a space in the white curtain to the right of this picture. One day there was a square neatly cut out of the curtain, about the size of a baby's diaper nappy.  Such is the need in this place that someone has removed a piece of the window curtain!
     This is St. Patrick Dispensary, located in the largest informal settlement (slum) in Mombasa. It is called Bangaladesh because it is near the ocean.  The rains and floods cause people to struggle with poor  dilapidated shacks that often get washed away...much like the very poor country of Bangaladesh.  St. Patrick parish is staffed by St. Patrick priests from Ireland and they opened this clinic four years ago with the help of Judy Walter, the Maryknoll Lay Missioner/nurse whom I live with.  I go to this clinic once a month to consult and teach the staff, one of whom is Winnie, a clinical officer (similar to a physician assistant in the USA). Seated next to me is Nancy.  I saw her in the clinic yesterday and asked her if I could tell you her story.
     Nancy came to the clinic over a year ago with hot painful swollen joints of her wrists, elbows, shoulders, fingers, toes and ankles.  She is a 39 year old single mother with a nine year old son who comes to collect her medicines for her when she is unable to walk.  At one time she was a community health volunteer but could no longer work due to her illness.  I was asked to see her and the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was confirmed in the laboratory.  I explained her illness and began her treatment.  She was to return the following week but didn't show up.  We sent the social worker to look for her.  She didn't have enough money so she didn't come.
     Chronic illness is not well understood here.  People think they should be able to take medicine for five days and if they aren't better they go look for someone else to treat them...often a local herbalist. It took repeated sessions with all of our staff to help Nancy understand that she has a chronic illness and that we will not charge her for her treatment.  There are some people who need complete charity care and Nancy is one of them.
     A few months ago a 25 year old woman came with the same problem and diagnosis...rheumatoid arthritis.  We called Nancy to come talk to her and help her understand more about the illness.  She responded to the treatment well and then she disappeared.  Nancy was concerned and asked if we had seen her.  Now Nancy has come full circle.  She not only realizes the chronic nature of her illness but she is looking out for others who are in the same boat.  I'm in that boat too.  I told Nancy that I have a similar illness (Sjogren's syndrome) and I have to take the same medicine she takes every day for the rest of my life.  Her eyes got big and I could sense a connection between us.
     Nancy has become the model patient.  She takes her medicine religiously, brings all of her records to each visit, asks questions and corrects us when we don't get some detail of her condition right.  She has not responded as well to treatment as the other young woman but she is a whole lot better and we are still trying to get her to go into remission.  There are only two rheumatologists in the entire country, both are in Nairobi 500km=300miles away.  I have been very fortunate to get advice from my own rheumatologist in Champaign Illinois by email to guide me in her treatment.
     Otherwise life in Mombasa continues to be peaceful and we hope it stays that way.

PEACE OF THE FLOATING BOATS TO YOU!           

01 September 2014

Susan back in Mombasa

Greetings once again from Mombasa!  This is a picture that Mary Oldham took on the steps up to our flat with some of the children who live in the home downstairs.  It's good to be back and I'm happy to say that the tensions and insecurity of the past few months have abated.  Last night Judy, Coralis and I went to a restaurant nearby and and there were many families, both young and old, enjoying the evening together.
     On Monday August 20, 1984 I began my orientation program with Maryknoll as a lay missioner.  I didn't actually sign my first contract until December 12, 1984.  It took a few months for both Maryknoll and myself to agree that this was the path I should follow.  Now 30 years have passed and I can say with a very grateful heart that it was the right decision.  In those days, Maryknoll was the only organization in the US Catholic church that offered laity a chance to work oversees for three years.  Most other organizations had short term contracts of 1-2 years and I knew from my volunteer experience that this wasn't enough time to do what I felt called to do.  Maryknoll also offered the chance to renew our contract on an ongoing basis.  I knew in my heart, even at that time, that this journey might last a long time.  And so it has.  
     Because I have completed 30 years as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner I will be a beneficiary of a Defined Benefit Retirement plan which will provide me with $30,000 annually to live a simple and dignified retirement.  Our Association is trying to raise $1,052,000 by the end of 2015 to fund this goal as we have many missioners who have given many years of service. 
     In gratitude for what I have been given over these 30 years I have given $300 to this fund.  I would like to ask you to join me in this effort.  Could you contribute $30, or more, to help us meet our goal?  These are the steps you can follow:
#1 - Make your donation
Online:       Donation link  (Type "Retirement Fund" in Comment box below donation) 
By Phone: 1-800-867-2980 
By Mail:      Maryknoll Lay Missioners, PO Box 307, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0307
Make check out to Maryknoll Lay Missioners; write in Memo line: Retirement Fund
Outside the US: Send me a message and we'll sort out how to transfer your donation. :) 

#2 - Add a comment to this blog to be counted among those willing to help us out!
I am not setting a personal goal for this effort.  I am hoping that between now and Dec 12th, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,  many of you will be inspired to inspire others to join me in giving thanks to Maryknoll for what we have been able to do during the past 30 years.  I have received a great deal of recognition for the things I did.  I could have done those things with other groups as a doctor. But for me this has been a vocation...a calling...to live my life as a Catholic lay woman in response to my Christian faith.  Many years ago when I was working very hard "doing" a lot of doctoring a very good friend made the comment that there was so much more to me than that.  It made me broaden my "doctoring" to reflect the light of Christ that is the source of life and all true healing.  Thanks to you for being there with me.

