Mother’s Day Thoughts

One of my favorite things about Cameroon is the many names I have here. I am Madame, Sister, Doctor, Mom, Mami, Mama. I am also called “Mom of …”(insert any one of my children’s names). Almost no one calls me by my first name. Any person who has a child can be called Mami (pronounced mah-mi) and I use this frequently when I talk with patients. I think it gives a sense of familiarity, especially when I can’t remember the patient’s name.

There are a few staff at the hospital who always call me Mom. This is my favorite title. It is rather endearing and makes me feel needed and wanted. However, with that title comes responsibility. I then need to be a model of kindness, respect, and compassion, taking the time to listen to the patient and do whatever I am called to do with a positive attitude and a grateful heart.

A favorite song at Mass here is “Mama Maria, mama, eh mama…” Mary is called Maria in Pidgin English. When we think about the formal titles we have for Mary like the Virgin Mary and Mother of God, she may not seem as accessible as when she is called Mama. As Mama, she becomes one of us. We need her and want her to intercess for us.

I also see Mary in the many mothers we see here with sick and suffering children of all ages. Mary’s heart broke when she saw her Son suffer and die. I think of the countless mothers here who have lost a child or children and endure that seemingly unbearable pain. Mary, then, becomes a source of comfort.

As I struggle daily with the mother that I want to be, let me look to Mary as my inspiration.

Sister Xaveria

Sister Xaveria recently left her position as Matron at St. Martin De Porres Catholic Hospital and will now be overseeing the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis’ hospitals and health centers in Cameroon.

She spent 14 years as the Matron at St. Martin De Porres. During this time there was considerable growth including new surgical and obstetric wards, new theatre, chapel, and many other structures that have become part of the hospital.

She also created a place of caring and love, not only among the workers, but especially for the patients who come here.

We have been honored and blessed to know Sr. Xaveria and we know that her new position will bless many more.

Thank You Sister Xaveria!

Junior

Junior arrived from a referring hospital with his grandmother. He had been ill for 6 days and presented unconscious, seizing and febrile. His labs showed malaria, a low hemoglobin of 3 (normal 12 and above), low calcium of 1 (normal 8 – 10) and an elevated white blood count.  Treatment was started.

With a lot of praying and help from our growing expat consulting service (thank you Dr. Angela!), Junior improved over the next few days and was discharged much better than he arrived!

Collaboration with Mbingo Baptist Hospital

Drs. Chuck and Angela, from Mbingo Baptist Hospital which is about 30 minutes down the road from Njinikom, recently visited St. Martin de Porres and provided an excellent Saturday continuing medical education talk.

Dr. Chuck is an internal medicine doctor and his wife, Angela, is a pediatrician. They have been in Mbingo for the past two and half years.  Their on the ground experience has been invaluable to us and they have shared many medical pearls. They know first hand the challenges of working in a resource limited area.

We have been fortunate to get to know them and have been very fortunate to have had their expertise for some tough cases.

A happy follow up the other day…….

Adamou is a 9 year old boy who came to the hospital for the first time in January.  We were asked to see him urgently.  I was told he was referred from a clinic with the history of an undescended testicle. Upon arriving to see him, he was unconscious with rapid respirations.  He was subsequently found to be in diabetic ketoacidosis and had a fractured femur!

The history was that two weeks prior to his arrival to St. Martin De Porres he had been kicked by a cow and the family had tried various “traditional” treatments at home. He had not been able to walk since that time and the last few days before coming to the hospital he had become less responsive.
He was started on insulin and IV fluids and the orthopedic surgeon was consulted. He improved over the next week and was discharged. On follow up he was doing much better and the family was doing well providing insulin at home.

Youth Day

Cameroon celebrated Youth Day on February 11th.

For the past month, the children practiced and then competed among the schools in our area to see which schools would dance and sing for the Youth Day celebration. Our children’s school, St. Anthony, won first place in the traditional dance and the special youth day song and dance.  St. Anthony’s has been very inclusive, asking Christopher, Elizabeth, and Julianne to participate in everything. Despite their lack of natural rhythm, the kids learned the songs and dances well and really enjoyed themselves. If you look closely at the video, you may be able to spot them.  Surprisingly, it was the best 8 hours we’ve spent in the hot sun in a long time!

(Click on the video to view some of the performance)

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is always a somber and yet reassuring time for me.  At one level it is a reminder of where I (Brent) came from and where I will go in this world (ashes to ashes) and at another level from God and to God I will go.

It helps to remember the latter especially when it seems that a patient is taken too early from this world……