News from Kenya - #20

Journal entry 20

Sunday May 9, 2010-11.00AM Days 39.40,41,42

I haven’t had the heart to write recently. Rom is still very sick. I am frustrated by the delays in tests and proactive treatment and diagnosis. They treat the symptoms but don’t seem to be getting at the root of the problem. They are realizing the antibiotics are not doing much, so a couple of days ago they decided to do a blood culture to try to find out what specific antibiotics the infection might be responsive to. They still have not done the culture. They don’t do them on weekends! Earlier in the week when they did a blood test- Cecelia, the girl I’ve been trying to help get a hair dressing shop and apt., had to take the blood sample on a matatu to an outside lab to be read. She had to wait for the results and then take them back to the main hospital. The hospital Rom is in is a level 5 government hospital. The highest level is 6. It’s supposed to be a good hospital. If this is good I’d hate to see what levels 1-4 are like.

The young man that was robbed died the next day. He got his X-ray and was put on O2. He was skin and bones and I’m not surprised he died. The man that robbed him is still in the hospital because he can’t leave until he pays his bill and he has no money to pay. They just keep the people there held hostage until they can pay the bill and the bill keeps rising- plus they take up a bed in an overcrowded hospital. The system is terrible. In their defense- once the person leaves the hospital there is really no way to get in touch with them. They don’t usually have permanent addresses so the money is just lost to the hospital.

I just talked to Rom’s wife, Connie on the phone. She has been there continuously day and night since he went to the hospital on Tuesday. She has only gone home for about an hour each day to wash and change her clothes. She has to pay 200 KS/night (about 2.50 dollars) to be allowed to stay and do the nurses work all night. There is only one nurse on duty at night for 50+ patients. No aides etc. The family members are essential, yet they have to pay. Most families can’t afford to pay that so the patient gets no care during the night. There is a severe shortage of gloves. The nurses usually wear gloves but they don’t change them between patients. They just protect themselves. Rom’s condition remains very poor. His hemoglobin was 3.9 yesterday AM- 11-13 is normal. They gave him another pint of blood. That is his fourth pint. They think his liver is still destroying his red blood cells. His temperature is lower and in normal range this morning. His blood sugar is 17 (306) - still high but much better than the 48 (greater than 750- the conversion chart did not go as high as 48) it was two days ago. It fluctuates widely. His blood pressure is high but OK. I think he should be on oxygen to lessen the energy needed for his heart and lungs, but they only use it if the patient is actually having difficulty and gasping for air. His respirations are usually about 44/minute and they seem to think that is fine. (Normal is about 12). When I mentioned oxygen to Connie she said if they get oxygen they usually die. I said that is because they wait until the patient is almost dead before giving them the oxygen. I get so frustrated.

I am leaving here tomorrow evening (Monday) to start my journey home. I hate to leave Rom so sick but I guess I can’t change things here regarding this. FIOH-USA and FIOH-UK have offered to donate funds to move him to a different hospital but the family thinks he is getting more consistent care here. I wish I could bring him home with me.

Now about my recent days;

In my last journal I wrote that we were going to see a project that Fr. Charles is heading up. On Thursday May 6, 2010 he drove us in his car to his family home area. They’ve started a private school named after his deceased mother Magdalene. It is on a piece of land donated by the government but they are paying to build the school through private donations. So far they have nursery and first grade and hope to add a grade each year. The children are so cute and they were not afraid of me. They all clamored around to see the pictures I took of them. I felt like the pied piper. It took about two hours to drive to the school and the roads were muddy and bumpy. At least we were in a car and not a Tuk Tuk. They brought two large sacks of clothes “for the children” The children all gathered around excitedly while they opened the clothes. No one had looked over the donations before they brought them to the 5 and 6-year-old children.

Sadly they were almost all adult clothes. A few children were given shirts that were much too large for them. Most got nothing. Hopefully it will help their parents.

They have a very large vegetable garden with corn, beans, cow peas, kale and banana trees. They also have a smaller area planted- they call it a kitchen garden. It has onions, herbs, and some vegetables. They have a rain catchment tank but would benefit from a bore-hole well for more consistent water supply.

We stayed much longer at the school than I had expected. I thought we would be back to Kisumu and up to the hospital by about 3 PM. We never got back until after 7 PM. They had a “feast” for everyone at Fr. Charles nearby family home. There was beef, stewed and fried chicken, rice, ugali, skumaweeke (kale) bananas and oranges, soda and tea. I did not have too much as there were no bathrooms I could use and I was afraid I would “get into trouble” on the bumpy ride home. We left Father’s home around 3.30PM to head to President Obama’s family home in Kondele. It was raining by this time. We took a wrong road but we finally got there about 5.00PM. The guard at the gate said it was too late. However Father said there was an American sister who came all the way to see his home and that he was a priest who had met Sarah (Obama’s grandmother) personally and given donated clothing for the orphan children supported through her. He went off to ask Sarah if we could come in. Next thing we knew we were invited through the gate.

