Fear and Comfort

I was in surgery clinic last week when I had a thought provoking interaction with a patient.  A 47 year old Kipsigis lady had come to see me for enlarging masses in her neck.  As soon as I walked in the room it was evident that these masses had been there for a while and were quite advanced.  Her entire left neck was filled with lumps and bumps.  After a few minutes of questioning and a physical exam I diagnosed her with metastatic squamous cell cancer of the tongue.  Her cancer had begun on her tongue but had metastasized to the lymph nodes of her neck.  Some of these bumps were mobile, but some were fixed, likely attached to important structures like nerves and blood vessels.  Through the aid of a translator, I had to give her the disappointing news that I had no surgical options for treatment.  An aggressive resection wouldn't give her any survival benefit in the absence of radiation treatment, and I would likely severely disfigure her in the process.  We talked a little about the availability of radiation in Nairobi, but like so many others before her, cost was a prohibitive factor.  I had to tell her that without treatment, the cancer would take her life.  Regardless of cultural background, telling someone they have a terminal illness is never easy.   As we had this discussion, my patient's response to my terminal prognosis was encouraging and thought provoking. She told all of us in the room that because of her relationship with Jesus she was not afraid to die.  She understood that she couldn't pay for the treatment needed in Nairobi and she was OK with that.  She would not run from death but instead would enjoy what time she has on earth, and embrace death without fear.  We all held hands and prayed together.  I prayed for my patient and her family, she prayed for me and my resident.  Then she calmly left.
It was true.  With Jesus awaiting her on the other side of life, what was there to fear in death?  I was struck by the deep faith of this rural Kenyan lady that I am supposed to be here to minister to.  I thought to myself, "This lady needs to be a missionary to the U.S.  We Americans need to hear her message."

In other news, a lot has been going on here at Tenwek.  Some of the missionary families are away at language school, which leaves our kids void of a few friends.  However, Erin's parents have been here for the past month and it has been great.  Also, our good friends Joel and Paula Green will be coming to visit for a few weeks.  It will be fun to hang out with them, but more importantly, they will be bringing Levi, Anna, and Lauren...the Mitchell boys' long lost friends.  With all of our visitors, we have had good excuses to go on safari...which is a nice perk to living in rural Kenya.

Safari!! 

Cooper and Mimi with a Buffalo, one of the "Big Five" animals to find on a safari

Cheetah chilling in the wild, not afraid of us and our cameras. 

We also had a nice time hosting Amie Ecker, a general surgery resident from Michigan State in Grand Rapids.  She did a wonderful job in and out of the OR, and got along well with the residents here.  In good Kenyan fashion, I told her to "take my greetings back to Grand Rapids."

Amie in the OR at Tenwek

Some of you have asked us how you can pray for us and for Kenya.  Currently, you can pray for peace here in Kenya.  There has been some rhetoric from various political parties that are not currently in power, and they are planning on having some rallies on Monday July 7th.  They call it "Saba Saba" day (7/7 in Swahili)  and we are hoping it doesn't set off any tribal violence here in Kenya.
Also, we will be traveling to Ethiopia soon to visit a hospital that might be a place we serve after Tenwek.  Pray for God to show us the best place to go for our next step.

Thanks for praying for us and being a part of the ministry here in Kenya and beyond.