AN ENCOUNTER WITH A LIFE SAVED

We had the most amazing experience this week.

In the last week Rob has been in malnutrition so is often able to get home before dark.
So we had been going for walks most afternoon.

On Wednesday it was Independence day which is a public holiday ( unless your a doctor) but Rob got home around 3pm.

We went for our walk and everyone was out and about. After our walk since there was still a lot of light we went to the gardens at the bottom of our road to sit and enjoy the nice weather and have a soda  ( the only thing they sell )

As we were sitting there playing the game I like of making things out of the clouds.
A man walked over to us holding a baby girl.

Straight away he bowed some and said Hello Doctor.

Obviously it was someone that knew Rob as a doctor, this is not unusual, often people will yell out hello doctor or something from knowing him at hospital.

But this man with tears in his eyes went on to say -

I saw you come in, I am sitting over there with my family and could not just sit and not come over and humbly thank the man who saved my baby girl.

Rob went on to ask how the baby was etc as I just watched mesmerised by this gorgeous little girl who almost seemed to remember ROb and reached out to him and laughed and giggled as Rob cuddled her.
The father kept saying, you saved her, you saved her.

She would not be here today if it had not been for you.

I could see the tears in the fathers eyes and in Rob's as the gravity of this encounter.

Its not often doctors get to see the patients again they save here as many come from villages and far away.

But here was a little girl who only weeks before was dying and now was here laughing in Rob's arms.

To say I was overcome would be an understatement. I was left rather speechless ( VERY UNUSUAL FOR ME - haha )

I asked if we could take a photo, which we did and you can see the gorgeous girls smile.

After they left I asked Rob about her.

Rob said she had been incredibly sick when she'd come in with sickle cell and malnutrition.  And was not going to live. But Rob managed to bring her around before it was too late.
And it was almost too late and they weren't sure if she would make it.
Praise God she did.

Because of their rotations doctors don't always get to see the follow up after they work on a patient so knowing that the little girl had now left hospital and was doing well is a huge gift.

What a joy to experience this and to be reminded of the very real impact on saving lives Rob has every single day.

ISNT SHE GORGEOUS

TREATS and time out thanks to TO THOSE AT HOME

We have been so incredibly blessed by people at home.

Every week something happens to completely blow us away.

Not only emails of support and encouragement. But people sending money to help us pay for Rob's brothers school and university fees and people who send us a bit of extra money with VERY SPECIFIC DETAILS OF HOW IT IS TO BE SPENT.

Recently a beautiful lady from our mainly music and who I babysit for send us $20 to buy some junk food while we were in city.

We have very specific instructions from their little girl to make sure we bought chocolate and took a photo.

We really miss Australian junk food but in the city you are able to get some things that almost resemble home.... although don't taste quite as good.

So we bought Rob's favourite prinkles and chocolate and soft drink. It was even Cadbury ( but its made in South Africa and although good compared to other chocolate here... its still not as good as ours )

We also had enough money from that $20 to go to the movies.

So we splurged and went and saw a movie I have completely forgotten the name of ... hahaha..

But it was really good.

OUR PICTURE ESPECIALLY FOR ABBY

The movie.... it started with E... ELISIYUM or something like that

A few others people have sent us money with specific instructions.

One was to buy a bigger bucket for washing..... and lots of other things.

Another week we had lunch at a café.... we shared a cheeseburger and I had a chocolate milkshake ( something I'd been craving for months but normally wouldn't have at home??? weird .... and Rob had juice)

THANK YOU TO the precious family that paid for this treat

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE'S SUPPORT.... AND THESE LITTLE TREATS ACTUALLY MEAN A LOT AS WE DON'T LIKE SPENDING MONEY ON THIS SORT OF THING WHEN WE HAVE THE BOYS AND EMPLOYEES TO SUPPORT.

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL AND FEEL SO BLESSED TO THOSE WHO HELP SUPPORT OUR SANITY, OUR TUMMIES, AND OUR FARMS AND HELP US TO PAY FOR SCHOOL FEES AND UPKEEP ON ROB'S FAMILY.

WE PRAY FOR YOU EACH AND ASK GOD TO ESPECIALLY BLESS YOU FOR THE BLESSING YOU ARE TO US!!!

Rob and the childrens ward

Well I had the great privilege this week of sitting with my husband while he worked on some patients.

Rob is 3month rotations at the moment.
And his first 3months is in paediatrics.

