HIV in Galmi

This woman has HIV and is very ill. She has become too weak to walk. She came to the hospital to be seen for a painful rectal tear. Examination revealed fluid in her lungs, which suggests pneumonia. On top of her tear, and HIV, AND pneumonia, she also has tuberculosis. She was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Snake Bite

This young man was bitten by a snake. The wound became very infected. He needs surgery, but has been staying at the hospital being treated with antibiotics and quinine (anti-malaria med) to get him healthy enough to have surgery. They will remove the infected tissue today in the operating room, and perform a skin graft as well.

Maternity Patients with Esther

Esther, a French gynecologist, has been here for many years

Esther with a newborn baby

Malaria in Galmi

This 16-month-old has malaria. He needs a blood transfusion, but he has O-negative, a rare blood type that is in short supply at the hospital. The blood bank here survives by asking for a blood donation, usually by a relative, when a patient receives a blood donation. But any number of blood payments will not help this little boy because we have no O-neg to give him.

Blood is so precious here that transfusions cannot be approved unless the patient has a hematocrit of 18% or below. (Hematocrits are a measure of the percentage of red blood cells in the blood. Normal levels are 35-50.) Even a patient hovering around 19-20, which is less than half the normal amount already, cannot receive a transfusion. This little boy has a hematocrit of 10.

His exhaustion, which is obvious from this photo, is a symptom of his low RBC count and oxygen, and malnutrition. Niger has a heavy load of malaria cases. It is the leading cause of death in this country, and a major contributor to the fact that nearly 2 in 5 children will die before the age of five.

EDIT: A donor was found for this boy!

Inside the pharmacy!

Labels are pre-printed and organized here for easy access

It's a large operation down here in the pharmacy.
More items than just meds are kept here so that we
can keep an inventory of them

Brad's First Night On Call

Tues *AM Aug 14
Last night was my first nite of medical call.
I admitted four children with severe malaria.  Three of them were having seizures and were critically ill with cerebral malaria, that is when the parasites are in the brain.  One young man came in yesterday but before the meds could reverse things he had a stroke.  It was a very sad case.  I hope my patients made it through.  We give blood transfusions, quinine and IV fluids.  When I was at a hospital in Ghana in 1995 many times we didn't have any meds to help people it was unbearable so this is much better to have some very effective tools, not everything we would have in the States but still some great resources.

I am cutting this short because I am eager to go in do pre-rounds to see how my patients did.

Thank you for your prayers and support
I can feel Gods hand in what we are doing
blessings to you
Brad

Last Day of Clinic

Aug 7
Today was my last day of clinic.

The hardest part about going to Africa is saying good-bye.

I have been in Winnemucca for 7 years and have never been away for a full two weeks.  It is very difficult to get all my patient care responsibilities "tucked in",  all my clinic affairs tidied up and all my family issues in order.  I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that everything will be OK in all these area while I am gone.  Of course I know that will not be the case.  My regular day is dealing with all the ways that life tends to unravel around us.  Things are never OK for more than a minute.

However, it has been much easier knowing that I leave my patients in the extremely capable hands of Drs Perkinson and McIntyre.  It has been a great blessing to have these two excellent physicians to work alongside.  I also have an incredible staff to look after my clinic including:  Katherine, Lucy and Gaby.  It is a huge comfort to know that they will not drop the ball.  At the home front I have Robin, Peter and Mary keeping the fires burning(er I mean the AC on).  I couldn't ask for a more supportive family.

At dinner, little Mary shared this verse that she pasted up on the sliding glass window like a 5 year old:
"Do not be anxious about anything,but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6)

God is sovereign and He is trustworthy.

So be of good Cheer

Brad

Visit from Mark

Aug 6:

It was very encouraging to have a visit from our pastor from Winnemucca Christian Fellowship, Mark Clendenen.  We enjoyed a good time of prayer and fellowship and he blessed us with a very generous gift from WCF.  I continue to be overwhelmed by how God has used WCF to be a blessing to me and to my family.  It is especially amazing how WCF proves their commitment to global missions through sacrificial giving and responding to needs of their brothers in Christ around the world.  I am very much looking forward to conveying this gift to SIM Galmi Hospital and helping to ensure it goes directly to where it can do the most good to help alleviate the suffering of those who come for help.

Thank you WCF

To God be the Glory

Serving together with you,

Brad

Sabbath

Sunday August 5,
One of the things I am most grateful for is God commanding me to Sabbath!

I also appreciate being commanded not to worry but to experience His peace and to be joyful!

These are the kind of rules and regulations that I like to put my whole heart into:)

What is your favorite commandment?
Brad

Stepping out in Faith

Katy and I are stepping out in faith to obey God's personal call on our lives to "do something" to serve the health needs of some of the neediest people on earth, people who are our "neighbors" according to Jesus' definition as outlined in his story of the Good Samaritan.  I am especially eager to visit and serve alongside my friend and medical school classmate, Joe Starke, who is the chief surgeon at Galmi Hospital.  We will be in the capital, Niamey,  by the end of this week and are asking for prayers for our final preparations, ministry opportunities, safety and closeness to God.
Thank you,  Brad Granath

11 days

Hi! My name is Katy. I'm 21 and a college student entering my senior year. Biology has been my main course of study, but I've especially enjoyed taking classes on philosophy, theology, and English as well. I'm considering a fifth year at my university, just to continue learning and taking classes because I love it so much.

I have past experience working in the medical field, although I haven't ever worked in a hospital. When I was nine, my entire family of six moved to the Dominican Republic for a year to do medical missions with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. We set up temporary clinics and distributed first aid and simple medications like ibuprofen, vitamins, antiparasitics, and antibiotics. Experiencing the developing world as a child was such a formational experience; it has directly affected my choice of schools, career, and classes, and given me a passion for service and social justice.

Since living in the DR, I've been back there once, and to Nicaragua. Both trips were medical mission trips. I also worked at my dad's clinic in rural Nevada for five years, and volunteered at a free clinic at a men's homeless shelter.

Health and the issues that influence it - affluence, water, nutrition, war, gender - are not a mystery. They are not a secret, they are not unknown, they are not even ambiguous. We know exactly what influences health and sickness, and we have cures and treatments for not only illness and disease, but we have cures and treatments for war, poverty, and discrimination. These are problems which we can solve, and while our actions must be thoughtful and meaningful, action must be taken.

We are leaving for Africa in 11 days, if you count today. It seems like our departure really snuck up on me. I thought I would have more time. To prepare, to learn about Niger, to learn French, to find support, to say goodbye to family and friends...I'm planning on coming back of course. But three weeks in Africa is a long time, and everyone wants to say goodbye. I wish everyone wanted to donate supplies to this hospital. But they have words and not supplies, and the words are good.