August 11, 2011

  • Malaria Part Deux

    I may be the first person to say that getting Malaria is an answer to prayer.  Seeing that we live in one of the Malaria Capital's of the world, having it present in our home is inevitable.  So the last time I had it, I prayed that if there is going to be Malaria in our home... I need to be the one that gets infected.  So Praise God for my Malaria.

    Now the last time was not too horrible.  Either I have a strong immune system or I got the weaker of the four strands of Malaria.  Regardless, I will take the worst one every time in place of my wife and children.  And that is because I am a MAN!  Not in the egocentric sense, no, that means I cannot handle illness well, I will whine about it enough so that my wife will force me to get tested or shut up.  Because early recognition of Malaria is the best scenario for treatment.  That results in tablets rather than an IV drip!

    So I will say it again, Praise God for MY Malaria!

    On a side note, while I was at the clinic.  Which is about the size of a single stall garage in America.  I saw first hand how poor the population is in a serious way.  As I entered the clinic there was a man, a woman, and their baby who was about the age of Isabel.  Keep in mind, I saw them as I walked in because they were on the bench where you wait to be seen.  As I was sitting there, I was kind of nauseous.  When I saw what came next, not only was I really nauseous, I was almost in tears.  The baby that the woman was holding was about to get an injection.  As the nurse came closer I thought it was weird that the injection did not have a needle.  As the baby's arm was exposed I saw the IV line that had been left there from the baby's previous visit.  At that point, like everyone else in the world, I was curious what was wrong with a poor little baby that would require a semi-permanent IV.  However, moments later I found out why... just after the injection was given the mother started to take off the clothes that were draped over her child.  To my horrified eyes, the baby had severe burns over a large part of its backside.  At that point, my eyes welled up (so much for being a MAN!).  The nurse started cleaning the wounds with iodine and other solvents.  All of this while the little baby boy was screaming in shrieking pain.  I literally had to get up and leave.  I was about to throw up and cry.  All I can say is EVERYONE needs to pray for that little man.  I am sure he is not out of the woods and he needs Divine healing.

    So on that note, I will end this entry.  I now have a more concerned awareness about my children's well being.  Screw Malaria, I can kick that!

    Chad Neeley

    Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA