Letter to Friends, Kenya Trip Oct 2015

Dear Wonderful All,

Hope you have each arrived swiftly and comfortably at your next destinations.

I am happy to report that my luggage and I made it safely back home to SF, where I headed straight for a hot shower and some Vietnamese Pho.   I ended up responding to a medical emergency while on the flight from Amsterdam today.  Fortunately, this occurred within 1-2 hours of landing, and the patient was stable enough to make it to the ambulance awaiting him at the gate.  But, I couldn't help but think of how uncanny it was after weeks of hearing all of your stories about putting on your call light during these "events".  One more to add to the list. 

Thank you all again for making this an enriching and inspiring trip.  It is really an honor to share meaningful work with a group of such capable, generous, well-informed, world-traveling women!  I will be thinking of each of you and the transitions that may come this year.  

Carol - a million times over, you are magnificent and completely irreplaceable in all that you do.  Thank you!!  Sending good luck your way for Ethiopia.  

Missing you all!!

Kim

A Volunteers View in Kenya

The reality of leaving sets in as the final days of clinic come to a close.  It will be hard to leave this place, this country, this rural life.  I enjoy the purity of our daily routine and the natural rhythm of rising and working, without other distractions or influences. These are straightforward days, with quality time to spend with each person before me, space to experience a woman so different from me, and time to devote ourselves to the health of our patients.  The simplicity of human interaction here is sweet and comforting. 

Although it comes with the territory of travel, I find that I will miss the small things - freshly made hospital lunches of chapati, ugali, soups and sukumawiki, tea breaks with my team, doing my laundry while I shower.  How wonderful it was to work hard seeing patients all day then enjoy an evening stroll along the single road of town, or makeshift yoga outside in the gazebo. I will miss waking to the tropical birds, bountiful green lush valley, and the ride through town as everyone gets moving to start the day.  I'll miss the bustilng rough and rugged roads lined with boda bodas, matatus, and cargo loaded on to tractors, bikes, carts or anything with wheels; goats, cows and chickens meandering, and the joyful faces of children strolling along the roadside.  

More than anything, what I will miss most about Kenya is the fellowship.  It is nice to feel welcomed as part of a community, even if we are only temporary guests.  As a team, our PINCC group has been a warm and supportive place to debrief after a challenging case or difficult diagnosis, brainstorm ideas for the days ahead, or ponder Carol's "question of the day".  I admire the talents and expertise of this hardworking team.  This trip has been a special place to share the skills of our trade of caring for women, and it is a blessing to be able to nurture our passion for medicine with so many others devoted to this cause. 

by Kimberlee Honda, Family Nurse Practitioner.  This was my first PINCC trip! 

PINCC in Nyabondo and Muhoroni, Kenya

We have just completed our work in the small towns of Nyabondo and Muhoroni.  Our trainees have been exceptional -  sharp, adaptable, eager to learn.  By seeing as many patients as they could over the course of a week, they have built solid skills in VIA, a few certifying in cryotherapy and LEEP.  They are warm and kind as they teach their patients the importance of cervical cancer screening or how to do a self breast exam, and they take time to connect with each patient, caring for them as if they were family members.  I am especially impressed by the caliber of our Kenyan nursing colleagues, many of whom bring years of career experience not only diagnosing and treating patients, but simultaneously managing the ward, covering administrative duties, processing labs, and providing outreach and case management.    

Each day, with headlamps donned, we stocked and set up our five clinic rooms, careful to make our few precious linens, instruments, and supplies last.  Women arrived by busload from neighboring villages, sometimes traveling overnight to reach our clinic.  All day they sat and waited patiently to be screened - quiet, stoic, but with enthusiastic eyes.  Each woman was eager to enter our simple, sweltering exam room, for her turn to learn the results about her screening exam.  Some received news that they would need further treatment that day, while a few were found to have advanced cancer.  But I will never forget the relief and excitement of the majority of the women screened who received the much anticipated news that they do not have any signs of cervical cancer.  Many of these women would go on to tell friends, sisters, aunts and coworkers to come for VIA screening for the very first time.  

by  Kimberlee Honda, Family Nurse Practitioner.  This was my first PINCC trip! 

At St. Joseph's Hospital in Nyabondo, Kenya

After many days of travel, we finally arrived in Nyabondo, and were able to start work. The nurses seem eager to polish their VIA skills, and the patients are happy to be seen. Day one went well- we saw 30 patients and expect to see many more tomorrow. Area health care workers helped to spread the word of our visit, and mobilize patients from surrounding areas to take the bus in to see us. This is so amazing and important, as only one woman I saw today had ever had cervical screening done before. We finished the day with a walk around town and a delicious dinner, and then off to bed so that we can do it again tomorrow. 

October 12th, 2015. 

From Daisy Grochowski, Certified Nurse Mid-Wife

Words from Kenya

 MONDAY, OCT 19TH,
 
Several new worlds have opened up for me in a week.  

1) The lovely landscape of Kenya.  
2) Peeking into the world of medicine (not my profession) and eavesdropping on the conversations of a superb group of doctors and nurses, speaking an intriguing new language (for me.) 
3) Working with warm, friendly, lively Kenyan doctors, nurses, and patients in Nyabondo last week, and Muhoroni this week. 

An added bonus: giving some author talks to the liveliest group of schoolgirls I've ever met!  (I'm a children's author.) 
I've barely begun to process what it all means.

From Gretchen Woelfle