Thursday, March 29, 2012

"Off Ship...Dental Clinic"

Continuing on our Off Ship Sites tour, this blog will focus on the Dental Clinic.  According to the World Health Organization, there are about 18 dentists in Togo for a population of 6 million people (that is about one dentist for every 333 333 persons).  Where many of the nation live on about $1.25 per day.  The opportunities for most people to go to a dentist is almost zero.


The goal of the Dental Program is to reduce the incidence of dental disease by providing dental education and treatments such as restorations, extractions, and cleaning.  In our 2010 field service in Togo over 6 000 people received dental services with almost 13 000 procedures being performed.
 The Dental Clinic occupies the top two levels of a government building, which the government allows us to use at no cost.
A sign advertising the free services.
Sieh, Dental Team Coordinator, is explaining to the group the basic over all view of the dental program and some of the unique challenges they have faced.
Comfort and her translator are explaining to the waiting patients how to properly care for their teeth.
Joyce registers all the patients.
All the dental instruments and supplies.
Robbie, one of the dental hygienists, cleans a patients teeth.
Simon, a dentist, taking care of a patient.
Abdulai helps sterilize the instruments.

In a few weeks, the Dental Team will also embark on a mission of "Extreme Dentistry".  The team will go for a few days to two different sites-one of the local prisons and a refuge camp with displaced person from the Ivory Coast.  They will face many challenges, please keep them in your prayers.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"Samaritan's Purse..."

While we have been in West Africa, we have had some incredible/amazing experiences.  Last Sunday topped the list.  For years, since the kids could remember, we have participated in Operation Christmas Child sponsored by Samaritan's Purse . I would take Alisia and Joshua to the local store and have them choose items for children the same age they were at the time.  We would pack the items into a rubbermaid container, take them to our local church/school, and even helped organzie them at the designated drop off location.  While we have been in Africa, we donated online to Samaritan's Purse.

Last Sunday, Mike and Joshua were able to participate in the handing out of the "Shoe Boxes" at the church we have been attending!  (Alisia and I had to take my friend to the airport so we were unable to attend.)  I have loved looking at the pictures of our African church family being blessed by the generosity of others-it bring tears to my eyes!!!!  THANK-YOU!!!!
Praise and worship time with the boxes from Samaritan's Purse.
Carefully packed boxes.
The pastor's son helping to prepare the boxes for the children

Always carry a heavy load on the head!
The kids patiently waiting while they are being organized by age.

The older girls examining their boxes.
Mike handing out the boxes to an older girl.
Now the boys turn.
Excited boys and their shoe boxes.
I love this picture...shoe boxes being carried on their heads!

Thank you to everyone who participates in the Operation Christmas Child program...they shoe boxes are a true blessing!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

"Off Ship...Eyes..."

The ship ministry is so large that we are not able to contain it on the ship alone.  We have three off-ship sites that support the ship: Eye Screening Sites, the Dental Clinic, and the Hope Centre.  Over the next few blogs, I would like to introduce you to each one of the off-ship sites. 

The first one is the Eye Screening Site.The purpose of the Eye Team is to perform specialized surgeries to correct blindness due to pterygium and cataracts.  They also want to increase awareness about basic eye health issues and reduce the impact of harmful UV radiation and the related incidence of eye disease by distributing pairs of UV-blocking sunglasses and reading glasses.

Each week the Eye team goes to different places throughout Lome to screen for potential eye patients.
For the most part, people wait in line for the prescreening nurse to check to see if they are eligible to pass through to the next screening.
People waiting to pass through the gates.
Kelli checking each persons eyes for potential patients, especially looking for those who have cataracts,pterygium, and other eye problems.
Outside the screening site, this one is a local church.
Checking their vision with the eye charts.



The doctor looking and checking their eyes.

Once suitable candidates are found, they are given a ticket with an appointment date to come to the ship for another screening before they are scheduled for surgery.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

"Too Cute..."

Need I say more?...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

"Modi Assenou Sings..."

Her voice resonates in the hospital ward on the Africa Mercy. Her song was one of joy and praise. Everyone pauses as they hear her voice ring out - the medical staff looked overjoyed. For Modi Assenou, her prayers have been answer. For the medical staff, there is amazement over Modi’s ability to sing so soon after surgery. For all, Modi’s joy spreads throughout the ward.
Four years ago, Modi started having pain in her neck. Gradually, a lump started to form below her chin. Before long, it was clear that Modi had a big problem. Modi suffered from an enlarged thyroid gland; also know as a goiter. While the goiter did not cause her any pain or breathing problems, the affect it made on her appearance was clear.

