Dr. Chase

During my time away, I have been fortunate enough to receive emails from my patients and their parents.
  

I wanted to share a couple photos from one patient in particular, Chase.  Apparently, he enjoys playing doctor and always insists on being "like Dr. Malphus" in Africa, even pointing out Cameroon on a map.

Last Day in Njinikom

My time here at St. Martin de Porres Hospital in Njinikom, Cameroon is coming to an end.  This has been one of the most memorable months of my life.  I have seen some incredibly interesting diagnoses including malaria, HIV disease, malnutrition and all sorts of parasitic infestations that I had only read about in medical school.  But most of all the people have been the most endearing aspect of my stay.  They are so resilient and appreciative of everything that you do for them.  I discharged a little 15 month old from the hospital today  who had been admitted for malnutrition last week.  I know that a week’s stay can hardly put a dent in his total recovery but the plan was in place and mom could continue to feed him some special formulation that we were able to provide for her.  She was most appreciative and flagged me down in the hallway of the the clinic building to thank me.  This makes it all worth while, and I want to thank all of you who have been supportive of my blog both by your interest and also by your kind and generous donations which has helped me provide specific care to those that otherwise would have not allowed their children to be admitted for financial concerns.

Today, on my last day there was a truly touching ceremony thanking me for my month of work attending to the infants in maternity in addition to caring for the patients on the children’s ward.  The female staff members performed a song and tribal dance commemorating Dr. Edward’s work with the infants and children, WOW  I was so thrilled.  I will miss this special place and all the work that is being done for such patients in a true place of need.  And now I am looking forward to returning to all my wonderful patients and families in Santa Monica...After a bit of R and R!

Here are some pics of my last day.