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 held by the Methodist church within the Ankaase district. Part of the service included health screening and blood donation. We used the opportunity to provide therapy sessions for some of the church members and saw about 50 patients within a 3- hour period. We begin seeing patients at the hospital on Tuesday September 25, 2018.

It feels good to be back in Ankaase and seeing old friends. Life is simpler. The people are so welcoming and appreciative of the services we provide. It’s a  world lacking in so much yet filled with other resources that bring joy, warmth and hope to the heart. I am humbled to join this team in providing services for this community. We are looking forward to a fun-filled, educational and rewarding mission. Keep us in your prayers.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 25, 2018 at 5:46 AM

    It's so good to read your update! Congratulations on your marriage!! Enjoy your new life in Philadelphia!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
The Beard must go…. The past week has been very busy albeit interesting. Esther (my sister) visited on Wednesday and advised me to shave the beard I’ve been growing. Apparently, having a beard in Ghana is associated with being a Muslim. She is scared of men with beards. Nevertheless, she hugged me so that was nice. We had a good visit and it was good to see her again. Esther and I at the mission guest house in Tanoso. She says the beard must go ;)  The team spent 4 days (Thursday – Sunday) at Agona Swedro (Central Region) with clinics and crusades held at Beseadze (about 30-minute drive from Agona). Agona Swedro is in the Central region and about a 2.5 hour from Kumasi (Ashanti region). The location of the clinics and crusades was between a shrine and a mosque. In Ghana, shrines are used by traditional believers (they worship tress, stones, rivers and animals). Therefore, we found it interesting that such a location was approved by the chief. But, the chief has authori
Read more

Lake side Clinic

Image
On Tuesday July 12, 2016 I joined a group of individuals from my hospital (Ankaase) and from the Methodist head office in Kumasi for a visit to Amakom, a small village  about 20 miles southeast of Kumasi. This village is home to a Methodist clinic and also Lake Bosomtwe, the biggest natural lake in Ghana. Its beautifully located. But due to financial hardship, poorly run insurance scheme and a bad road network, the clinic is not being utilized as it should. Yet, there are people in the community who need the services of this clinic.  Road heading into Amakom. Lake Bosomtwe is in the background Because the people in the community are very poor (mostly farmers) and cannot afford clinical services, the clinic sometimes provide free service. But financial constraints and lack of medical resources prevent them from adequately providing care, even if its free. A few weeks ago, a young patient died there because of lack of intravenous (IV) fluids.   A view of the lake from th
Read more