Im not ready to go home

Its crazy to think that last week I was so excited to go home and see my family and friends, but now as the trip has come to an end, I'm really not ready. Looking back over the month God has really opened doors and showed me how much more there is to life.

This past week especially has been beyond words. I worked in the emergency department and was able to perform skills I have not had a chance to use since skills lab, but the most rewarding part about being in the department was being able to talk with the families. A patient I worked with had been hit by a car, and is now intubated. His family came in to visit and just stood around him not doing anything. As they circled in and out of the room I walked up to one of the family members and explained to him that the patient can hear, he just does not have the ability to respond in any way. The man began to have tears in his eyes as he said thank you, and then he told me that he was the patients father. At that moment I really feel that I made a difference in a persons life. The nurses do not have time to talk with the families and explain these things, so once I explained that to the patients father, all the other family members came in and began talking to him and holding his hand. The next day I moved to the emergency ward, an overfill of the ICU, and found that my patient had been transferred. While waiting for visiting hours one of his family members approached me and wanted to say thank you again. I was just reminded how much of a difference it makes to work with families and to help support them as well while they wait for a loved one to recover.

Our evenings as a group were filled with dinners celebrating our time with the people and relationships that have been made. Monday we spent time with our host family as just a huge thank you for taking in 8 people. The next night we ate with Richard and Valerie, founders of WorldCOMP ministries. It was such a special night to hear the visions they have for future students, and for the future of the company. I am really looking forward to the day I can come back to Kenya and partner with them during their mega medical camps. Our last night we ate with the Sadara family. They blessed us with a wonderful African meal, tea, and Maasai blankets that each a have special message on the material.

The people I have meet this month are people I want to continue to build relationships with because they are people that are making a difference. I am looking forward to what the future holds, but for now I am going to continue to cherish these moments until my next adventure.

#T.I.A. (This is Africa)

A weekend full of adventure, hashtags, animals, laughter, and memories to last a lifetime, TIA. When people think of Africa the first thing that usually comes to mind is Safari, well that is where this journey starts. 

Our team was gifted a two night stay at Mara Sopa resort right off the Maasai Mara, but this seemed a little to good to be true...and it was #TIA. We found out that the reservations were made for the week after we would be at safari. So we were told about a place that is a new place to stay and that it is very comparable #itwasnt. 

#maranopa 

The place was a 4 bedroom guesthouse, where 2 girls would share a bed, and the other girl would sleep on a single without a misquote net. It was cute, but the price they wanted was not. They were charging us over $80 a night, per person. So our wonderful instructors said no thank you to the owner, and we went off to Mara Sopa to try and see if they could change the reservation. After waiting over an hour, our team was unsuccessful. We ended up at this really cool campsite. The price was better than the guesthouse and it was a place for an experience. 

On the Safari we saw some amazing animals, but still no cheetahs or rhinos. This has been my second Safari and I am still in awe of how beautiful God's creation is. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing the grassy plains, or the rolling hills. Seeing animals where they are meant to live, and seeing how they all interact with one another is so special.

 

Started the adventure with 11 lions and cubs!

The Maasai giraffe 

On the boarder on Tanzania and Kenya!

African Plains 

One of the many zebras 

 

The story of a caner patient.

Meet Nicklas.

He was diagnosed with colon cancer last year, and is currently on his 9th out of 12 treatment of chemo. Nicklas loves the Lord and has not blamed God for his diagnosis. To see how strong this one man is, it really is encouraging. Back home Nicklas teaches kids in grades 1-8 about math and science. All of his students run to him when he returns home from treatment. Nicklas will spend about 4 days in the hospital getting his treatment because he lives so far away. If he lived in Nairobi he would come in as an outpatient. While talking with him Nicklas asked how cancer is looked at in America, and how we seek treatment, and how we all pay for it. He also asked me about my experiences in Kenya, and then asked me questions about the medications he was on, and the side effects he is experiencing. Nicklas is an amazing man. And he is just one man.

So many people come and seek treatment at the hospital for their cancer. They are diagnosed in stage 1 or 2, but by the time they can afford treatment, their cancer has progressed to stage 4. By then their cancers are almost untreatable. It breaks my heart knowing that so many people have the intention of being cured, but this country is in such a lack of resources. Kenyatta Hospital is one of 3 cancer facilities in the whole country. It is the only public hospital, and with that they run out of supplies often. When the hospital does not have medications in house, patients have to go find a pharmacist outside the hospital, purchase the medication, and then bring it back for administration. Kenya also only has 11 oncologist doctors.

Cancer is on the rise in this country due to all the pollution and other environmental factors. People are usually do not even try to seek treatment, because many believe that cancer is untreatable. The government is not willing to open more clinics or treatment centers because they believe that treating cancer is not as important as other issues.

I learned so much while on this unit, and I hope you all cherish the story of Nicklas, I know that he would have loved to share it with you.

Giving chemo to patients