Our team is home! It was a long journey and we are happy to be back!

We are in Frankfurt, our flight was uneventful. We have a long layover and may consider going into town, but it is much colder than Addis!

We are on the plane in Addis, ready to leave Ethiopia. We worked all morning, then had a little time for shopping and dinner. A succesful trip!

Mom who kissed me after child's surgery


Today was our last full day. I was at Black Lion with ENT and general surgery. I took care of a young child who had swallowed a coin. This is a common problem in the US as well as Ethiopia. The mother was so happy when we brought the child back out of the OR that she kissed me and the surgeon! That doesn't happen too often at home!

Junk in the Courtyard

The rest of the team was at Cure for ear surgery and the school for the deaf. About 17 of us had dinner tonight in an Italian restaurant in the hotel. It was our team plus others working with us or that we have met during the week.

Tomorrow we are working until about 2, then hopefully have a little time to relax and pack before leaving for the airport at 9 pm.

Me with Dr. Milliard

It has been a long, full week, but in some ways seems like we just got here.

Here is a picture of the OR team treating a patient at the Cure Hospital:


Uche, Dr. Glenn, and Venius at the Cure Hospital:

This is a delayed post from Tuesday 10/26.

Today was a full day. Part of the team was at Black Lion today. We had a 4 year old admitted last night in severe respiratory distress. The local ENT surgeon considered placing a tracheostomy tube around midnight, but the child was relatively stable, so he decided to wait until the morning so we could help take care of him. He had severe disease in his trachea, but we were able to successfully care for him. It was a stressful case, but will good teamwork and communication, he did well. He will have recurrent problems, but looked much better afterwards. We also had another patients with a similar disease who already had a tracheostomy who needed a followup procedure. It was not particularly straight forward either. I also had a patient who had GI surgery for congenital abnormalities, and a patient who swallowed a coin.



The rest of our team was at Cure doing ear surgery and seeing patients.

Tonight we had dinner at a local Ethiopian restaurant Yod Abyssinia with one of the local ENT surgeons. It is a large restaurant with traditional Ethiopian dancers and Injera bread (a pancake like thin, rolled bread) with many many toppings which are like stews. It is hard to describe, but hopefully the pictures and movies give you some idea.

I had dinner tonight with my friend, Laura, a US anesthesiologist who lives here with her family. I always enjoy spending time with her.

Tomorrow I will be at Black Lion for ENT and pediatric surgery. I know there will be some complicated patients. I am headed to bed soon.

I was at Black Lion this morning with some orthopaedic patients, and then Cure in the afternoon for ear surgery. It wasn't as hectic as yesterday.

Our OR nurse and I and our administrator went to Black Lion Hospital today, the major University public/teaching hospital where we have been before. I went to help teach the nurse anesthetist master’s degree students, and the others went to plan for work later in the week. I had been there less than 30 minutes when I met a pediatric surgeon from El Paso and his wife, an OR nurse. They will be here for two weeks, and have been about six times previously. They lived and worked in Nigeria for 17 years. They didn’t know I was here, and we didn’t know they were here, but it was a good match. I will take care of patients all week with them who have congenital GI disorders who cannot get care here otherwise, in addition to our ENT patients.

Here we are with a family that is grateful for the care that we are able to give their child:



The rest of our team was at Cure hospital visiting and then at the School for the Deaf evaluating children, many of whom have never had a formal ear exam or hearing test. Tomorrow we go to Black Lion for ENT surgery and general surgery and also Cure.




We have met some fascinating people from around the US and the country who are here caring for patients and delivering medical care. The need is tremendous, the obstacles great, but we are very glad we are here.

Other members of our team are working elsewhere. Things we shipped are not here yet, and there are some paperwork issues too.

An interesting day so far. Meet a pediatric surgeon and his wife an OR nurse from El Paso at Black Lion, so I am caring for his patients.

First Day in the Hospital

Our entire team has now arrived in Ethiopia. There are ten of us in total: 3 ENT surgeons, a Pediatrician, an OR nurse, a fourth year medical student, an Audiologist, a Nurse Anesthetist, our Executive Director, and me. Saturday evening we had dinner with Dr. Rick Hodes, a US physician who runs a clinic at Mother Teresa’s Mission for patients with TB, scoliosis and cardiac issues and Dr. Nega, a local ENT surgeon.

