Adjusting

Life in Addis Ababa is never dull! There is always so much to do. The Cure Hospital does such great work looking after so many children with so much need. The combination of Covid and the threat of civil war reaching the capital meant the hospital was shut down or curtailed in activity at various points over the past year. The number of children needing help didn’t diminish however, meaning they are now extra busy trying to catch up. You can find out more about Cure Ethiopia here. I love the fact that they ground their work in dependence on God. There are prayer meetings for each team every week and a chapel service for all staff every Friday morning. The surgeons pray before each operation (which a visiting surgeon I know from England found a bit disconcerting!). I love hearing the staff singing in Amharic during the chapel service.

We’ve been busy in the gait lab also. Many of the children we see have severe orthopaedic deformities. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve seen children with their feet pointing backwards, extreme knock knee and bow leg deformities, children with muscle contractures meaning their knees are fixed at a 90 degree angle, as well as being twisted, along with all sorts of others deformities. Some have had it since birth. Some experienced neurological problems as a result of quinine injections or eating poison or as a result of other illnesses. Some had trauma that never properly healed. What strikes me is how uncomplaining, even cheerful many of them are. Many will go on to have orthopaedic surgery, which will hopefully transform their lives and enable them to earn a living when they grow up. The data we provide from the gait lab helps inform what sort of surgery will be most likely to improve their long term function. This coming week there is a course for the trainee surgeons on clinical examination and gait analysis, which should be fun!

The hardest case I had last week was a 6 year old girl who had cerebral malaria, leaving her with left-sided hemiplegia. During the assessment she asked how long she would have to walk this way, which just about broke my heart. She is a challenging case and difficult to know how to help. We’ve given her some splints and some exercises to try but its hard to know how much it will help. She lives a long way away, so can’t be followed up easily. There is an outreach clinic to her area in August so they will try to see her again then. Please pray for her (M) and her family. I would love to hear in August that they were able to see her again and that she is doing much better.

On the weekends, I’ve been out and about some. I’ve enjoyed attending St Matthews church, and worshiping in English. They are a lovely group of people who have been very welcoming. I’ve also played tennis(!) with my room-mate, Dorothy, and been exploring Addis with her. Last night we went round to one of the surgeon’s place for dinner (Dr Laurence) along with the other British surgeon (Dr Tim) and his family. It was so nice to just relax enjoy company together.

Addis is a unique place. It has such a mix of poverty and affluence and different cultures. There is an almost incessant sound of prayers over loud speakers, and when in the city, constant blaring of horns. They seem to have their own unique traffic “rules” also – suffice to say the drivers appear to know the dimensions of their car to the millimetre! The hospital is a bit out of the centre, so less traffic noise (but you don’t escape the loud speakers!). It is roughly 50/50 Christian and Muslim. The Christian part is mostly Orthodox – they also like their loud speakers. At the moment, many are fasting prior to Easter. Fasting means not eating until 3pm. A few times I’ve been seeing a patient in the gait lab, when the person helping me has suddenly announced it is now time to eat and disappeared off! The language (Amharic) is challenging, as they don’t even use the same script as English. But I’ve learnt a few words, and can count to five :).

Three weeks seem to have gone by very quickly. There is so much I’d like to do while I’m here, and I’m sure there won’t be enough time for it all. Please pray that I would be able to prioritise time wisely and invest in the things that will be most helpful. I’d also appreciate prayer for good health. So far I’ve had one day out with a dodgy tummy. Every day feels precious so I would prefer not to lose any more days with ill health! I’m looking forward to a weekend away over the Easter weekend (a week later here than in UK/Australia) to a nearby lake, with Dr Laurence and Dr Tim and their families, along with Dorothy. I’m also excited to be invited to go with the team on an outreach clinic to Bahir Dar in mid May.

Thanks for all your support and prayers. I’m very aware of the need for prayer, as I so often feel out of my depth. Its so encouraging knowing so many are praying, and that God is hearing and answering those prayers.