The paediatrics here has 3 wards.
The malnutrition/feeding clinic, main paed's and then special care.

You do 2 weeks of malnutrition and special care and then swap over and do main paed's for the next two. And so that continues for 3 motnhs.

There is one other intern so between Rob and the other intern they pretty much run the kids departments.
So one does one section then they swap for the next 2 weeks.

In main paediatrics there is also a main doctor but she is only there for a few hours a day.
Otherwise your on your own and in malnutrition and special care there is no other doctor unless you called for someone.

Malnutrition is a hard place, most children there are there for a few months recovering from near death due to side affects from malnutrition, mostly anaemia and things like that.
Rob has lost numbers of children here so far as many children are bought in too late, and by the time they find a vein to test child's blood type, it is often too late.
This is heartbreaking when they know that if the child had only been bought in earlier they still may have been able to find a vein quick enough to find out what blood they need.

Special care is severely understaffed with nurses.. Rob arrived yesterday morning to find 3 babies were passed away in the cots..... and no nurse knew how long they had been gone for! Hard to believe but they are so understaffed and the babies parents weren't with them at that time. Many parents have to go and care for their other children through night while husbands are away working etc etc.

MAIN PAEDS

Main Paed's is CRAZY... this is where all the other kids come, most have malaria or some sort of preventable disease.
There is 26 small cot beds.... but the day I was there I counted close to 35 patients plus parents. and sometimes grandparents.
















Once the child is seen by doctor and admitted it is up to the parent to find a spot for them, so if no beds then its often on the floor, and if no floor space due to all the parents on the dloor with their kids, then under the cots.





Rob works 7 days a week.
Weekdays are from around 8am to 4-5ish if in malnutrition but if in main paeds he is usually not home till 8 - 11pm.
And he is always on call. Interns are the ones called in - there are no main doctors there at night or weekends.

Weekends we get a little sleep in and he goes in about 11am and then is home early evening if a good day or later if busy.

Sunday is the same but we go to church at 8am and he goes from there to hospital normally.

Last Sunday we decided we wanted to see how long it would take to hospital to walk.
We had been to church and had lunch, Rob had been having a really bad headache all weekend but had still been working... he decided to go in mid afternoon on Sunday so we walked to hospital.
We thought since he'd had no phone calls from the nurses that it must be quiet so he'djust see new patients and thought they'd only be a few.
We were wrong.

There was a big line up - so for next few hours I sat watching Rob work.
Hospitals are very different here. Nurses and doctors do not go to patients bed 
Due to it being so crowded there is no room to move.








So rob sits in one spot and they line up on chairs to see him - parents hold their sick child.
It is the same for the nurses. The nurses are in one spot near Rob and people line up for their
treatment and see the nurses then.
if the parent has been told the child needs a treatment or medication or an injection in their canuler t3 times a day or something, then they carry their child and sit in line to see the nurse for medication 3 times a day.
















And due to so many patients and understaffing, if the parent doesn't do this, then the child probably won't get its treatment. And sadly this happens all too often, with parents having to leave and look after other kids, or go and leave hospital to buy medications ( not all medication provided)
or to go up to the kitchen to cook their own food ( NO food provided), often the children miss their medications etc.

This makes Rob incredibly frustrating, because there have been times they have lost patients when if the parent had insured the child got its treatment it could have been prevented

Watchng Rob work was amazing. I found it so hard and sad- screaming in pain children everywhere. It all happens in open so I saw many children screaming as a nurse tries to find a vein to put a canular in..... often it takes more than 5 or 6 goes especially in the little bodies that are shutting down.

Rob is so patient although I know he gets frustrated at times when parents have left it too late to come to hospital, but we remember that for many of them they come a long way to get here and money often stops them from having the money for transport sooner.

Rob doesn't know the local language ( although he know 10 languages ) :)
So he has had to deal with lack of knowledge.
He has to rely on other parents to help him interpret but amazingly he has learnt so many local words that matter that he does amazingly well I think.... he says otherwise.

I got starred at for the many hours we were there as I'm sure they don't often have a white girl in there... especially one that is a local doctors wife.

I am so incredibly proud of the man that Rob is. So many of the nurses sung his praises. Rob is incredibly committed to his work and his patients.
He prays for them morning and night with me, and I know constantly throughout the day he is praying for wisdom.

