Happy/Sad Village Moments

My last trip into a Western Province village on Wednesday was definitely memorable. We were anchored at the mouth of the Fly River on Wednesday and Thursday. Our clinics were at the health station in Teipopo. I hustled through my morning activities of cleaning and restocking the mess hall, chopping veggies for cole slaw and making hamburger patties so I could get to the village for the afternoon.  Once I got to the village, there were approximately 10 men waiting for a class on back health. We had class beside a coconut tree and stayed in this location even though we had to endure a few sprinkles of rain.  It was a fun group and one of the participants was a teacher in the village.  Philemon, the teacher, started off pretty skeptical but by the end he was engaged and asking questions. I was bummed because we had not rallied enough women for another class when we got a radio call from the ship about a need in another village.  Apparently in the next village down,  a man had been confined to his house for the last 5 weeks due to paralysis of his right side. It sounded like a stroke to our team leader who had gone to the village for an assessment earlier that day.   If it was a stroke, there was not much our doctor could give him for treatment.  So me and Bec (another member of the team with a background in primary health) loaded into the Zodiac with our new friend Philemon who would translate if needed. Andy and Vernon drove us down the river. I must confess riding in the zodiacs is one of my favorite parts. It was a bumpy ride as we were going against the current for most of the way.  I had a huge smile on my face which I did not think could get any bigger until I saw an eagle!!!! Yes, that is right we were close enough that I was able to see the golden beak. We then saw 3 more soaring in the sky.  All in all a pretty fantastic zodiac ride. We made it to tthe village whhose name I will not even try to spell.   The chairman of the villlage took us to Don's house. We climbed the 5 bamboo ladder steps to enter the 3 room home.  Don sat on the pallet floor. He drooled and was unable to speak properly due to the paralysis of the right side of his face. As we communicated with the his family, we learned that 5 weeks ago, he had gone to the outdoor bathroom and later was found unconscious. His entire right side was limp and atrophied.  I did my best to obtain a history and complete as thorough of an assessment as I could. 
We spent about an hour with Don and his family.  They were saving up money to buy fuel for a dingy ride to Daru which would be the closest hospital.  At this point, we were the first healthcare workers Don had seen since his stroke.   I tried to communicate with Don and his family what a stroke is and what the prognosis is.  I encouraged them to perfom daily passive mobilization of his joints.  We also reviewed some pointers with his wife about the moving Don.  By far, the best thing I was able to do for Don was pray with him.  We left him on the pallet floor by the open fire. Unsure what would happen to his situation.

Since the zodiac left with a few dental patents we knew we still had some time. There were a ton of kids playing hand ball right outside Don's house so I joined in the fun.  Oh, these kids were so happy.  I soon met Keli who stole my heart with her sweet and smile. After handball we have played duck duck goose and then sang songs.  It was so sweet to share this moment wih these kids. I could not get over how happy they were and how easy it was to entertain them.