After we listened to their pleas and sorted it out a bit, we determined that nine of those people really needed to be taken to the doctor, but our vehicle would hold no more than eight more passengers. After the final prioritizing, the seven patients who came with us were suffering from a broad array of illnesses, including high blood pressure, HIV-AIDS, heart problems, an infected foot, measles, ulcerated sores on the legs and chest, and paralysis. The final seat was reserved for the sister/ caregiver who came to attend the woman with paralysis.
Regrettably, several others who were waiting for us had to be left behind, including a woman very ill with malaria, a child with malnutrition, a woman with a toothache, and a man with undiagnosed general body pain. The woman with malaria and the man with body pain went to the clinic just last week, so we left them behind and took their medical books with us. The doctor will generally send medicines to those left behind if we can show him a record of their recent diagnosis. After everyone was seen, I asked for vitamins for the malnourished child, and the doctor was happy to prescribe those.
All of the patients were seen, but the only one who did not receive medications or a satisfying answer was the woman with paralysis. The clinic did not have the equipment to help her, so she was referred to the general hospital.
The problem was, the woman was terrified of going to the hospital and was very resistant. Her sister/caregiver pleaded with us to support her in her decision to take her sister anyway. George and I stayed out of the conflict, but our whole van full of patients began to say, "Yes! Just like the doctor said, you must go to the hospital!"
So we delivered them to the hospital. We found a wheelchair and put her into it, and wheeled her into the waiting area. Hospitals here do not provide food for patients, so we gave the caregiver enough quacha to buy food for her and her sister for several days. We also gave her a phone number where she could reach us and let us know how her sister's treatment is going and when she will be dismissed. While those were getting settled, I distributed sandwiches, water, and bananas to all.
When lunch was over, we were all ready to travel. It had been a long day. About halfway along the trip back into the villages, I pulled out a giant grocery bag of popcorn and passed it over my shoulder. Very soon, there was a lot of munching and excited talking going on in the back seats. They were saying how grateful they were for what we had done for them. They said they believe that God will bless us. They could not imagine how blessed George and I already feel.