Sometimes I feel like I am not doing very much here but Rob keeps telling me I'm keeping him going. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to do this job he does without someone to debrief with.
Although I don't always like hearing about his day, especially on the hard days when he loses a baby or child, or when it is particularly grouesome... I know that my listening ear, hug or sometimes a word from God is what he needs.
But I must admit, on the days when he cries too, I find them especially hard to know what to say. So I usually just hold him.

I know men are meant to be strong, and Rob is incredibly strong, but he is also incredibly tender. And that is what makes him such a great doctor.

We only have a few weeks left in paediatrics before he moves into main medicine ward but it has left an impression on us both.
Paediatrics I'm sure is where Rob will end up one day.
A cardiac surgeon for children would be his dream.

I have attached some photos from the main paediatric ward, hopefully I'll get some more soon of the other kids wards.

 There's no real bathroom so basins and water in jerry cans is used - children usually use the buckets to for the bathroom and parents carry that to the bathroom,save moving kids all the time.

Date Night and GRASS -- beautiful grass!

I am so incredibly blessed to have an amazing husband!

Where we live there is not really any grass.
In fact ... grass isn't usually found a lot around houses or huts here.

Although there is plenty of it around out of the townships etc.
A few times I have said to Rob..... " where will we sit on the grass and have a picnic"...
Well a few weeks my husband found that at the end of our road is a place called
Chogham Gardens.

And it was where they held the Chogham meetings many many years ago.
Now it is a series of run down ... half finished brick buildings ( which I think look beautiful ! )
And a small sports bar  ( a small tv where they show sports and lounges, and a pool table )
They serve soft drinks and beer.

But the best thing about this place is the GRASS.... outside is a large grass area.... with a few tables and chairs around and an old swing ( which I have tried out many times )

I LOVE it.... its like this little oasis.... although we get lots of stares as its not normal for a white girl to be in this area... particularly whos cuddling up to a African man.
So we have started laying on the grass watching the clouds.... you don't notice the stares so much then :)

Sadly we don't get to go there very often as usually by time Rob gets home from work it is dark or nearly dark and the mozzies are out.
Plus Rob works usually long days I hate to make him go for a walk as soon as he gets home.

But the other day ( Saturday) Rob came home early enough for a walk..... he was tired so I didn't want to force the issue.... but I think he knew I needed to get out of our house and compound!!
So off we went for a walk...... but when we got to end of road, he said lets just sit on the grass and talk instead of walking around the village.

After we laughed at all the stares we were getting we eventually settled down and just chatted.
This feels like heaven when I am stuck in a small compound majority of the week and when I am alone most of the time.

After chatting and dreaming about the future.... and all the great things you could do with a place like this if you had the money ( outsdoor movie nights I reckon! ) we went to start walking towards the local store to see if we oculd get milk.
We still didn't have power back ( 3 days and counting without it)

As we were walking it was getting dark and Rob got a phone call - Rob was saying ok I'll meet you - we're right near there and I'm looking around to see who he could be talking to.

He wouldn't tell me... only to say it was a surprise.... I was trying to think who was visiting or what it could be.
When we got near our house a boda boda ( a motorcycle taxi) was waiting for Rob and handed him a plastic bag with white boxes in it and rob paid him.

I had no idea what it could be until I felt it was hot.... and then I screamed - outloud! Quite embarrassing with soooo many people standing near by... I'm sure they think white women are strange! Well at least this one.

IT WAS PIZZA!!!
We have recently found a café in town that sometimes has wi fi and does more western food as well as local ones.
Its the only place in town and is fairly new here.
Rob had stopped off there on way home from hospital and ordered pizza as a surprise.

This is first time since being here in Lira I haven't cooked dinner.
And dinner is a big job especially with no electricity or any light at all.
ANd everything is of course cooked from scratch here.

I couldn't work out how we had the money to buy pizza but that was part of the surprise FINALLY Rob's allowance had been paid.
Sadly its quite a bit less than we were told but we are grateful.
We arrived home to NO WaTER and NO ELECTRICITY

But Rob said its DATE NIGHT.... and we ate pizza ( which was pretty good although different to home) and soda and juice which Rob also bought as a surprise.

We thankfully had enough charge on computer after we had power for 2hours that day to watch a movie.

So in the dark we snuggled and ate pizza and watched a movie on our computer under our mosquito net.

FELT so spoilt and reminded of how blessed we are and how blessed I am to call ROB mine!