Neighbors would mock her and constantly give her a hard time. While life was becoming difficult, Modi was surrounded by a good support system. Her close friends would give encouragement and help her out. They would say to her, “One day, by God’s will, you will be healed.” Not only did this encouragement give her the resolution to face each day, so did her husbands loyalty and support. Every step of the way, he has supported Modi, giving her love and care. He even traveled with her to Mercy Ships to act as her caregiver so that she would not have to face it alone.
After waiting in line for several hours, Modi was finally seen by the doctors at the mass medical screening in Lomé, Togo.  When it was decided that she would receive surgery, Modi was overjoyed with the answer to her prayers. Even though she would be experiencing so many new things, none of this scared her. “No matter what is going on around me, I am so happy now, nothing can take that away!”
After receiving surgery, Modi began to heal very quickly. After the removal of the thyroid, it may take a little time for the patient to start talking again. For Modi, this was not the case. Within a day of her surgery, she could be found singing in the ward. Her song echoed in the hearts of many patients as she sang, “I will thank the Lord; I will thank the Lord forever!”
Modi is happy to sing for the patients and to share her joy with those around her. She walks away with the parting words, “I am so thankful and grateful for the surgeons and everyone else on the Africa Mercy. It is my prayer that the Lord blesses Mercy Ships to be able to do more and more surgeries.”
Written by: Nicole Pribbernow
Edited by: Nancy Predaina
Photos by: Deb Bell

Sunday, March 18, 2012

"Work Week..."

Last week all the Junior high and High School kids participated in work experience.  Several departments throughout the ship had new members for the week.  The students were able to work in reception, the galley, Starbucks, the post office, plumbing, deck, marketing, and the hospital.

For Joshua's job he decided he wanted to work in the galley for the week.  He loved this job!  Joshua said:  "I would rather work in the galley than go to school."  His job this week involved helping to prepare the food for the crew.  The hot team did the main meal and food prep. for the next day while the cold team involved prepping the salad items-cutting cucumbers, onions, tomatoes.  Throughout the week he worked on both teams.
Alisia was in the marketing department doing videography.  She had a blast.  Not only did she learn how to take videos, but she learned how to edit and produce them.  On Monday her Mercy Minute video will be shown to the crew at the community meeting time. 
Both kids had a great time and would gladly trade in school for their jobs!  It is an amazing experience these ship kids get in trying different jobs throughout the ship.


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

"Birthday..."

Monday was another mile stone for Joshua.  He celebrated his 14th birthday.  It is really hard to believe that our baby is 14...truly...where does the time go?

As is tradition on the ship, Joshua awoke Monday morning and found the cabin door decorated to celebrate his birthday.
 He also started on Monday, his week of working in the galley.  All the Junior high and High school students this week have applied for a job on the ship.  Joshua is in the galley, Alisia is with Marketing learning videography, other students are in the hospital, deck, finance, sales or plumbing. 

So, much to his dismay, Joshua had to wait until noon to open his presents.  For those of you who know Joshua, that is pure torture for him to have to wait to open his presents!


Later that night we went out for dinner and then later celebrated with cake and ice cream.

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY Joshua!!!!

Monday, March 12, 2012

"Abbott Contributes..."

The countries of West Africa are among the poorest in the world. Life is much different than in developed nations. For example, in Norway, the average life expectancy is 81 years. In contrast, in Togo, a West African developing country, the average life expectancy is only 57 years.* Both countries are similar in size of population. The reason why life is cut so cruelly short in West Africa comes down to two hard realities: household income and access to health care.

Household income provides the means to feed, shelter and clothe a family. In Norway, the average family gets by on a stable daily income of about $170 per person. In Togo, a family survives on a daily income of $2.13 per person. Sadly, the income for almost forty percent of families in Togo is even less – only $1.25 per person.*
Living on a meager income can have disastrous consequences. Poor nutrition, unsafe water and inadequate sanitation lead to compromised health and reduced stamina. There is scant fortitude to bounce back from the myriad of ailments that plague the poorest of the poor.

The second blow to life expectancy in countries like Togo comes from limited or no access to adequate health care. Using Norway again as a comparison, there are about 20,000 doctors for the 5 million people who live there. In Togo, there are only 318 doctors for about 6 million people.* And, those doctors often work without adequate training, equipment or diagnostic tools.

Collaborating with qualified local and international partners, Mercy Ships offers programs to support developing nations that are striving to make health care accessible for all. Since its beginning, Mercy Ships has helped more than 2.35 million direct beneficiaries and has provided over $1 billion in medical services and materials.

