Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Monday's Story
So I've talked a little about a girl named Monday and I think it's about time for everyone to know her whole story.
Ayoo, Sandra was born in Northern Uganda on a Monday hence everyone has always called her Monday. She has lived there all of her 15 years up until a few months ago. She lived with her father, her mother, her siblings and her father's second wife and children. Yea...polygamy is still very alive in Uganda. So Monday was growing up a pretty normal life for a village kid. Everyone is poor, there isn't much food, her father's wives argue all the time, and her dad is an alcoholic.
Then one day her father's sister, who moved to a village called Walukuba outside Jinja in Southern Uganda, decides she needs more help around the house because she is expecting her first child. So Monday is sent 100's of miles south to live with an Aunt and Uncle she barely knows. Her Aunt Betty has already taken in one of Monday's half sisters, Linda. Linda is 12 and is attending primary school, so isn't around the house much to help. Patrick, her uncle, works in Kampala 2 hours west so most of the time he isn't around.
Very quickly Betty noticed that Monday struggled to learn new chores and her mental capacity seemed less of that then most people. She couldn't seem to remember what she was told. She wasn't able to bathe the new baby, Emmanuel, because it was too hard for her. All she could do was wash clothes. From early on, Betty noticed that Monday had a large growth inside her right nostril that caused problems with Monday's breathing. Betty and Patrick decided that maybe this was affecting Monday's brain somehow and was causing her to not "function at full capacity".
They took her to Jinja Main Hospital, which let me make clear is very unlike hospitals in the States. The doctors there examined Monday thoroughly, took x-rays, and came to the conclusion that the growth was a tumor. A tumor growing from behind Monday's forehead and down into her nose. This tumor was pressing on her brain and causing brain damage. They perscribed expensive medications and told Betty and Patrick that they could remove the tumor for 300,000 shillings. (In Uganda some people don't even make that in 1 year!) That price didn't include anything except the surgery itself. And even though Betty and Patrick are better off than most people living in the villages (meaning they have electricity, running water and a few chickens) they couldn't afford the surgery.
They had 2 options. The first was to keep Monday with them and hope that she would get better or that somehow they would be able to get the money for the surgery. The second was to just send Monday back to her parents in the North because she wasn't much help to Betty (almost more of a hinderence). They chose the second option.
This was around the time when I first met Betty and Monday in October. I wrote a blog about Monday and then someone decided to bless Monday by paying for the surgery!!! I was lucky enough to tell Betty that a friend wanted to take care of the surgery and to not send Monday back home to the village. I researched hospitals some, and a friend told me about one in Entebbe (about 3 hours away) that did free surgerys for children and specialized in tumors. The name of the hospital is CoRSU. We figured out details to have a consultation last week and Rachel, Randy and I picked up Monday to go to the hospital!
Patrick met us at the hospital. So we signed in with reception and waited about a half an hour until we were called. The nurse asked what the condition was and we told her. She took Monday's weight and then had us sit again until the doctor could see us. So we sat...for another hour. When we finally got to see the doctors (who both happened to be white) they sat her down in a chair, asked a few questions and took a look at her nose. Almost immediately they concluded that what Monday was suffering from was not a tumor but nasal polyps. Basically nasal polyps are non-cancerous, benine growths in the nose that sometimes occur because of "chronically inflammed nasal passages and sinuses".
My first reaction was frustration that Betty and Patrick spent so much money at Jinja Main to have a wrong and very expensive diagnosis. My second emotion was relief because instead of a life-threatening tumor like we had thought, Monday only needed a simple procedure to remove them. Unfortunately CoRSU doesn't remove nasal polyps because they aren't the most qualified to do so. The doctor gave us a recommendation letter to an Ears, Nose and Throat Specialist at a hospital in Kampala called Mulago.
The doctors also told us that the polyps wouldn't be affecting Monday's brain. Betty mentioned to me later that day that Monday recently told her that a few years ago while Monday was stoking a fire for dinner, her mother came up behind her and stabbed her in the skull with a knife. And somehow Monday didn't die...but I'm pretty sure that's where her brain damage came from.
Our current plan is to travel to Mulago next Tuesday (the 24th) for a consultation with the doctors there. Our prayer is that they will agree to treat Monday's condition and that the polyps won't return! So right now we are just waiting and praying. I hope you will pray with us! I'll update you soon!
Ayoo, Sandra was born in Northern Uganda on a Monday hence everyone has always called her Monday. She has lived there all of her 15 years up until a few months ago. She lived with her father, her mother, her siblings and her father's second wife and children. Yea...polygamy is still very alive in Uganda. So Monday was growing up a pretty normal life for a village kid. Everyone is poor, there isn't much food, her father's wives argue all the time, and her dad is an alcoholic.
