Our first morning back at Litein, Dr. Elijah Terer (CEO) and myself (Steve) were walking into the hospital together. We noticed a man in a wheelchair sitting to the side missing both legs and took the opportunity to greet the man and made arrangements to get him to the prosthetic clinic. Bernard was to be our first patient. Since he only speaks Luo, his tribal language, Austine and I had to communicate with his brother. We found that Bernard had both legs amputated at the same time last March. The surgery was done by two separate surgeons which, unfortunately, resulted in two different outcomes. One had done an excellent job while the other had not. The poorly done amputation will need more time to heal which means that we are only able to make Bernard one leg at this time.
Bernard lives on Mfangano Island, which lies in the eastern part of Lake Victoria near the boarder of Uganda, with his wife and seven children. Like most men on the island, he makes a living as a fisherman. Back in February of this year, he started having some strange symptoms in his toes and fingers but didn’t seek medical attention until his condition worsened. Though the cause is uncertain, doctors speculated a bacterial infection had resulted in gangrene and in March, had to amputate both legs. He also lost most of the tips of his fingers.
Bernard and his brother had arrived at Litein Hospital early in the morning and his brother said that Bernard had not taken any food or water since leaving their island home more than 13 hours earlier. I immediately offered to get him some but he refused to take anything. He was fearful that he would need to use a public restroom, which are nearly impossible to use for someone in Bernard’s situation.
When we finished up with Bernard, I spoke with his brother who shared how they had been to several hospitals before and were largely ignored by staff. He was so touched that even the CEO of Litein would greet them and so grateful for the concern shown by us all. Then with a very serious tone, he pleaded with me for help. Instinctively, I thought he was asking for money but as he continued, he asked for help for his community. He shared that in his community on his island and other nearby areas were more than 100 amputees and other disabled people. The need for wheelchairs and legs was great and they had no help and no resources. He begged for us to come.
The need seems overwhelming but we feel that God has brought this forgotten area to our knowledge and we must go and see how we can help. This Friday, August 16th, there will be nine of us heading out to the island to distribute wheelchairs and do an assessment of the need for prosthetics (as well as fit Bernard with his leg!). We have been in contact with leaders on the island, including the island chief, to handle logistics once we get to the island. We would really appreciate your prayers as we go. Along with Steve, Danee and Remi, will be Solomon, head of the Rehab Department, Austine, Victor (an intern) Dr. Terer, CEO, his adult son Nathan, a chaplain, the driver and 20 wheelchairs. Please pray for safety and protection as we cross Lake Victoria, and for wisdom as we assess the situation.
We had our first pass through visitors. Christa and Dylan Humphrey are from Oak Park Church in Ft. Wayne. They have a ministry in another part of Kenya but took the time to stop by and see what is happening here. It was a blessing!
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God’s Great Protection
The above photo looks like a bottle of water but it’s a chemical hardener that Steve mixes with resin in the clinic to make sockets. He bought resin and the hardener, which they repackage into water bottles, in Nairobi when we arrived and brought it here to Litein in the Samaritan’s Purse van. It was chaotic when we arrived with people greeting us and everyone grabbing our luggage and supplies. In the chaos, the bottle of hardener disappeared.
Fast forward to August 3rd. Another lady, myself, (Danée) and a driver set off to Kericho to go shopping for supplies. About halfway there, I took a big swig of a bottle of water that I had brought with me, and thank God, immediately realized that it was the missing bottle of hardener. I frantically rolled down the window and stuck my head out to spit out the chemical. My mouth, lips and chin were burning. The driver pulled over and I began to rinse with as much water as the others had. Aside from some redness from the chemical burns, sore throat and tongue, numb and slightly swollen lips, I was fine. By the following day, I was back to almost 100% and even taught in the village church. Had I swallowed the poison, the story would have ended much differently.
We give God great thanks and praise for my protection and that Remi had never taken a drink from that bottle. We are so grateful!
