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WHY LMF WAS ESTABLISHEDCase Histories: |
- PABLO (Boy from Mexico)
- MIDNIGHT FLIGHT (Dr. Jeff Stout in Papau New Guinea)
- RETURN TO THE CLINIC (Dr. Jeff Stout in Papau New Guinea)
- JAMIE, FROM THE FIELD
Pablo
Ten year old Pablo came into my office at the hospital in Mexico where I was working as an emergency medicine intern. He began explaining in Spanish that his mother was suffering from a chronic cough and fatigue. He translated while his mother spoke one of the many dialects of the indigenous people of Chiapas. She had a four month old infant bound to her chest in the manner customary to her people. She explained that she had two other children at the farm labor compound where they lived and that she needed medicine to make her strong so she and Pablo could return to work in the fields with her husband . If they missed more than two days of work they would lose their jobs and have to go on a waiting list for weeks or months before they might be re-hired. I guessed her age to be around 45 by appearance, but Pablo told me she was at the most 26. As I continued to question her, I noticed Pablo could not lean back in his chair without grimacing in pain. When I tried to shift my questions to the subject of his evident discomfort, he was quick to point out that it was his mother who couldn't work presently and that his back only bothered him some of the time.
This small 10 year old was carrying the burden and responsibility of an adult, bringing his mother to the hospital, so his father could keep his job. I was amazed at his maturity and saddened as I thought about what I was doing at his age and how his circumstances were robbing him of his childhood.
After I examined his mother, I insisted that Pablo let me take a look at his back. When I pulled up his shirt I found a large abscess draining white pus. He told me it had been there for 6 months, but he didn't want to tell anybody because it might make him unable to work in the fields. I ordered lab tests and x-rays that confirmed my worst suspicions. Though his mother had tuberculosis in her lungs , Pablo had developed a rare form of tuberculosis known as "Potts Disease" in the bones of his spinal column. Later that same week this brave child cried as he translated to his mother and father in their native dialect the explanation I was giving in Spanish. He explained to them with great difficulty my words concerning the disease they had acquired and the months-and years in Pablo's case- of treatment that would be necessary to overcome this disease. We all prayed together and the pastor and ministry team that originally brought Pablo and his mother to the hospital assured them of their continued help.
Luke Medical Foundation support made it possible for me to train as a missionary doctor so I could serve people like Pablo and his family. I am grateful to all those who support its work so that people like me can continue to share the love of Jesus Christ through medical ministries.
John Yates, M.D.
Midnight Flight...
from Stout's What's Up Doc? newsletterMarch 1996
One Sunday evening several weeks ago, on the way to church, I was stopped on the road by Joey Medlin (one of our pilots), who was driving to the clinic with the 6 year old daughter of a Papau New Guinea (PNG) family. She had been burned with kerosene at home. To make a long story short, Jakalin had the most extensive burns I have ever seen. Her burns covered forty to fifty percent of her body. I estimated about a third of them were third degree, which would require skin grafting, including areas of her face. We spent more than 4 hours cleaning the burns and dressing them, while her family watched and prayed outside. Then we flew her and her parents down to Port Moresby. Before we came to PNG I had known I would probably be doing this kind of thing, but didn't know we would be doing it at night!
We drove out to the airstrip in the clinic van. Just as we were getting to the runway, we came across a herd of dark horses on the road. They were milling around and were obviously nervous around the van. Then they started kicking and nipping at one another. I was afraid that if I tried to drive by they would start kicking the van. They finally left the road, going toward the runway. Then it occurred to me-there is only a 4 foot fence around the unlit airfield and we would be taking off right at them! If we frightened them, they could easily have jumped the fence, and the pilot would never have seen them in the dark. Before we took off, the pilot had a couple of guys drive down each side of the strip to mark it with their car lights- and check for horses! Fortunately, takeoff was uneventful.
Flying in a small plane at night at only around 10,000 feet in the mountains in clouds and rain is scary! There was a lot of lightning off in the distance, and occasionally the moon broke through the clouds, but mostly it was just plain BLACK out there. We thanked the Lord when we arrived safely after a 1 1/2 hour flight. We drove to the hospital where we left Jakalin and her parents in the care of a national surgeon. We were then taken to a missionary guest house where we stayed the night. After breakfast, we drove over to the airport where we loaded up cargo, and took off on the return flight.
The flight back was eventful too. We were flying along having a conversation when another pilot broke in on the radio with the startling comment that we had just almost collided- and we hadn't even seen the other plane! Because of telephone communication problems in the country, air traffic control has been spotty. Our pilot said that near misses like that have markedly increased in the past year, so the pilots have started communication more with planes in the area where they are flying. Please keep our pilots in your prayers; I only fly occasionally, but they go every day.
The "frosting on the cake" was what happened after we landed. As we were taxiing off the grassy runway to the unloading area, we got stuck in the mud! It took about ten of us to unload the plane and lift and push our twin engine Cessna 402 (12 passenger) airplane out of the muck.
A footnote to this story is that Jakalin died in the hospital a week later. The day before she died, she told her parents not to worry- she was going to be with Jesus!
Please pray for me as I deal with the more usual medical problems, as well as the emergencies that we see in the clinic.
RETURN TO THE CLINIC
As you may have heard via the grapevine, we have been very busy since we got back June 11th. The weekend I was on call one of our translators and her four year old son were seriously injured in a four-wheeler accident, and Melodee later died before I was able to get to their village Her 6 year old son Jonathan had a fractured leg and has been in traction now for 6 weeks. Her parents are translators here too, and were able to arrange for all of her brothers and sisters to get back here to PNG for a very memorable memorial service. She is buried on the cemetery next to our house. It was a sobering experience and one I have had some tears over, but a good reminder that we are in a real war here on earth and our home isn't really here. Be praying for her husband and their children Brian 13, Brendan 9, Jonathan, and Kacia 4. David is hoping to continue their translation project among the Maring people. You may recall my description of the emergency evacuation of David from their village to Australia several years ago with a stroke.The clinic has been swamped with lots of patients, many of them very ill with things injuries from malaria to chronic fatigue to Dengue fever, appendicitis, psychiatric problems, asthma, etc. Just this week we have had to urgently send three patients out of country - the last of which was today on my supposed "day off." I realize you too deal with the "busyness" of life, and I'm praying that the Lord of all of this will sustain both you and us, and grant us each His peace in the midst of life. It is so easy to get involved in the practicalities of life and forget Who is our Sustainer.
Three weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend the Mauwake New Testament dedication, on the north coast of PNG. It was a real blessing to see the joy the people exhibited on receiving that for which they had labored and waited for so long. The dedication was also a special one for my partner, Dr. Helen Doss and I: we had treated Qwan Po San (From Singapore), one of the Mauwake translators, for an extremely serious asthma attack several years ago. She eventually recovered, and was able to continue their language project to completion.
Our daughter Heather had a significant eye injury last Friday night at Teen Center. We were worried that she might need surgery, but the ophthalmologist we took her to on Goroka on Monday did not find any evidence of retinal injury. Praise the Lord! She is doing quite well at this point with normal vision and no pain.
Im Him,
Jeff Stout
JAMIE, FROM THE FIELD...