Nurse Denison (second left) poses with the FAME team.

Today, we publish the volunteer reflection of Karen Denison a dedicated volunteer who has been supporting our work at FAME for quite some time. Karen has been helping FAME set up our infection prevention program. Karen was actually the first person we interviewed for our "Volunteer Reflection" series back in December 2021. You can read that reflection HERE. 

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“I have volunteered at FAME five times since 2018. I am a Registered Nurse (RN) and an Infection Preventionist (IP) helping to develop the infection prevention program at FAME in Karatu. I usually volunteer at FAME for about three weeks, but this last time, in May-June 2023, I stayed for five weeks.

This time, my experience was even more fulfilling because of the time I spent working with FAME’s excellent team of nurses. Together, we work to improve the instrument sterilization processes. The team is wonderful to work with, and I found that they are knowledgeable in the processes and eager to develop best practices.

In addition to sterilization, a team of individuals from each department volunteered to be FAME’s Infection Prevention Champions. They monitor their departments for infection prevention practices and provide “just-in-time” training if missed opportunities occur. The group picture below is the “IP Team”. I back them up with continuing education throughout the year.

This has, by far, been one of the best experiences I’ve had traveling or volunteering.  I am looking forward to returning to FAME next year in the fall.”

Loipa (left) poses with his Father (right) in FAME’s Inpatient Ward.

The story below illustrates the invaluable work performed by FAME's surgical department and highlights the critical importance of having skilled medical professionals to interpret our diagnostic results. The patient's father narrates the story and this interview has been translated from Maasai into English.
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“Loipa* has been sick for a long time. For over six months, he has been coughing and complaining of chest pains and sometimes, he could not breathe properly.

I took him to the local clinic many times; they gave him different medications and even injections, but none seemed to work. Then we went to a bigger hospital where they took a photo of his chest [X-ray] but said they didn't see anything bad. They told me to take Loipa home and ensure he keeps warm and eats healthy.

But after a few days, I knew I had to do something as Loipa was getting sicker. A friend recommended FAME, so I decided to bring him here. We started the long and hard journey to FAME, where we took two buses and a bodaboda [motorcycle] to get here.

At FAME, they took another photo of Loipa and said that their photo showed something in his chest that was making him sick and he needed surgery [a thoracotomy to remove a cyst in the lung]. I was very scared but decided to be brave and trust the doctors.

I want to thank the surgeon very much. It turns out that cutting Loipa is what healed him. It has been 16 days now and even I can see a difference. He is so much better! Thank you, FAME. I pray you continue cutting people so that they get better.”

*The patient's name has been changed to protect their privacy and permission was secured to share their story. The quotes from the interview have been translated from Maasai to English. 

Disclaimer: This story addresses a workplace accident resulting in arm amputation and unfamiliar cultural practices. Reader discretion is advised.

Amina (left) poses with her sister in FAME’s Surgical Ward.

Today's story is told by the patient's sister, whom we will call Amani (not her real name). While the patient expressed a willingness to narrate her experience, her physical condition required her sister's assistance in conveying the details of the accident that led her to FAME. As a result, this story is told in Amani’s words.

“My sister doesn't have consistent employment and frequently takes different temporary short-term jobs. Recently, she had landed a three-week job harvesting maize at a private farm. She was very excited, as the pay for this job was notably higher compared to her previous work. I was happy and congratulated her on her good luck. 

A few days later, I got an urgent call from my sister's employer. He informed me of a serious accident that involved my sister and that they had brought her to FAME hospital. Having lived in Karatu for many years, I knew of FAME and had been here many times, so I quickly jumped onto a boda boda [motorcycle] and rushed here. 

Arriving at FAME, I discovered that my sister was already undergoing surgery. Her employer told me he had consented to the surgery as she had lost a lot of blood and the doctors worried that she would bleed to death. ‘Lost a lot of blood, how?’ I asked, as I was very confused. That's when her employer told me my sister had suffered a terrible accident at work and lost her left arm. I was too shocked to react. 

Later, her colleagues told me exactly what happened. Since the farm was always very dusty and the maize husks flew everywhere, my sister would always wear a headscarf to protect her hair.

On this fateful day, as she was working close to the harvesting machine, the machine caught a part of her headscarf. She put her arms up to shield her face and one of the blades on the machine severed it. Her colleagues quickly switched off the machine and rushed to help her, carefully wrapping her severed arm into a kanga [printed cloth popular in Swahili culture] and bringing her straight to FAME. 

When my sister woke up from surgery, she confirmed their story as she remembered the entire traumatic event until her admission to FAME. She recounted how she had experienced significant bleeding, so much so she thought she would die. She is thankful to FAME’s medical team for saving her life. The accident had also resulted in non-life-threatening injuries, including cuts to her abdomen, thighs and head. Stitches were applied to these wounds and she is recovering well.

Due to our cultural beliefs, my family requested her amputated arm from the medical team so we could arrange a proper burial. To us, it wasn't just a body part but an extension of her, so we did not allow the hospital to dispose of it. 

“My sister’s mental state is surprisingly good and I credit the unwavering encouragement and support the FAME doctors and nurses provide. They have consistently boosted her spirits when she has been sad and reassured her that her life isn’t over because of her injury. My family and I are very grateful to FAME; they have gone beyond saving her life to supporting her and us in the recovery process. She is now talking about looking forward to going home and caring for her five children, which is good because right after surgery, she didn’t believe she could care for her children anymore.”

