These days, Kingdom Driven Ministries is fortunate enough to have a deacon who oversees our churches’ and community’s medical needs, so we don’t directly meet all those we help. We also don’t always know their stories, which is somewhat of a disappointment since we have been so personally involved in this aspect of the ministry since our arrival in Kenya in 2012. To compound the slight disconnect, we’ve also recently been blessed to be able to hire an office staff member, who has been charged with various administrative tasks. This includes taking photos and interviewing patients post-treatment, so that we can give a good update to our medical ministry partners.
As we looked forward to preparing the April medical report, I asked our trusty reporter to take some representative photos and see if he could get a few good stories. He brought back some photos, but shook his head sadly, saying, “There are no stories this month. Everyone just had malaria.”
We did have a few special cases that were referred to the District Hospital, but diagnoses are rarely provided in those cases, so reporting is difficult. As well, it is hard to follow up with those patients who are farther away or may not be well-known to those who work with the ministry. I thought that later on, as I looked at the month-end receipts from the clinic, I might be able to suggest a specific follow-up. But when the time came, indeed—with only two exceptions of pneumonia—everyone was, in fact, treated for malaria. Sometimes “malaria, and…” typhoid, asthma, or what have you; but the initial diagnosis was always malaria. It must just be the season. But we thank God for the support that enables us to treat all these sick folks. Believe me, malaria is no fun. The local population has such a high resistance to malaria, and such strength in enduring it, that by the time they come asking for treatment you can be sure that they are miserable. Many were elderly or young children, so their treatment was a particularly pressing need.
Two of the sweet girls who were treated for malaria
Thus, though we don’t have any particularly touching stories, I can assure you that all those who were treated in their time of need are grateful for the assistance our partners so generously provide. Our month-end regular medical expenses totaled almost $400 for the treatment of 20 patients.
We also addressed several continuing special medical cases. Five-year-old Michael Wafula was finally able to be fitted with a new brace to help correct his spine after a bout with spinal TB. Praise the Lord!
The young man Micah Juma, who has some pressing injuries resulting from a road accident some time ago, has spent the last six weeks or so on a regimen of antibiotics, in anticipation of his body healing enough to perform required surgery on his leg. He returned to the hospital recently for a consultation but, in spite of traveling to the appointment and waiting for some time, the surgeon turned out not to be available. We are tentatively going to consult with a different hospital to see if the leg surgery can be performed elsewhere.
We continue to provide for pain medication and other needs for our brother, Victor, who is struggling with cancer. Though he recently visited Uganda for another round of radiation and followed up with an oncologist here in Kenya, the assessment was that the radiation might not be effective and that palliative care may be the only remaining option. Indeed, it appears the cancer has metastasized and Victor continues to suffer. Please keep him in your prayers. We are discussing next steps and looking for consultation on providing some sort of hospice care for our brother.
All told, our special medical needs amounted to approximately $360 during the month of April. We thank all those of you who continue to provide for all these needs!