Monty

Back home, one of the laws of emergency medical education is that when you attend training on a particular condition, you best prepare because that condition is guaranteed to arrive on your next shift. The same is true in Ghana.

But first, let me tell you about our weekend.

Everyone was supposed to take Saturday off, but after Tim Horton’s coffee and omelet breakfast, a final half-day of CASTED training took place. Many of our partnership teams used the morning for extra teaching, training, and planning. Leyaata staff who had taken the Trauma and Emergency Pediatric course were given the opportunity for extra practice at skills sessions, so it was a busy morning for all. We insisted our first-time team members take a break and join Dr. Mensah for a tour of the NEA compound. It is essential to see how Leyaata and the provision of health care intersect with all the NEA development sectors that aim to prevent disease and promote health. Our newcomers toured the fish hatchery, mushroom farm, and ostrich farm. They heard about NEA’s food security and water and sanitation programs.

We welcomed a delegation from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) at lunch, who spent the weekend with us. KNUST is the country’s first public university established and ranked the best university in Ghana in 2019 and 2020. KNUST houses a faculty of Pharmacy, Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health, and Allied Health, so the delegation was very interested in the international partnerships Leyaata has formed in all these areas. We can only dream and imagine and pray towards the potential for future collaboration with this incredible university.

After a Saturday afternoon of rest or walks into the village to buy fresh peanut butter, the team geared up for our 12th Annual Ghana’s Got Talent Show. It did not disappoint. Low in budget but high in creativity, it was entertainment at its best — skits, songs, limericks, game shows, award ceremonies, and more. Our colleagues from KNUST joined the fun, as did some of our Ghanaian partners. Together, we could forget about the world’s perils and our leadership loads for a moment and have some good old-fashioned fun. Laughter is such good medicine for us all and for the expected and a few unexpected team ailments. The show’s Grand Finale was my favourite, but that story will wait until we get home.

After a beautiful, colourful, inspiring, dance-filled African church service, we rested until the football (soccer) match between NEA/GHP versus the town kids took place. Dr. David Mensah was the chief referee. A few of our team members may have been seen limping back to the residence and might have required an NEA Uber to get to dinner.

The second week of our mission kicked off under the NEA gazebo for devotions. Yet again, David Mensah gave a thought-provoking address about a Bible story from Acts 3:1-8 where two disciples passed a beggar at the gate called BEAUTIFUL on their way to a prayer meeting. The beggar, who they walked by every day, asked them for money. Their response was one of awakening and partnership. They exclaimed,” Look at us!” Then they went on to explain that they had no money but would give him something better, and the man was healed. David reminded us that as Christians, health workers, or humanitarians, it can be easy for our good work to become so routine that we no longer see the suffering. Our eyes can become blind to the needs right in front of us. We can forget that life is not BEAUTIFUL for so many in our world and withhold the healing we can offer. David further elaborated by repeating the disciples’ words,” Look at us!” Look at us standing shoulder to shoulder to establish a model hospital. Look at us meeting the medical, surgical, dental, and eye needs of the most marginalized people in society in a holistic way. Look at us offering healing to the lame, sight to the blind, relief and comfort for suffering. Look at us serving and sacrificing to make life beautiful for others.

Now, back to my opening statement.

On Sunday night, after a week of trauma and orthopedic training, the Leyaata ER team received a patient who had been hit by a car while we were all sound asleep in our beds. Applying the trauma training they had just received from Jannine and Monica and the orthopedic training from Shmuel, they were able to stabilize this patient, protect his spine, splint major fractures, bind the pelvis, and accompany him in the Leyaata ambulance to the higher level of care he would require. The testimony of this emergency team was moving—they felt equipped and were able to put into practice all they had learned. Our instructors and our ER team are catching a glimpse of the impact this training and mentorship will have.

Walking home Sunday evening from Leyaata, our team, who were busily chatting with one another, noticed their Ghanaian colleagues stop dead in their tracks in front of them. Our team members wisely followed suit as a black and white python, whose length was about 1/3 of the driveway, slithered across. One version of the story is that Mr. Hicks wrestled Monty to the ground, thereby saving everyone’s life. David Mensah explained this is a rare sighting but quickly reassured us that pythons are not poisonous. He also pointed out that this “big snake” was, in fact, just a little baby.

With three days of service left at the mighty Leyaata, we appreciate the prayers and well wishes of our friends, families, and supporters for safety, health, and a productive end to this remarkable partnership mission. We are all missing home very much but determined to finish strong.

ER team planning for week 2

NEA Tour

Football Match

Ghana’s Got Talent

Eye Team’s Got Talent

ER Team has a talent!

“If I were a parasite” to the tune of “If I were a rich man”

Ghana’s Got Talent: Relay Races

Who can get the cracker from your forehead to your mouth the fastest? That’s talent!

Kyle has moves!

Blending In!

Homemade party snacks: plantain chips, donuts and peanuts

Devotions in NEA gazebo

Graduates of LTEP cohort 2 (shared with permission)

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