KMH opened it's doors on March 1st, 2021 and it doesn't seem like they have had a chance to close them even just for a night! Our staff has been working tirelessly having seen 1,260 patients since the doors opened. May 31st alone they saw 45 patients! We recently had to bring in a temporary doctor, Dr. Susan, to help with our patient load as our Nursing Officer has unfortunately had a health issue that is keeping him from work. We are very fortunate and thankful to have Dr. Susan joining us. Dr. Scott and Heidi Smith are currently visiting the hospital, having brought with them the stand for the x-ray machine, amongst other supplies. Dr. Smith had a this to say about an untypical morning...
An Untypical Morning
Sunday arrived in a typical East African savannah morning with the obnoxious wake-up call from the hadada ibis (a VERY loud early morning bird). After a quick cup of coffee, I headed to the clinic to find patients already waiting. The doors were all locked and I wondered where Dr. Ken was. I was soon informed that his keys had accidentally been left in the house I was staying in last night when he had come to assist us in turning on the electricity. Now, at the same time, Heidi had accidentally locked the house keys in the house after locking up to help at the clinic. Patients in the mean time were gathering for vaccinations and IV therapy. Philipo, the fundi, was summoned to bring the sawzall and successfully was able to cut off the lock. Meanwhile, a gentleman had boarded the matatu (small passenger van) for Nairobi and accidentally had his hand smashed in the door. He arrived in great pain as the matatu dropped him off at our clinic. With our x-ray we noted that he had an open fracture of the distal finger. With no hand surgeon or operating room available, we administered a digital block to numb the finger and irrigated the wound with gentamicin and saline before applying a sterile dressing and splint. Our next patient was a young lady who had injured her low back after picking up a heavy object. She stated that she was admitted to a local hospital for 3 days without relief. An x-ray did not show any acute findings. After some local tender point injections and chiropractic therapy she ambulated away without a limp. Just another typically untypical day at Kilimanjaro Mission Hospital.
Making Connections & Donations
By: Beret Meyers
Meet Mallory! She is an energetic and caring 10-year-old. She happens to live on a golf course and is just lucky enough to have a backyard that backs right up to a tee! Mallory has been selling golf balls and lemonade to golfers from her backyard during the summers for the past several years and even has quite a few regular customers. With plans to open KMH in March, Mallory decided that she wanted to go ahead and open up her stand on the weekends and raise money for the hospital with her golf ball sales. She set up her stand and included KMH flyers to help tell her customers about what she was raising money for. Now I’m going to try to tell you a neat little story about connections and how they sometimes happen in the most unexpected ways- how they can have a bigger impact than expected. But first let me introduce some people to try and keep this less confusing.
Mallory- the 10-year-old in charge of golf ball and lemonade sales.
Heidi AKA Granny- one of the co-founders of the hospital.
Paul- a local golfer who has been a regular customer at Mallory’s golf ball stand
Judy- Paul’s wife and a member of the Dress-A-Girl-Around-The-World organization.
I (Me) (Beret)- the narrator of this story
One weekend shortly after Mallory had opened up her stand Granny stopped by to say hello. While Granny and Mallory were standing there talking Paul came up to the tee in his golf cart and saw that Mallory had her stand open. So he came over as usual to buy some golf balls. Mallory and Granny said “Hi” and asked if he would like to take one of the KMH flyers along with the golf balls that he had purchased. He said, “Sure and let me give you a flyer for my wife’s organization too” (or something along those lines). So flyers were exchanged and Paul continued on his way and later that day Paul went online and made a donation to the hospital. We took a look at the flyer and I said to myself, “I have a ton (well at least 50 lbs) of fabric that I would love to give them!” So later that day I contacted Judy to see if I could donate some fabric to her for the organization. She was incredibly happy to accept the donation and asked me if we (KMH) would like to have dresses to take over to Kenya. “That would be great” I told her, and would you believe it if I told you that it was just 3 weeks later that her group had two large suitcases full of dresses for us to take over to Kenya!?
So you may be wondering what is a hospital going to do with dresses? Well let me tell you a bit more about connections! One of the residents that lives in the area of Our goal for 2021, to cover one time equipment, supply purchases, and staffing is $203,151.00 Mallory and Judy So far we have raised $90,619.00 Thank you! Thank you to all who have participated in this campaign thus far. So there you have it! A story of how one little girls’ desire to raise money for her Granny and Opa’s hospital has made a difference in more than one way! KMH, who Heidi (Granny) had recently been introduced to, just so happens to run a rescue center for girls and Heidi plans to give the dresses to this foundation.
UPDATE ON OUR PROGRESS
Our goal for 2021, to cover one time equipment, supply purchases, and staffing is $203,151.00 Mallory and Judy So far we have raised $90,619.00 Thank you! Thank you to all who have participated in this campaign thus far.
