July 14

Today we got to visit the local hospital.  As we drove up the inmates from the local jail were there.  Every thursday is the day the inmates come to be seen.  As we were driving up I couldn't help but notice the filth outside the hospital, I keep thinking of how totally overwhelming the clean up would be!!

As we walked thru the hospital we had to hold our breath, and breath thru our mouths.  The stench of dirty people, and disease filled the air.  As we walked upstairs and entered the ward, we were greeted by a grandmother of a little boy named Jeffah.  Jeffah has a tumor in his jaw.  

The type of cancer these children have is curable.  They think it comes from the mosquitos, because this type isn't seen in America, or anywhere else.  The problem  however is, the people still rely heavily on Witch Doctors, yes I said it!  When a child first shows signs of the cancer they take it to the witch doctor.  The "doctor" then tells the parents they have been cursed, or have done something wrong.  Sometimes thats the end of it and the child dies having never been treated.  Sometimes the parents take them to the local clinic, which is basically like taking them to a 5 year old and asking for help, it gets you no where.  A lot of times the cancer presents in the abdomen and so the clinic says they are malnourished, and blows them off.  Then the children start to get worse and they go to a larger clinic, where they will test for everything under the sun and then they might send them to the hospital to be seen, and at that point is where they are referred to the oncologist finally!  The sad part is, by this time, this curable cancer has gotten so bad that sometimes it is to late!  This cancer usually respond to medication within two weeks, unless it is just too far gone.

But at this point even if they have caught it in time and they have started their treatment, they are still not in the clear.  They still have to worry about the people actually treating them being competent!  Just recently we were told by our missionary friend, that the Intern (someone actually in school and soon to be a doctor) treating one of the patients gave an intravenous chemo medication intrathecally!! For those of you that don't know this means, a shot that should go in the arm, they injected into the spine!  This child died 3 days later, not without being in excruciating pain!  

We brought games and some of us played with them, while some of us talked to some of the people who work there about the cancer ward.  

After we had been there for about an hour, we decided to take a tour of the rest of the floor. 

We said our goodbyes and took our final pictures with these brave little souls, who were smiling:)

As we walked down the hall and turned towards the "General" hurt area, where anyone who was hurt or had a disease that wasn't a specified ward went to.  There were babies, and children, hooked up to tubes crying.  The floor was one big room with iv's like i've never seen, like something out of a WWII movie.  The room itself had "windows" really just opening in the walls, no scenes, so it obviously wasn't sterile.   There were babies that had been abandoned and children so sick that the flies crawling on them didn't bother them or even make them twitch!  There were birds flying around throughout the room and no one paid any attention to them.

This is life in a Kenyan hospital.  It was like we stepped out of a times machine.

My heart ached for those children.

As we left I was in awe of how primitive and scary it was to look at this place, this place where people are supposed to come to be cured of diseases and pain and they are hardly functioning themselves.  

After this we drove back to Chris and Lisa's house, and had a quick time of reflection.  We then prepared to leave and head out to visit Shanzu.

Shanzu is a place where disabled women can go and live and be taught a tangible talent that can be used to help them make a living.  They make bags of all kinds and sizes and clothes and jewelry!  

This is a place where you don't bargain because that money goes to the organization to help them live. 

We all loaded up on this cool stuff and checked out!  

We were all very excited about our purchases! Including Matt an Austin who decided to model their shorts:)

This day was very eye opening.  There are so many many things wrong in this world, but if we each take the time to listen to what the Lord has called us to, and do it, we will begin to see change happen.  

Rach