Lillian Child of AIDS Kenya


I'm back to my abbynormal self. I've been working on this film all weekend. You
need to turn the sound up on your computer. This was filmed from 2004-2005.
It's a sad film, not because of the ending, but because of the conditions that
a person with HIV must undergo in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. The drugs are
now free, but the transportation to get them is not. So it can cost a person
half a month's pay just to travel to the clinic to get them.

Lillian's mother makes about 1000Ksh per month.In the film she describes the
fees to take the the bus to Homa Bay, it costs them 600ksh. That would leave
the family with 400ksh for the month. As the mother says "It is a struggle
my dear". It did touch the heart of one person over here.
The government doesn't help with these fees. Now think what a
grandmother who is caring for a bunch of orphans does with no money coming in;
How do you look into the eyes of a child and know you can't help them? Maybe
it's one of the reasons no one wants to test the children.
It is only one of the struggles of the children in my village.


I return in a couple of months. I am anxious to get there. It has been far too
long, but I suspect I will understand the wait better after I return. Please
do me a favor and let me know what you think of the film.

Ok and the post script to all of this is that you have to use this link to see
the film, because only OurStage will let me have a 13 minute film. And Blogger
will not let me put in a link so you can click it. So please paste it into
your browser until I get more technically savy. If you do and register at Our
Stage we get $1. Thanks
http://www.ourstage.com/mystuff/WEOQARMYFKFP

Come Meet the Fabulous People Who Helped Make Harambee So Successful. And If you missed
the party come next year.!!!

No Big Deal

You know it really wasn’t a big deal this cancer/surgery thing. I’m a bit stunned by it all, because they really scare you. Everyone told you and me it was going to knock me out or that it hurts so much can’t walk for weeks, but that didn’t happen. I’m fine and back to my old tricks. We even had bevies on the roof on Sunday.

I think the deal is fear and faith. I think the folks who get overwhelmed with fear get knocked out in surgery. I was waiting for the anesthesiologist before surgery and I had this really warm soft feeling of being ok no matter what happened. I didn’t have a vested interest in the outcome. I was so clear on this one, that whatever was pre-ordained for me was ok, right to living or dying. That may sound weird but it was a great feeling.

So now I’m back to trying to figure out how to get the folks in Kenya to get me their records in correct fashion on time. Ah yes, the paper battle. I wrote up a new spreadsheet and sent it to Charles. He made some revisions, but I am confused since he asked for templates they already have. It reminds me of when I tried to get younger daughter to eat peas, not happening. I have asked for the assistance of Shani, an amazing Masaii chief who is here in the U.S. He totally gets American business ethics and frankly may be of great help in working with the villagers.

When I was recovering, my pastor came over and we talked about the different business ethics of the continents. With Americans business means a level playing field, in Europe it’s the rights of workers…and in Africa it’s always family first. So it seems to me I need a person like Shani who doesn’t worry about offending the Luhya but is loyal to One Village and sees the broader picture. I’m kind of curious to see how Charles reacts when he gets my email with Shani cc’d on it. I’ll let you know.

Keep the faith y’all.

FWI

Sorry, I forgot to check in with y'all after I saw the Wizard Weds. The cancer is contained and all I have to do is go back every 3 months for him to check it out. Yee Haw! So I'm hoping for gym privileges in a couple weeks and then on to Kenya.
Thanks for all your kind words and prayers. Now let's focus on the real stuff, getting those folks to send me the records.

Happy Pride this weekend.Bevies on the roof at 2P on Sunday. All are welcome.
MM

NoLie

I'm definitely doing better. The Wizard called several times to see how I was doing, even leaving his personal Owl for transmission of messages (read the guy left his cell phone number!)I was smitten. He said the labs didn't show anything out of the ordinary, but I was still having sweats and shivers and then a neuron exploded and I called the travel clinic. Yeah, Malaria, of course. So that's all under control and I start back in business on Thursday. (Weds. is Wizard day, remember it used to be Prince Spaghetti Day, but the Wiz tops this one.)

I just have to share this letter I got from Bluc Cross. I know, so many of you deal with insurance, hell, I couldn't live with out Margaret my billing secretary, but this totally took the cake as the funniest thing I have ever gotten from an insurance company. I know my friends and family will all be greatly relieved that they approved my admission for inpatient FOR CANCER FCS!But they did warn me that they might not in the future. Ok, so here's the letter, No lie.

