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We are working to sort our pictures and stories so we can tell you about our Kenya 19 trip.
The hospital context–

The main ward at CURE Kijabe consists of four open rooms, each containing six beds. During our week at CURE this ward was at full occupancy with one mother and one child to each bed. During morning and evening rounds members of the team had the opportunity to catch up with the mothers and babies and get a glimpse of life on the ward. While stress and fatigue are natural under such living conditions, we were impressed by the mothers and children demonstrating friendliness, support, and steadfastness in their care for one another. 

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Last week we completed nearly 40 cleft lip and palate repairs! Our team members and local partners worked long hours, sometimes into the night, to complete the operations and see the children back into their mother’s arms. 

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Last Sunday our team met a mother who brought her daughter to Cure Kijabe for cleft lip surgery. As a child, Monica had been treated for a cleft lip and palate herself, but the surgery was not fully effective and she has been suffering from difficulty eating and speaking for the past thirty years due to fistulas in the the roof of her mouth. 

While prepping Monica’s daughter, Joyce, for surgery, Gladys, a member of the local team who trained with Lance to make obturators this week, noted that Monica was struggling to speak and asked if she would like an appliance.    

While Dr. Michelle and Dr. Cooper operated on Joyce, Gladys took impressions of Monica’s palate and anterior vestibule. By the end of the day, Monica had received a new obturator for herself and got to hold her sweet daughter following her own successful surgery. Because of the obturator, Monica is able to eat and drink without liquid coming out of her nose or aspirating for the first time in thirty years!

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We are delighted to have follow up for the story we posted last week about Lance Dowdle! Lance has been able to spend these past few days fitting patients with orthodontic prosthetics.

Because of the rapid changes in a growing child’s mouth, it is essential that these prosthetics be replaced regularly. Today Lance trained our local partners in how to make the palatal obturators and he and the team will be writing protocols and creating instructional videos to leave in Kijabe.

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Thanks to equipment Lance will be able to leave, along with the ongoing dedication of the hospital staff, children who need replacement obturators will be able to get them into the future!

We’ve got pictures from Kenya! Stories to come!!

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