August 9th Saturday: Last Day at Daboase and Donation of Land

Today we got to sleep in a little (9am) since today is a travel day. We are planning on heading up near Kumasi to the Asokore Mission Hospital, the last of our three locations. Asakore Hospital is located in the Ashanti region which is in central Ghana. For clarification, Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti region and Asokore Hospital is a small village 45 minutes away from Kumasi. The morning before our journey was spent enjoying yet another amazingly large breakfast by our more than gracious hosts. We then walked up to the hospital to begin packing up the supplies we don’t plan on letting them keep. The workers are extremely helpful as they have been throughout our whole time here. We take our time talking with them as we pack up.

Fizan is beckoned to the back of the hospital by the main doctor there. We step outside to see a family who has walked a distance with their two young, beautiful children. Both children, who are about 3 and 5, have cleft lips. The parents are hoping that we can operate on both of their children like we did with our other young patient. Since we are not operating today, we tell them through the translator that they need to go to Kumasi and wait for us there- we will perform the surgeries there for their boy and girl. We are very hopeful that they can make it in time, but also worry that the long trip might be too much for the family. The walk is too long, 6 hours driving, and they are not sure during our conversation whether they can get a ride. We tell them that if they get there, we will put them on the schedule. I do hope that they are able to make the long journey to see us at Asokore- these are the children that move you and remind you of all the good we are doing and how we can positively affect so many lives. So often people speak of their need for a greater or higher purpose in life, to give back, or to make an impact in the time they are here on earth; to the lives we have touched so far, we have done just that. I only hope that we can continue our mission at this same pace, and year after year, to really achieve the level of outreach and service we aim for.

A few of us continue to linger behind after the family leaves; we take pictures and continue to talk with some of the locals in the area. Jill and I pick up a conversation with Enusu, the young boy who I was talking to the other day about my African name. As we talk with him, we start asking questions about school, assuming he is getting close to college age and unbeknownst to us, we stumble right into one of the saddest stories we have ever encountered. Enusu explained that he was not even in secondary school yet because he cannot afford to go. He wants to go very badly and has been saving money so he can go. He works at the hospital, where the doctor has taken him in, to earn money and receive some schooling from the facility. He has been taken in by the doctor because at the age of 12, he was orphaned- both of his parents died of “disease”. While we are not positive which disease, we are pretty confident that it was AIDS. He is the youngest in the family, but his older brothers and sisters cannot take him in because they have their own families and cannot afford to feed/ cloth/shelter him. At this point we both want to cry our eyes out. Here is this young, sweet boy who has almost nothing- and sadly he is just one in a sea of children here in Africa who have the same story. We ask how much it costs to go to school for a year? We find out it only costs $50. Yes, that is correct, 50USD. At this point we are at a loss for words and are having increased difficulty remaining composed.

As we head back into the hospital to help the others finish packing up, I encounter Jill sobbing in the OR. The story is just too much and we talk about it together and what we could possibly do for him. Helping him pay for his education seems like something we can do and would forever change his life for the better.

The morning wanes on and we are greeted back at the house by the rest of the locals. We have some spare moments and notice that the men have machetes- they are using them to cut the grass!! We were told of this when we got here, but I didn’t think we would actually get to see it! They try to give lessons and even let us try! I passed on the offer because I was afraid I would become our first trauma patient of the trip, but Sean, Victor, and Tarek all tried it- and it was hilarious- definitely not as good as the locals!

As we leave, Jill and I try to offer money to Enusu for his education, but learn from team members who have done this before, as well as the doctor there, that we do not give it to them directly- it should go to the doctor who will make sure the funds go 100% towards education. That certainly makes sense- I doubt when I was 16, I made the best decisions! We both gave the doctor money which covered the first 2 years of Enusu’s education. We both feel good about making the contribution; I hope I get the chance to go back and talk with him and see how he has progressed through school. It’s amazing how much he wanted to go to school and how hard he was working- makes me crazy how so many people here in the US don’t want to go to school, or don’t take it seriously- and that all of us get to go to school. It is amazing how much we take for granted in the US.

Also, here's a picture of our clef lip boy the day after surgery- he's so cute!

Team Daboase!

Lastly, a group led by Dr. Khan and Dr. Abdullah meet with the local tribal Chief to discuss the donation of land and a building, possibly for the use of a teaching center or TPN clinic. The discussions go well, local politics aside, and we are enthused about the donation and what it will mean to the locals, and the ongoing effort of outreach and education. Right now the building is not finished, but that is just as well- the rest of the building might cost $40,000USD, but think of what we can do with the money that will not need to go towards purchasing land and starting the building! Additional supplies, more education, larger classes! How wonderful! I do not pretend to have any part in orchestrating the meeting or even being a key player during the talks; I was just honored to be able to go along to the meeting and see the mission of building a TPN clinic to help save many of the children here in Ghana.