Monday, 24 OCT11

 I NEED YOUR HELP ............. (AGAIN)

Please forgive me for standing up and begging again. I really can do nothing else. We have just ended the rainy season, the folks here all think. When the rainy season began Nazareth patients increased 100% and up to 200%. Except for a few people the cases have all been malarial. There is a malaria test out now that  is very good. All health centers and clinics have them and we are seeing that everyone is treating more malaria patients than usual. Today, for instance, we had 34 patients in the morning. With the exception of two people, all the rest were malaria. It has been a very dramatic time with patients coming in and falling down..."I just can't go on"........"help me" and other such pleas. The temperatures are so high, 104.9 in several cases. Malaria can be a killer especially for women and children. We ran out of our malaria curative meds a week ago and thank God that some folks had donated and we were able to run right out to the wholesale pharmacy and buy more. The children we send to the private clinic at 25 dalasis a day (nearly $1.00) That takes care of the consultation and meds unless the child has to be admitted. We have been able to send the children at no cost to the parents.
A few patients that we referred last week just took their sick children and started to walk the three miles back to their village with the child on their back. One such child being carried was 11 years old and that is very difficult for the parents to carry such a heavy load.  The mother misunderstood that the consultation fee had been paid for and was taking the child home. Thank God I was able to get this woman back and turn her toward the clinic after explaining that there was no cost to her. She was so grateful.

A few days ago, one lad came home from school and told his mother that he was sick. She told him to lie down and she continued cooking lunch. The lad (also 11 years old) went to the toilet and hollered for his mother to come and wash his body with cold water (in order to cool him off from his burning fever). The mom knew he was sick but could not pay to take the child to the private clinic and did not know about Nazareth hermitage and so she decided to go to a pharmacy. The child was given the first injection there and told to return for the next injection the next day. When they got back home the mother told the child to lay down on a mat. He said he would rather sleep on the homemade wooden bench. He lay down and told his mom to lay on the floor mat. She told him she was not tired and the boy closed his eyes and in just a few  minutes the child passed away. This is a very sad sad story but a true one that unfortunately happens so much. We are told that one in 5 children die from malaria in Africa. Had the child been brought here we may have been able to save him because of your donations.

Please help us. Right now we have only 12 curative doses for malaria left (Coartem). That will not be enough to take care of the folks that will come here tomorrow in the morning and maybe there will not even be enough today for the afternoon patients either. I am pleading with you to help Nazareth hermitage get these folks cured by sending money for meds. Whatever you can send will be a help. If you cannot afford to donate, please pray for us. 

Please hear this plea and help. Truly, this is God's work and I am trusting him to take care that His work gets accomplished. With your help, it surely will. There is no overhead or anything else involved. Every cent you donate will be used to buy medicines.

God bless each of you and know that you are in my prayers.

If you care to donate, you can send your gift to:

Mr. Robert Shrigley

8 Poco Lane

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507

Mr. Shrigley will put all donations in my account as he has for the past 8 years.

Pax it Bonum

Br. dismas

(If you wonder why I am referring to 'us' all the time..it is because one young man, Ibrahim Jawo is my assistant. Ibrahim is a high school graduate and hopes to become a nurse in the future.  By now, he can take care of these patients on his own. A very smart man and one with gentleness and kindness. The kind of person you would like to be helped by.)