They said no photos without permission so I waited. We were invited into her simple village house. She now has electricity but otherwise the house is still a typical village house with iron roofing and chickens running in and out. One of the older orphan boys who live with her stayed with us until she came out. She had been resting.

She came into the living room dressed in a plain housedress and a headscarf on her head. She was very friendly and talkative. There were about 8 of us in the group visiting. It was like we were old friends. I had Fr. ask if I could take a picture. She laughed and Fr. translated her reply. She said.” It’s raining outside so there is no hurry. She can take my picture after she tells me stories from America” I also laughed but didn’t know what kind of story to tell. I knew it should be a lighthearted story and my heart was so heavy with Rom’s illness. I asked her is there was anything she wanted to know about. She wondered if it was still so cold there. She was there when Obama was inaugurated in January so she said she was never so cold in all her life. I assured her it was warmer now and that the temperature varied throughout the USA. She said she has also been there in the warmer months and knew it could be nice. She then chatted in D’Luo with the other visitors for quite a while and then we took pictures. It was a good visit. They have toilets with seats for use when Obama or other dignitaries come but they were locked up so I needed to wait.

We traveled on home and Father asked if we all wanted to stop along the way for a cup of tea. It was the last thing I wanted. I just wanted to get home- use a bathroom and go see Rom. I didn’t say it that bluntly but we all agreed not to stop. I did tell him I needed to use a bathroom. It was still raining to make things worse.

Finally we arrived back at the flat and I ran upstairs to use the bathroom and came back down and Father drove Paul and I to the hospital. I think the rest of them may have gone for tea after that. Rom smiled when I told him about Obama’s grandmother. He obviously was hearing and comprehending the conversation but not opening his eyes or verbally responding.

I got back to the flat about 9.30 PM. It was a long day on bumpy roads. I got cleaned up and emailed Abby back and forth as Skype was not working well enough. There is a concern about how to get money out of the FIOH-K bank account, as Rom is the main signer on the account. Abby and I discussed options.

On Friday, Steve Biko, a student we sponsored through Secondary School came unexpectedly to the house about 10.00AM and I told him about Rom. I had already called Maurice to come with his Tuk Tuk to pick me up to take me to the hospital. Steve came along. We visited until about 2.30 PM and then I took Steve to lunch at RK Hotel. We shared a chicken pizza. It was good. He is hoping to get accepted into the military and then become a medic or a doctor. The application process is long. He has finally completed everything and will learn whether he is accepted or not sometime in June. He said if you join the military here, it is for life. Once a soldier always a soldier. We said our goodbyes and I went back to the flat about 5 PM and rested. I’ve not been feeling real well. I’ve got some sort of skin infection and I’m taking antibiotics. Paul came about 6PM and we went back to the hospital until about 8.30 PM. I came home and did some computer stuff and got ready for bed.

Saturday AM Nelson’s(the young blind boy) mother came to pick up the white can we had gotten for Nelson. She also brought the grade reports for her other son Geofrey. He was in form 2 but had to drop out because of lack of school fees. A generous sponsor from back home offered to sponsor him. He did very well his first two terms of form 1 in 2008 with a B average. However in his 3^rd term he got a D+ as he got sent home due to lack of fees. I gave her an application to have him fill out and hopefully he will stop by Monday so I can meet him and take his photo. About 11 AM Saturday, Paul and I went to Barclay’s bank where FIOH-K’s account is kept. We found out that Connie, Rom’s wife, and her brother Ernest are also signatories on the account but that they must go together to take out any money. Ernest has had a stroke and does not travel easily. He lives about two hours away in Awasi. Connie does not want to leave Rom long enough at this point to go to the bank. I will leave Paul with some cash to hold them over until the bank negotiations can be arranged. We are also trying to have Paul added as a signatory on the account. Both Mike Thomas and myself have written recommending that this take place. We have obtained the paper with the necessary instructions for accomplishing that task. It won’t be quick but it sounds possible. Hopefully Rom will recover and be able to take over along with Paul. Ernest and Connie have not had much to do with the running of FIOH-K for a long time. It is mainly Rom and Paul that carry the load of everything.

We got to the hospital about noon and stayed until about 2.30PM. I came home and fell asleep as I was still not feeling well and had a slight fever. Cecelia did my wash and Paul did some computer work. We went back up to the hospital about 6.30 and stayed until 8 PM. It is like a vigil.

Please keep praying and sending healing energy.

End of journal 20