News from Kenya - #21-final

Journal entry 21

Friday May 14, 2010-2.45PM Days 43,44

I’m back in Buffalo and glad to be home. I have a cold and a case of boils that are responding well to antibiotics. I think as soon as my body hit “home” it said, “OK now I can let down and get sick”. I am still unpacking and doing wash and all those “returning home” type of things. I go back to work on Monday May 17, 2010.

Now for a report on my last two days in Kenya:

After I wrote Journal 20 on Sunday May 9 at 11.00AM I went back to the hospital to visit Rom. He was more alert than most times. I talked about the possibility of having him transferred to Aga Khan hospital. It is a modern well-run facility by reputation, but I had never visited there. It is also expensive. Connie, Rom’s wife, was in favor of the move. Clementine, Connie’s sister, said it was OK but preferred that he stay where he was since she had influence over his care here. She is the supervisor of nursing for all the government hospitals in Nyanza Province. Nothing was decided at that time.

Paul and I went to RK hotel and got some dinner and went back to the hospital about 7 PM. I was told that Clementine fell shortly after we left in the afternoon while she was rushing around the hospital trying to find some glucose testing strips so they could test Rom’s blood sugar. Connie said she broke her ankle and injured her other thigh.

I immediately thought “We have to get Rom out of here. Without Clem around to advocate he won’t get any decent care”. I decided to go and visit Aga Khan the next morning- Monday- my last day in Kisumu. I was to leave on the 6:20 PM plane and needed to be at the airport by 5.00PM.

Paul and I went to Aga Khan in the morning. It was almost like walking into a hospital in the USA. I found out what I needed to do to get him admitted and went back to Russia hospital to talk to Rom and Connie about it. They both said to go ahead with arranging admission. I also said my goodbyes to Rom and Connie in case I didn’t have time to come up again. I called my niece Michele to see if she would donate some initial funds, as the down payment is about 400 dollars before anyone can be admitted. She agreed.

First he had to be discharged from Russia. I’ve mentioned before what a long process that is. We knew there was no way he could be transferred before Tuesday the 11^th.

In the meantime I called Clem to see how she was doing and found out her ankle was not broken but badly bruised. I told her about the plans to move Rom. She didn’t say much. She said she was at a meeting for work and had to go.

Paul and I went back to Aga Khan and they opened an account in Rom’s name and I put the $400.00 on my credit card. By now it was about 3.00PM so I did not have time to go back to the hospital one last time. I arrived back at the flat to get cleaned up and do final packing. The doorbell rang and it was Nelson’s mom and her son Geoffrey. I talked to them briefly and took his photo and videotaped him for his sponsor back home. They left about 4.00PM

I tried again to get changed but Mamma and Cecelia arrived just as the others left. They had come to say goodbye. I asked Paul to get them some soda and cookies and “entertain” them while I got changed. The Tuk Tuk was scheduled to come at 4.15PM to take us to the airport. At 4.05PM my cell rang. It was Lillian Dajoh who we sponsored, asking if I wanted a ride to the airport. I was thrilled and called Maurice and cancelled the Tuk Tuk.

Lillian came with a driver from Pandipiere where she works. Paul and I jumped in and off we went to the airport. My check in went smoothly and we all had time to have a soda together. We said our final goodbyes and I was off to Nairobi.

David Osino, a friend who lives in Nairobi, graciously met me at the airport and after I was checked in for London we had a cup of tea together. I still had the borrowed cord for my Mac computer that I was supposed to be returning to Brian. He was going to try to meet me at the airport also. He called and said he couldn’t make it. He and David talked and they were going to arrange to meet at another time and David would keep the cord until then. My flight to London was pleasant and uneventful. I watched the movie “Enemy of the State” and read the Obama book. Sleep would not come. I arrived in London at 6.30AM and cleared customs by about 7.30AM. My flight was scheduled to leave at 11.15 AM for Newark/Continental airlines. Due to the ash from the volcano the flight was delayed and did not leave until about 1.30 PM. It was a very empty flight and I had all three seats to myself. I still could not sleep but I watched movies and read.

My connection in Newark was scheduled to leave at 3.55PM so I knew I had missed that.

We arrived in Newark about 5.15PM. With quite a bit of rushing I was able to clear customs and check in for a 6.55 PM flight to Buffalo.

I arrived in Buffalo at about 8.15PM and all my bags arrived with me J.

Karen, my sister, came to pick me up and I went back to her house for a cup of coffee. (My first in well over a month as I had been drinking tea). I drove myself home and arrived about 10.30 PM. Louise, the cats and the dog were all there to greet me. It is good to be home but my heart is heavy due to Rom’s illness.

Now to give an update on Rom:

I have been in close communication with Paul via email. Rom was admitted to ICU at Aga Khan hospital on 5/11/2010. Paul had to take care of everything himself as Clementine refused to help. She did not want him moved. However Connie and Rom both were in favor of moving so Paul went ahead as planned. At Aga Khan they quickly did diagnostic tests including CT scan, ultrasound, echocardiography, X-Rays and blood work. Most of the problems we were already aware of, including, severe anemia, hypertension, uncontrolled blood sugars, fever. However he was also found to have fluid in his lungs, CHF, and a blood clot in part of his brain.

I got an email from Paul today that states his temperature; blood sugars and hemoglobin are now stable. He is eating a little solid food. They are still evaluating the blood clot on his brain and are calling in a specialist. He seems unable to talk except for a few words and that is caused by the blood clot.

The cost is very high at Aga Kahn hospital. FIOH-USA and FIOH-UK are trying to collect funds to help pay for Rom’s care. So far it is over $1000 dollars. Hopefully he will be stable enough to be transferred out of ICU and that will lower the daily rate greatly. If anyone wants to donate funds for Rom please send them to our treasurer Sandy Warner, 5200 Bank St, Clarence, NY 14031. Make checks payable to FIOH-USA and state “for Rom” in the memo. Thank you.

Please keep up the prayers for Rom and the work of FIOH-USA and FIOH-K.

End of final Journal – number 21