Mercy Ships is fully operational, thanks to significant donations of state-of-the-art diagnostic and testing equipment for the hospital. One remarkable and faithful donor is Abbott. Abbott’s contributions include Cell Dyn 1800 Hematology Instruments, FreeStyle Lite Glucose Meters, and iStat instruments. The equipment came bundled with the added generous donation of testing supplies, controls, and calibrators – along with maintenance and training support. All of these vital donations directly benefit West African men, women and children who desperately need medical care.

For example, the Cell Dyn 1800 Hematology Instruments are used in virtually every program. They are used to screen patients before, during and after surgery. The instruments can indicate if infection is present, if the patient is anemic and if the patient has an adequate clotting mechanism for surgery. During surgery, the Cell Dyn will tell the surgical team how much blood has been lost and if the patient needs a blood transfusion. Since the Mercy Ships crew functions as a “walking blood bank,” the instruments are also pivotal in the blood bank process!
Thousands of Mercy Ships patients have benefited from Abbott's instruments. Kossi Hlonvo, a budding entrepreneur, came to the Mercy Ships patient screening in desperate need of medical care. He suffered from a large facial tumor that had been growing since 2005 and threatened to entirely block his air passage. For Kossi, it was a miracle to be selected at the screening for further tests.
One of the important tests that Kossi needed in order to be accepted for surgical treatment was the blood analysis performed by the Abbott Cell Dyn 1800 Hematology Instrument. The speed and accuracy of this hospital workhorse confirmed the precious “all clear” for Kossi to receive a surgery date. Kossi was jubilant.
Another Mercy Ships beneficiary of the generosity of Abbott is little Clement Johnson, a three-month-old boy born with a cleft lip. This condition would be corrected at birth in the developed world, but often remains uncorrected in developing countries. Clement’s mother, Grace, was overjoyed when she was told that her son was a candidate for a free surgery. All she had to do was to bring Clement to the Africa Mercy for further tests.
When Clement arrived at the hospital in the arms of his mother, he was immediately given a blood test to confirm his ability to withstand surgery. Using the Abbott Cell Dyn 1800, the necessary blood analysis was completed, and a loud “Hurrah!” from Grace confirmed that Clement would soon have his cleft lip repaired. Within a few days, Clement had a restored lip
. . . and the ability to breathe and eat normally.
The FreeStyle Lite Glucose Meters are another essential tool in the Mercy Ships medical arsenal. One important use relates to eye care. Whenever eye conditions raise the specter of the possibility of diabetes, the glucose meters provide a quick and accurate diagnosis with superb certainty. 

Another instrument, the iSTAT system, is especially valued and appreciated for rapid response purposes in the Mercy Ships intensive care unit. It enables patient-side blood testing, so that health care professionals can access real-time, lab-quality results within minutes, rather than hours.

In the words of Dr. Gary Parker, Medical Director of the Africa Mercy: “The hope and healing that Mercy Ships offers to the poorest of the poor owes a huge debt of gratitude to Abbott. Thank you for helping to give our mission a truly ‘state-of-the-art’ capacity.”
* The World Health Organization
Story by Joanne Thibault
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by John Rolland

Saturday, March 10, 2012

"Again..."

When we were in Togo in 2010, on our last weekend here we decided we wanted to go to a local pool.  Much to our shock the pool was jello green.
So, being the consistent and grace giving people we are, we decided to try to go to the same pool again this last week.  Much to our delight, the pool was a bright blue!!
We had a wonderful time "de-stressing" in the warm waters of the pool with a cool ocean breeze at out backs.
The beach front had amazing white sand with a great view of Togoville.
Ordering from a menu in Africa is always interesting.  The first question to ask is:  "What are you out of?"...the second quesiton is:  "What do you have?"  The answer is usually we have chicken and fish...even through the menu will list 20 other items.
Alisia, being the daring one out of us, ordered the grilled fish for lunch...this was definitely fresh from the ocean!  She loved every bite of it!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

"First..."


I would like to introduce you to a special patient who has recently been on the Africa Mercy. (Even though all of our patients are special, she stands out.)
This bright eyed little baby is Julie...she had the honour of being the first patient on the ship for Togo 2012.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

"Gift of Life..."

Alisia hit another mile stone this week on the ship.  Blood donation. 

As many of you know, the crew of the Africa Mercy is its own blood bank.  The hospital does not have the ability to store blood long term as a western blood bank is able.  So for some of the patients who under go surgery for massive tumors, they are dependent upon the crew to provide life giving blood. 

 Alisia has been looking forward to the day she was able to help one of the patients by donating her blood.
Expectant waiting...I have never see a more excited person to donate blood.
Claudia weighing the blood...450 ml
The proud donor!!!