Then one day her father's sister, who moved to a village called Walukuba outside Jinja in Southern Uganda, decides she needs more help around the house because she is expecting her first child. So Monday is sent 100's of miles south to live with an Aunt and Uncle she barely knows. Her Aunt Betty has already taken in one of Monday's half sisters, Linda. Linda is 12 and is attending primary school, so isn't around the house much to help. Patrick, her uncle, works in Kampala 2 hours west so most of the time he isn't around.
Very quickly Betty noticed that Monday struggled to learn new chores and her mental capacity seemed less of that then most people. She couldn't seem to remember what she was told. She wasn't able to bathe the new baby, Emmanuel, because it was too hard for her. All she could do was wash clothes. From early on, Betty noticed that Monday had a large growth inside her right nostril that caused problems with Monday's breathing. Betty and Patrick decided that maybe this was affecting Monday's brain somehow and was causing her to not "function at full capacity".
They took her to Jinja Main Hospital, which let me make clear is very unlike hospitals in the States. The doctors there examined Monday thoroughly, took x-rays, and came to the conclusion that the growth was a tumor. A tumor growing from behind Monday's forehead and down into her nose. This tumor was pressing on her brain and causing brain damage. They perscribed expensive medications and told Betty and Patrick that they could remove the tumor for 300,000 shillings. (In Uganda some people don't even make that in 1 year!) That price didn't include anything except the surgery itself. And even though Betty and Patrick are better off than most people living in the villages (meaning they have electricity, running water and a few chickens) they couldn't afford the surgery.
They had 2 options. The first was to keep Monday with them and hope that she would get better or that somehow they would be able to get the money for the surgery. The second was to just send Monday back to her parents in the North because she wasn't much help to Betty (almost more of a hinderence). They chose the second option.
This was around the time when I first met Betty and Monday in October. I wrote a blog about Monday and then someone decided to bless Monday by paying for the surgery!!! I was lucky enough to tell Betty that a friend wanted to take care of the surgery and to not send Monday back home to the village. I researched hospitals some, and a friend told me about one in Entebbe (about 3 hours away) that did free surgerys for children and specialized in tumors. The name of the hospital is CoRSU. We figured out details to have a consultation last week and Rachel, Randy and I picked up Monday to go to the hospital!
Patrick met us at the hospital. So we signed in with reception and waited about a half an hour until we were called. The nurse asked what the condition was and we told her. She took Monday's weight and then had us sit again until the doctor could see us. So we sat...for another hour. When we finally got to see the doctors (who both happened to be white) they sat her down in a chair, asked a few questions and took a look at her nose. Almost immediately they concluded that what Monday was suffering from was not a tumor but nasal polyps. Basically nasal polyps are non-cancerous, benine growths in the nose that sometimes occur because of "chronically inflammed nasal passages and sinuses".
My first reaction was frustration that Betty and Patrick spent so much money at Jinja Main to have a wrong and very expensive diagnosis. My second emotion was relief because instead of a life-threatening tumor like we had thought, Monday only needed a simple procedure to remove them. Unfortunately CoRSU doesn't remove nasal polyps because they aren't the most qualified to do so. The doctor gave us a recommendation letter to an Ears, Nose and Throat Specialist at a hospital in Kampala called Mulago.
The doctors also told us that the polyps wouldn't be affecting Monday's brain. Betty mentioned to me later that day that Monday recently told her that a few years ago while Monday was stoking a fire for dinner, her mother came up behind her and stabbed her in the skull with a knife. And somehow Monday didn't die...but I'm pretty sure that's where her brain damage came from.
Our current plan is to travel to Mulago next Tuesday (the 24th) for a consultation with the doctors there. Our prayer is that they will agree to treat Monday's condition and that the polyps won't return! So right now we are just waiting and praying. I hope you will pray with us! I'll update you soon!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Quick Thoughts
Hey...so I thought I would just let everyone who checks my blog that I haven't forgotten about it...I'm just so bad at sitting down and writing! So a few quick notes...
1. Today is Saturday so we have a Suubi meeting. This is when we buy necklaces from the women.
2. If you read my last post I mentioned a girl named Monday who needed surgery but Betty her caretaker couldn't afford it....well someone read my blog and wants to pay for the surgery. Praise God! Hopefully plans will start coming together for that. I'll keep you updated.
3. If you are in a praying mood (which I hope you all are) keep all of us volunteers in your prayers...we are battling lots of sickness right now.
4. I had lots more to say but I'll try to post something longer than this soon.
:) love you all!
1. Today is Saturday so we have a Suubi meeting. This is when we buy necklaces from the women.
2. If you read my last post I mentioned a girl named Monday who needed surgery but Betty her caretaker couldn't afford it....well someone read my blog and wants to pay for the surgery. Praise God! Hopefully plans will start coming together for that. I'll keep you updated.
3. If you are in a praying mood (which I hope you all are) keep all of us volunteers in your prayers...we are battling lots of sickness right now.
4. I had lots more to say but I'll try to post something longer than this soon.
:) love you all!
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