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End of year report

On December 7, 2016, we voted out the incumbent president. I voted for the first time and it was a good feeling to partake in this democratic process and honor the sacrifices made by our forefathers to ensure that this was possible. Ghana is blessed to have had a peaceful election. In most African countries, election season is a time of great apprehension and tension. The Ghanaian incumbent gracefully accepted defeat and called the newly elected president to congratulate him. After January 7 2017 (presidential inauguration), we will have 3 living ex-presidents; a noble achievement for an African country. It’s been 10 months since I returned home to Ghana after spending almost 12 years in the States. The last 9 months have been spent at the Methodist Faith Healing Hospital, located at Ankaase in the Ashanti region of Ghana, where I have been helping in the emergency room, revamping the ambulance service and helping with staff (nurses) development. It has been an interesting, fun fi...
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One week Medical Mission in Ankaase

It’s been a while since I posted anything on here. Lots have happened since my last post including a recent marriage and job transfer to the Philadelphia area. The Lord has been good to us. On September 21, 2018 I joined Randall Brooks, Dan Chettleburgh, Leigh Scott and Linda Forbes, physical, occupational and recreational therapists from South Bend (Indiana), at JFK for a flight to Ghana. We traveled to Ankaase to work on improving function for stroke patients. We will also be working with  patients with musculoskeletal injuries/pain. The team's Facebook page and pictures can be assessed   here    The journey to Ankaase was uneventful. We arrived on Saturday September 22, 2018  1 pm local time and settled in the hospital’s guest house. Currently, Ghana is 4 hours ahead of eastern standard time. After a brief resting period, we toured the town and took in the sights and scenes. On Sunday September 23, we attended a community church service that was ...
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Stateside

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On Saturday November 4 th I left Ghana for the United States after an emotional goodbye event at the airport with family and friends.  After almost 24 hours of flying through 3 continents and multiple time zones, I arrived in Louisville, Kentucky on Sunday November 6 th around 6:30pm and was picked up from the airport by my American grandparents, Richard and Marjorie Wilson. I was so eager to see and hug them that I walked right past them as I trekked to the baggage claim area. They had to shout to get my attention. Fun times. It’s been over 2 months since I arrived, and I’ve had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. It’s such a blessing to have a home here in the States and in Ghana. I found it comforting when loved ones here will hug and tell me “welcome home”. In Ghana they said “akwaaba”. Time and space wouldn’t allow me to document all that has happened since I arrived, so I have highlighted some special moments below. Marjorie masterminded the pur...
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The Next Chapter

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END OF ONE CHAPTER On Friday September 1, 2017 the hospital held a send-off ceremony in my honor. It was a surprising and humbling occasion for me. August was my last month in Ankaase. Since the beginning of September, I have been spending time with my parents and siblings and preparing to head back to the States. The last 18 months have been amazing, educative, insightful and at times challenging. But through it all, the Lord provided me with the strength to carry on and to keep trusting Him always. With some of the hospital staff and family during the send-off ceremony I am humbled by my experiences over the last 18 months especially, those memories formed because of my time in Ankaase. I have been very fortunate to live and learn in an area which lacked basic amenities. But, I was saddened by the vestiges of poverty and more saddened that I couldn’t do more to help those in need.  There is a great need, especially in the hospital. My first thought during my ...
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EYE CLINIC

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The eye clinic at the Methodist Faith Healing Hospital is a well-functioning unit headed by an optometrist and aided by an ophthalmic nurse, optician and five nurses. The clinic operates four days out of the working week with Tuesdays reserved for community outreaches. Exercises conducted during these outreaches include free screening of elementary and junior high students, health education and promotion. Optometrist Dr. Prempeh (in light purple shirt) speaks to a patient while a nurse looks on. During the screening program, those identified as having eye problems are advised to come to the clinic for further assessment. Usually the solution to most of these eye problems is providing a pair of eye glasses. Unfortunately, most people in our catchment area are often too poor to afford a pair of glasses.  The national health insurance covers for most eye exams but does not cover prescription eye glasses. This means that those needing glasses either have to find t...
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Education Fund for the Triplets

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I have written a few stories about Regina and her triplets. During her 30th week of pregnancy, she delivered these girls at our hospital. Needless to say, they’ve had a miraculous journey. The girls will be 8 months old on the 17 th day of this month.  Due to the financial difficulties being faced by their parents, we decided to create an education fund that will be used to help them once they reach school-age. As we were planning this, I asked my very good friend Morgan, a high school teacher in Kentucky, if she was interested in helping. She answered in the affirmative and came out with a brilliant idea to raise funds. Morgan has been following my mission via this blog and sharing some of my stories with her students. So, when she shared the triplets story, they were eager and excited to help. I asked Morgan to write about her students and the fundraising. Below is her story…..   It is known that our God works in amazing and mysterious ways. About 8 years ago...
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UPDATES

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Work at our hospital continues even though the government owes the facility 11 months of insurance reimbursement. The total amount owed to the hospital by the insurance system is approximately $750,000. I am amazed that we can still care for patients and keep the doors open. On Sunday June 11, 2017, the hospital welcomed 7 students and their mentors from the United States in addition to 5 medical students from Ireland. These students and mentors will be spending a month at our facility. Those from the States are part of the Greenlight Medical program created by TMS Global. The main purpose of this program is to provide a cross-cultural learning experience for students interested in using healthcare to serve in cross cultural ministry. These students have varied interests such as nursing, medicine, social work etc. Students at the entrance of the town's library. The "reading town library" was built by Anne Gongwer, wife of Dr. Cameron Gongwer (man in white po...
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Preventive Healthcare

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On Friday May 19, 2017 I joined community health nurses (CHN) from the hospital and traveled 3 miles Northwest of Ankaase to Dumakyi, a small farming community, to conduct vaccination screening, also known locally as a health outreach program. Dumakyi lacks running water, electricity and basic public transportation. Residents, mostly cocoa farmers living in mud thatched houses, walk to the hospital, 3 miles away, when they are sick. The distance and lack of transportation discourages them from bringing their children for scheduled clinical review and obtaining the required vaccinations. To combat this problem, CHNs visit and vaccinate the children right in their backyard. CHNs setting up under the teak tree. Some students milling about the place before class. We arrived at 9:30 am on Friday morning and set up office under a teak tree in front of the local primary/middle school. Despite bringing the free vaccination exercise to the community, parents are still reluctant to...
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