Dear Member,

After careful review by the Clinical Cooination Department of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, I am pleased to inform you that the request for hospital services made on your behalf has been approved.

Place of Service: Inpatient Acute Care Hospital

Type of Service : Surgery

I'd like to remind you that your hospital admission must be medically necessary and may vary depending on your specific condition. We will work with your physcian while you are receiving hospital services (Do you think I get to bank the days I didn't use? Ha)

Also, in order to receive benefits during your hospital stay you must remain eligible for coverage and the coverage must stay in force (What am I going to do since the bill is paid?) The nature and level of benefits available to you are specified in your Subscriber Certificate (which of course everyone reads when they are about to be sliced open). Blah blah blah

Sincerely,
Mark Dichter
March Dichter M.D
Physcian Review Unit
BCBS

I must say I find his last name rather appropriate. Ah yes Mother M is feeling better.
Keep the faith y'all and the roof should be open for some bevies this weekend.

Infection

I had been perking this for at least a day. Older daughter was due to leave and younger was to take the shift change. There was enough chaos going on in Virginia for Older to want to get home asap. We said goodnight and I fell into a hazy sleep. She would be leaving early the next day.

Fever induced sleep-wakedness is one of those long lonely things that one has to endure sometimes. We all know what it feels like. The skin is dry and you begin to understand the layers of your brain. My gray matter went from simmer to boil and back. The skull played a stellar game of cellular "red rover" holding on to the brains so they wouldn't boil over and leak onto my crumpled pillow. Sweats, fever, sounds piercing the night, no place to hide till morning.The neighborhood drunk was having a bad go of it himself and was screaming combinations of obscenities that were rather creative given the lateness of the hour. And, No. I don't call doctors in the middle of the night, I tough it out. And frankly I would have been in no mood to make that trip to the emergency room at that hour anyway.

In the morning I knew I was really sick, but there was the shift change thing and one was in Virginia and the other on the Garden State. I drank tons of green tea and finally when I knew that younger was close to the house broke down and called the Wizard. He sounded ominous and told me to get to the hospital and that I might have to stay. That shook me, here I had gotten an A+ in recovery so far.

Younger, husband and neurotic dog arrived within a half an hour and I explained about having to go to the hospital, so they dumped their stuff and off we went. I remarked that if I were in Africa I would just get a Z pack and be done with it. Ever the humorist Younger announced that we had access to good first world medicine and we were going to use it.

Hours later, failed IV line and I am home. Indeed I have an infection. Indeed I am going to have to wait it out. Oh and I'm going to get my Z pack after all. The only good thing I can say about being really sick like this is that if you relax into it, you know one day you will feel better, it's just not now.

Healing

Getting yourself sprung from the hospital requires a set of skills, which I have, in abundance, namely lunacy, enthusiasm and knowing how the system works. It was a snap to get out of that place, but Healing requires a skill set I am woefully short of. I get an A in tolerating pain, but patience, surrender, grace at being reduced to the schedule of a 3 month old neonate are all tough.

Since coming home, I have been reduced to sleeping enormous amounts, drinking tons of green tea and moseying into the white porcelain god to pay homage on a 2 hour basis. The god is a stern taskmaster. There is nothing I can do to heal faster, no amount of stubbornness or ingratiating myself to the sleep fairies will make me heal quicker.Now that the major balloon which was my lower half is shrinking the real pain starts particularly when wanting to reach something as simple as a book or my third set of glasses I had put close enough to reach with my foot. All of this requires ASKING FOR HELP. Yeah, not in this birth package, but that’s the deal here. It’s all about surrender, time, and acceptance.

I have been deeply touched by all the calls, prayers, flowers and goodies people have sent me. However today’s letter from my driver/friend and comrade in Kenya really did it for me. Healing is also about gratitude and appreciation. Francis reminds me in his simple letter what I really need to focus on. Francis, I know you are reading this, and I loved this letter so much I needed to post it for others.

Dear Susan,
First is to praise Lord for taking you through that surgery. To talk the truth,I was so worried coz when you hear somebody is going for surgery and you don't know what kind of surgery is, it's worrying.But God is great and its great to know that you are doing fine.
I would also like to tell you that i read your blog every two days;so even when we have not comunicated, am updated,so Keep up.Give my Salaams to your daughter.Bye for now hoping to hear from you soon.Francis.

Keep the faith y’all