Today our journey took us through a very picturesque scenery, very green and lush, from Rhino Lodge overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater, to the small village of Endulen, home of long time PSCTP driver/team member, Lesikar Naalais. Along the way we encountered many young children on the roadside and were able to give them toy cars […]
Friday, the donkey team returned to the Maasai village we went to on Tuesday. When we were there on Tuesday, the villagers weren’t immediately receptive to us working on their donkeys. We arrived later than we planned and the men were involved in a big political meeting and weren’t available to give their blessing […]
What a wonderful week in Arusha. How many times can you say you actually changed someone’s life and really feel it? Well this week I think Phil Simon Clinic can say that a few times over. From medical screenings, to veterinarian clinics and donkey care to life changing surgeries. Long days and tiring work are […]
Day 3 of clinic work in Tanzania…where do I begin? Day one was highlighted by the look of relief on mother’s faces when told their child was cleared for a surgery that could dramatically change their lives. Later in the morning at St. Elizabeth’s, I was requested to go upstairs to consult on a 4 […]
I am in Tanzania, because 15 years ago, I walked into the Huntington Hospital ER with AIDS, living in perpetuating fear that my secret would be discovered. I was violently ill. The Hospital admitted me and that’s when I met Dr. Shriner. That week in the hospital was one of the worst moments of my […]
“Are you OK?” I ask as I jump back from the exam table in response to my patient’s scream. “That wasn’t her,” the interpreter clarifies. “It was a goat outside.” I have to stifle myself from laughing at my own ignorance. Being at Kisongo Clinic has been among the most eye-opening experiences in my clinical […]
2nd day in Tanzania. Yesterday we screened patients who possibly could benefit from – and for whom we could safely perform – surgery. Today was the first operating day, so it was early to rise. At 6:00AM at the Lodge, you arise to a quiet pleasantness – the nighttime sounds have stilled, and the morning […]
Today was an incredibly special day. Yesterday, we met a beautiful (but tiny) 10-year-old girl during a pediatric clinic we held at a government school. She had an obvious deformity to her chest. When we examined her, we discovered that she also had a very serious heart murmur. Because we are fortunate enough to have […]
178 Medical and pediatric patients at Kisongo Clinic, pediatric clinic at Azimio school, 8 life changing orthopedic and plastic surgery cases at St Elizabeth hospital, lectures at St E,powerful home visits, the birth of many new donkey ‘equitarians’ at Azimio, 35 spays and 85 vaccinated cats and dogs, beautiful murals to celebrate animal kindness […]
I just can’t get the smile off my face! I was last in Arusha 40 years ago and recognize nothing of the small town it was then, but no matter… EVERYTHING makes me smile! There is all the traffic on the new 4-lane road with its dala-dala mini-buses and motorcycle taxis. Brightly garbed women and […]