More from Andrew in Doro

It was a good day. The only bad news was that when we got to the clinic, the sick malaria baby was gone! We talked to the night watchman and he said that the baby died and they left at 5am. But after more conversation, it turned out the baby was alive but they just decided to give up home and go home. It was kind of discouraging to us all but I think we tried our best. At we can tell throughout, somehow the mom was just not too enthused with helping the baby. Yesterday we had to keep telling her to pump her breast milk to try to feed the baby throughout but she seemed quite reluctant. The missionaries here says that sometimes that happen when one of their child is very sick, they'd detach emotionally and don't feed anymore so they'd concentrate on their remaining kids. But who really knows what the reason they left? I think the baby still had a chance but now if they go home and dont feed anymore, she'd die for sure.
I had a good day in clinic. I am seeing patients myself and am getting somewhat comfortable in treating these patients. I dont know my doses for kids so i'd have to keep looking it up but for adults, I am very comfortable from the IM background. We finished around 1pm. I stayed awhile with the 2 Sudanese students that are our translators and chatted with them. they are brothers who fled this area during the war and walked to Ethiopia and they learned English in refugee camp and recently they just came back last year. As I was leaving the clinic, (Sara already had gone back to the compound), the Falata man who I treated last week came in with acute asthma attack. He was in bad shape and can barely breath. I searched around for meds (the med cabinet was locked and Sara had already gone) and incredibly I found an inhaler (I told Sara later and she didnt even know they had one there!) and gave it to him. That helped tremendously and I gave him some Steriods, which was quite incredible as there were just a bunch of unrelated meds in a big metal chest. I told him God was looking out for him!
In the afternoon, I took a short nap in the lunchroom on the table (the tent was just way too hot) and I felt guite good. Today is not as hot as it was a bit cloudy but it is very humid. Afterwards, I went out with the boys to get water. We took the ATV with a trailer and we drive out to a pump to get well water. It is tiring work but it was fun getting to experience how that is done and I got a great view of sunset and scenery as I was pumping the water.
After all, Rick will be able to come to Doro tomorrow as there is a plane going to Yabus and that plane was going to carry people to other areas but Rick was able to get them to approve to take him here. I am glad he is coming so he can see the situation here and he will be a source of encouragement to me and to the team here. I will also be able to hear how things are going in Yabus.