PEACE OF THE MOMBASA SEA BREEZES TO YOU!!!

01 August 2014

 North Coast of Mombasa June 2014

Greetings from Urbana, Illinois.
     I have been to Minnesota for the memorial of my nephew Alex on July 15th.  It was a very good gathering and the first time I have been with all my siblings in seven years.  Alex has brought us all together and he will always be with us in a very special way.
     I spoke at St. Joseph and Francis churches in Taylors Falls and Franconia Minnesota. They wanted to know more about our ministry and are giving donations to remember both Alex and Corey Corradi, a 22 year old member of their parish who died suddenly of an illness last year.  I also met with Mary Oldham and Marty Roers, both lay missioners in Kenya in the past.  Mary's friend took this picture when they visited Kenya in June.  It is a good image of the news that is coming out of Kenya...ominous.  Insecurity has continued and the US has recalled their Peace Corps volunteers.  But as the sun is still shining on this beach, there are many people working to address the ethnic tensions and corruption that is widening the gap between those who have and have not.  This too will pass.
     My brother has informed me of a way to support our Maryknoll Association without spending extra money.  Amazon has a charitable giving program.  If you are purchasing items you should go to the site smile.amazon.com.  They will ask you what charity you want to support and you can enter Maryknoll Lay Missioners.  Amazon will then contribute 0.5% of your purchase to our Association.  It doesn't cost you any extra money.  If you order from Amazon please consider designating us as your charity recipient.
    People here in the USA are asking me about Ebola.  It is a huge problem in West Africa.  I work in East Africa.  So, the current outbreak is very far away from us.  This deadly disease is caused by a virus and the only treatment is supportive.  Strict public health measures that quarantine the patients can contain the outbreak quickly.  This has happened many times in East Africa in the past. However, the outbreak has spiraled out of control in West Africa because procedures for control have not been followed.  People have less belief in modern medicine and have taken these extremely infectious patients home from the hospital or allowed them to travel when they are ill.
     I will return to Kenya on the 12th of August.  Please keep us in your prayer and I will keep in touch on this blog if anything more concerning should come up before next month.

PEACE OF SUMMER SUNSHINE TO YOU!!!

01 July 14

Giriama Soak Pit

GIRIAMA DISPENSARY

     In five days I will leave to go to Minnesota. All of my family will gather for the first anniversary of the passing of my nephew, Alex Vitalis, on July 15, 2013.  The family asked that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to my ministry account to help people in need in Kenya.  Attached are pictures taken of the renovations to Giriama dispensary that included building a soak pit and improving the 

Giriama medicine dispensing station

pharmacy and laboratory.  These were empty rooms  with nothing in them at this time last year.
     Additionally money was donated to pay for a salary for a nurse at St. Patrick Dispensary for one year.  They opened a maternity unit in the informal settlement (slum) of Bangaladesh in April 2014 and have been delivering 6 to 8 babies each month.  This is a place with 50-60,000 people and no safe facility to deliver babies.

Giriama Pharmacy

 It is not safe to go out at night  and most women delivered their babies at home and hoped for the best.  Now they have skilled nurse/midwives to assist them and assistance to take them to a bigger hospital if needed.  We hope that after one year the service can be self sustaining and pay for the nurse's salary out of the money collected for doing the deliveries.     Alex was a person who cared deeply for others, especially those who were in need or excluded for one reason or another.  His memory lives on in the lives of these people and we are grateful to those of you helped us with your gifts.  We will never forget him.
   
 

Giriama Laboratory

   Many continue to ask how life is in Mombasa with the insecurity of this past month.  There is tension.  I met Sr. Veronica two days ago and heard the details of how her father was murdered.  It is a gruesome story and no one knows for sure who is responsible.  Al Shabaab claims they did it but the attackers knew the names of many of the 60 people they killed and were looking for them specifically.  This suggests that the attackers knew the town very well and perhaps had even come from the town.  When I ask people if they feel safe they say NO!  Personally, I don't go out at night and I don't go to big modern shopping centers or restaurants.  I go to a small little grocery in our neighborhood and when I go to a bigger store to buy something special (olives or ice cream) I don't look around at all.  I just buy what is on my list and leave as soon as possible.  The churches are also targets and I go to the Saturday evening Mass which is for the children's choir.  Not many people attend and while the children have a bit of trouble getting the right pitch and rhythm it's nice to support them.  It's not a liturgy that would be much of a target for someone trying to cause trouble.
     My work has not been affected too much. The trips I do to rural clinics are not in places that are very dangerous.  The roads are bad and the people are isolated so they don't pose much of a threat to anyone.  I continue to be amazed and frustrated by the incompetence and negligence of the public health sector.  I suppose after all these years I should start getting used to it and not waste my energy on things that don't work.  This causes me more angst than the insecurity.  I'm sure that getting a break and being with my family will help.  I plan to return to Kenya the middle of August.
     On Saturday the new moon was seen and the holy month of Ramadhan began.  This is the fast that all Muslims perform each year to purify themselves and bring them closer to God.  Hopefully we will all remember we are children of one God and should love one another as God loves us.

PEACE OF THE MOON OF RAMADHAN TO YOU