Service
in the Congo:
Carmen McFadyen's Story
Congo~~why
in the world would anyone want to go to the Congo???
This question
was one I constantly had to answer when I told people where I was going
in May of 2002. When I said I was going back this August-September, people
just shook their heads and smiled. I have been fortunate enough to be
chosen to participate in a Volunteer in Mission with the Pacific Northwest
Conference of the Methodist Church as a registered nurse. Our mission
was to give the first medical care to the refugees from the war torn areas
of the Congo and villages in the bush where medical care is non-existent.
The refugees
live in an 8 x 8 compartment in an old concrete warehouse with no electricity
and no running water. The lack of clean water and proper sanitation is
the main cause of many diseases.
Crying is
not an option there because you are working so hard in poor conditions
and unbearable heat and humidity. There are always exceptions to the rule
and I experienced that exception. A woman was brought in by a friend on
each arm because she was too weak to walk alone. This woman’s diagnosis
was terminal breast cancer with metastasis. All we had to give her was
Tylenol for pain. There are no controlled drugs available there. When
I thought of my Soroptimist friends who have conquered beast cancer and
the ones who are currently battling the disease and all the treatments
and pain medications available and this poor woman would die in excruciating
pain, I lost it. The Congolese nurses and doctors could not understand
my tears because there they are so used to pain and suffering.
This was
only one of the many people we saw—a young girl with tuberculosis—not
in her lungs, but on her beautiful young 15 year old face. I was fortunate
enough to work with her for an entire week. She was admitted to the “hospital”
for treatment. In their hospitals, the patient must supply even the most
basic supplies. There is a raw plastic mattress, no linens, no food unless
it’s brought in by the family, no medicine unless they can buy it,
no nurses except for a minute or two a day. It’s dark and dirty
and depressing!!! This young girl never complained no matter what I did
to her. Oh, how I wish I could bring her to the United States for treatment
and plastic surgery for her disfigurement!!
There is
beauty in the country and the people. The flowers are a result of the
tropical environment and their sunsets are equal to any of ours. They
are a people of unbelievable faith and hope for a better future.
This suffering,
this faith and this beauty is why I went last year and had to return for
a second visit. There are many ways to help our fellow brothers and sisters
through out the world. This just happens to be my choice.
Carmen
is a charter member of SI of Coupeville.
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