Sunday we saw about 20 patients in the Black Lion Hospital ENT clinic to select patients for surgery during the week. Tomorrow some will be at Cure Hospital seeing patients, some at Black Lion getting ready for OR cases later in the week. We have a reception scheduled for tonight to meet with some local sponsors.

Here are some of the patients we saw:

Some things at Black Lion look exactly the same, but some are definitely improved. The neonatal ICU and nursery have been updated courtesy of the Turkish government, and there is now a Pediatric ICU. Most of the other inpatient wards and outpatient areas look the same. We saw a few patients in follow up from our last visit.

Pediatric ICU:

Elca in the clinic:

Area for newborns:
Neonatal ICU:

Had a good day, six members of our team are here, the others arrive late tonight. We visited another hospital today, seeing patients tomorrow.

We are at the Sheraton in Addis Ababa. Our travel was uneventful, all of our luggage made it here and through security and customs. Time for bed!

At the Philadelphia airport waiting to board our flight to Frankfurt, then to Ethiopia. We are meeting the rest of our team there. We will have ten total.

On the way to Ethiopia

I will shortly be leaving for Addis Ababa in Ethiopia with a team from Healing the Children. This is my third trip working with medical staff in several hospitals.
Here is a photo from a previous trip.

We are all smiles at the end of the ride!

Along the way...

Our bike trip was a fabulous adventure! We rode over 200 miles, traveled closer to 300 (some by raft and bus), but were only ever about 100 miles from home. We went on some trails that we had been on before as well as some new ones. It was hot, but we didn't mind riding in the hot weather, sleeping at night was a little tougher. We highly recommend a trip like this!

Friday we ride about 45 miles from Allentown to Bull's Island NJ, north of Flemington. Very hot and humid but a swim in the Delaware cooled us off!

Thursday night we spent in Allentown, went via bus after rafting. We stayed at the America on Wheels museum. We had dinner with my parents-yummy!

Yesterday we went rafting on the Lehigh. Great fun and lots of splashing and getting wet. Fun for all young and old!

We had dinner in the old opera house last night during a big rain storm. It did cool things off, and our stuff stayed pretty dry. We are rafting today!

On the trail near an old mill.

Wednesday is a rest day. There are many things to do in and around town. We took a tour of the Asa Packer mansion and are going on a mine tour.

Tuesday night we had dinner on our own, at the Albright Mansion, a Victorian style old home in Jim Thorpe (formerly Mauch Chunk).

After ice cream in White Haven, we rode 25 miles on the Lehigh Gorge trail to Jim Thorpe. Even though it was hot, the trail was mostly shaded.

Tuesday we rode from outside Pottstown to outside Reading, about 25 miles. We had lunch at a park and then went by bus to White Haven.

Battleship New Jersey

Bikes on car, ready for Rails to Trails Conservancy Pennylvania Sojourn! Stay tuned!

Battleship New Jersey

We stopped for ice cream in Pottstown which was yummy! We are staying at a private farm Laurel Locks which has a wonderful swimming pool.

If you look carefully, you can see mud on our bikes and on us! Our first 30 minutes of riding today was in the rain.

It is the end of our second day of riding. We left Audubon this morning in the rain, on the Perkiomen trail to Green Lane and then through Pottstown.

REGISTER

Battleship New Jersey

Sunset over Philadelphia

View from the Battleship New Jersey

On the Battleship New Jersey

Bikes on car, ready for Rails to Trails Conservancy Pennylvania Sojourn! Stay tuned!

At the start of our ride, ready to cross the Ben Franklin Bridge.

Battleship New Jersey

Today was our first day of riding. We started in Camden, through Philly to Audubon Pa, 35 miles. Hot and sunny, stopped for ice cream!

Today we are starting our bicycle ride through Southeastern Pennsylvania. It is sponsored by Tails to Trails, and is the Greenway Sojourn.

Our Rails to Trails Conservancy Sojourn bike trip begins....stay tuned!

Greenway Sojourn group on the Battleship New Jersey
(our accommodations for the first night)...

Multimedia message

We just finished a 22 mile bike ride. We are training for a ride later in the summer!

Home sweet home!



The equator

Water roaring down the street




boys in church