Employee Spotlight
By Dr. Scott Smith
There are many words that describe East Africa, but “straight” and “level” are not among them. One day I was visiting my childhood friend and schoolmate, Steve Friberg, M.D., in rural Tanzania, where he manages a Maasai clinic. I noticed the construction of a Maasai Women’s Center nearby and had to investigate. There was something very unusual about the workmanship. The doors were hung straight, the sink was level and the floor was even. I asked Steve who was building this Center. He then introduced me to Philipo. We had been having a hard time finding help to build the hospital and had kind of been at a stand still on construction. Once the building Philipo was working on was completed, I asked him to come to Kimana, Kenya and build Kilimanjaro Mission Hospital. He has been here for the past 3 years. Philipo Mamuya comes to us from a long line of “Fundis” (Carpenters). His father and grandfather both worked for the Lutheran church in Tanzania building schools, hospitals and churches. Without Philipo’s help, KMH would not be where it is today. His honesty, integrity, and love of Jesus have been a real blessing. From simple pencil scratches on a notebook, a hospital is born in the savannah beneath Kilimanjaro.
On one particular occasion, when forming the main roof, he brought extra manpower from the local church he attends. As they were preparing to work in the morning, the workers removed their hats, bowed their heads and prayed. This was certainly a humbling experience. Philipo plans to continue working with KMH as we plan on the next phase with the construction of a surgical center and birthing house.
God bless you! Or as they say in Swahili Mungu akubariki!
"What Just Happened?!"
By Dr. Jeff Khars
My name is Dr. Jeff Kahrs and I was called to work in Kenya nine years ago. I have seen many things during that time. Some have been sad, most have been joyous and many have been hopeful. So many missions stand out as a candidate for " Did That Just Happen?". I think this story shows the great humanitarian side of what we are a part of in East Africa.
Usually we spend a few days in Nairobi helping at schools, churches , wherever we can. We were scheduled to be at a local church in a very poor section of Nairobi for most of the day. Three chiropractors, Dr. Mark, Dr. Missy and myself set up our portable tables and spoke with the members of the church to prepare for a busy day of adjusting anyone who came in. We want to serve as many people as possible each day as we are only there for a short time.
As the morning went on we realized that this was not going to be the busy day we hoped for. Most of our time was spent sitting waiting for the next patient to come through the doors. We actually felt that this was a big waste of time and resources. Into the afternoon we did not have much change and were about to pack up and leave for the day. But God had other plans.
A woman came in on a home made crutch and you could see just by her face she was in great pain and very tired. Her information was taken and she was led to a table for examination. Dr. Missy was talking with her and called me over to see what was going on. She had been involved in a motorcycle accident a few years ago and broke both bones in her lower leg near the ankle. She was in pain constantly, had a difficult time walking, nothing she did would decrease the pain and she had four children to take care of. She was looking for a miracle.
Now Dr. Missy and Dr. Mark are amazing chiropractors but we have no treatment for her condition. It looked as though the bones had come out of the skin and then been pushed back in and left to heal on their own. She had a mess just above her ankle and needed a very specialized surgical procedure to help her. Dr. Missy said " This is unacceptable. We must do something to help this woman." And they did just that.
When we got back to our hotel for the evening they contacted Dr. Scott Smith, DO, and explained the situation. He has many contacts in the medical community in this part of the world as well as in the US. Within 48 hours it had been arranged for this woman to go to Tanzania with an escort to a hospital that could do the work necessary. Dr. Mark said he would pay for the work to be done as well as the follow up therapy. The hospital was willing to reduce their normal fees to help with this cause.
Just before all of this was to take place Dr. Scott found out that a surgeon that specializes in this type of work was going to be in the hospital in Tanzania in about a month. So the whole procedure was moved to the next month so she could get the best care possible.
I do not believe in coincidence. We were supposed to be in that church on that day so He could send that woman to the people that cared enough to move mountains to help her. And those people have hearts that are full of love and they stepped up and made it happen. She is now out of pain, walking much better, and enjoying her life as well as caring for her children. How many people would just say there is nothing we can do? How many people would just walk away and allow this woman to continue in a very painful and miserable life? How many people would say " She is only one person. Use that money to help many others." Not the people I work with in Kenya. They all step up when needed and do whatever it takes to help one person. And with help we can take care of many others. Even if they don't have the skills to correct a problem, they find a way! Did that just happen? You bet it did. And I will never forget it.
Wellness Tips
Tips for Longevity
Healthy habits lead to healthy living, healthy living leads to decreased chance of disease or illness, and a decrease in disease or illness leads to fewer trips to the doctors office. What can you do to live a more healthy life?
Eating a healthy diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean meats and healthy fats provides our bodies with the nutrients it needs to perform at it's best.
Engage in physical activity. It is recommended that adults get at least 150 mins per week of moderate to vigorous activity.
Maintain a healthy body weight. In general a normal body mass index (BMI), is between 18% and 24%.
Get enough sleep. On average 8 hours of rest per night is recommended to recharge our body and refresh our mental well being as well.
Make time for friends and family. Spending time with friends and family is important for our mental health.
Give to support the mission of KMH. Donations are tax deductible.
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