— Amani

Her husband has been very supportive. He visits every day and always checks in to see if she needs anything. She always smiles when he comes, which is good to see. I am sure that with the combined strength of our family and the relentless support from FAME, my sister will confidently embrace the next chapter of her life. At only 33 years old, she has a long life ahead of her.”

*The patient’s name has been changed to protect her privacy and permission was secured to share their story. The quotes from this interview have been translated from Swahili to English.

Koinet* is a three-year-old boy living in a village within Ngorongoro, situated a considerable 100 miles away from the FAME. While herding goats with his cousins, Koinet began to cry out in distress, complaining that his head hurt. His concerned cousins swiftly brought him home, where his mother made him soup and put him to sleep. However, by the next day, Koinet suffered a raging fever and an alarming loss of consciousness. Fearing for her child's life, his mother wasted no time and rushed him to the local clinic. Seeing Koinet’s worsening condition, the doctor asked the mother to bring Koinet to FAME as quickly as possible, recognizing that the young boy's ailment was far beyond their capacity to treat.

“I started crying hysterically when the doctor told me to transport Koinet to FAME urgently due to the severity of his condition. The doctor explained it was a considerable distance to FAME and in order to arrive in time, an ambulance was our only option. The local clinic had no ambulance, so we had to call the nearby town to see if we could get one. I suddenly became so overwhelmed and fainted. I was going in and out of consciousness. Luckily, the doctor knows my family well and sent someone home to ask them to come and assist me. Thankfully, my sister-in-law arrived and, with Koinet, set off in an ambulance towards FAME. I remained at the local clinic, receiving medical care.”

— Koinet's Mother

Once at FAME, the doctors sent Koinet for some tests in FAME’s laboratory and diagnosed him with a severe case of measles that had caused an inflammation of the brain. He was admitted to the inpatient ward and started on a course of treatment that would span three challenging weeks.

“Once I could understand what was happening and that Koinet had been admitted at FAME, I refused to see him. Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t have the strength to see him in that vulnerable condition, especially because he is always so energetic! My family was supportive and my sister-in-law stayed with him while my brother visited them often. After two weeks, they called to say that Koinet was much better and even though he would need an extra week at FAME, the doctors were confident of his recovery. It was then that I mustered the courage to visit him and what a relief it was! He looked much better than the last time I had seen him.”

— Koinet's Mother.

Koinet and his mother spent the last week together at FAME and were happy to go home after being given a clean bill of health.

“God walks in this place! I am so thankful to FAME for saving my child’s life. It’s a miracle that he is alive! He is returning to his usual self and I’m very excited to take him home. I am so happy! This was the first time he had ever had to sleep in a hospital, so I was scared. But FAME took very good care of him. A follow-up visit in five days is scheduled and I have learned to be more alert and watch for signs of when he’s falling sick! I have five children and am not always attentive to them, but I will be from now on.”

— Koinet's Mother.

FAME provides the measles vaccine in our under-5 vaccination program. The result is relatively few cases of measles coming through our hospital doors. In 2022, FAME recorded no cases of measles, while in 2023, there have been four cases thus far, all in children under 10 years of age. Two children, Koinet being one, required hospitalization while the other two could be treated in our outpatient clinic.

*The patient’s name has been changed to protect his privacy and permission was secured to share their story. The quotes from this interview have been translated from Maasai to English.

Ensiankik

Esiankik* is a charming young Maasai girl. She exudes a vibrant charm that conceals her challenges. She doesn't know her age and her mother doesn't either. “Mayelo!” she giggles when we ask. In the Maasai language, "Mayelo" translates to "I don't know,". FAME's social worker, Kitashu, estimates her age to be around 13-15.

For the past five years, Esiankik has been battling illness. It all started when she suddenly lost a lot of weight and became weak. Most days she had leg pain, which got so bad that she couldn't walk to school anymore, so she stopped attending. House chores that had always been easy and fun for her, such as fetching water from the river, where she would spend hours with her friends telling stories, became impossible for her to do. She often just wanted to lie down because she was tired, despite not having done anything. Then on one rainy morning, Esiankik fainted and was unconscious for hours. 

“We rushed her to the local dispensary after trying everything to wake her up and nothing worked. The doctor at the dispensary told us that her case was very serious. He recommended that we take her to one of two hospitals, FAME Hospital or Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), a zonal referral hospital located in the Kilimanjaro Region, as he only trusted one of the two to figure out what was wrong with her.”

— Esiankik’s Mother

Both hospitals were many miles away. Esiankik and her family live in a small secluded village 150 miles from FAME and 220 miles from KCMC. 

“Both options left me heartbroken as they were very far from home and I did not have money to afford such a long journey. But Esiankik was critically ill, so I sold the two cows I had left after the drought and got some money. We took a bodaboda (motorcycle), two buses and a bajaji (autorickshaw) to get to FAME from our village.”

— Esiankik’s Mother

Esiankik (right) poses with her mother (left) and her little brother (center) in FAME’s Ward 1.

Once at FAME, Esiankik was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1, a chronic autoimmune condition requiring consistent insulin therapy. Insulin injections are administered to keep blood sugar levels within a specific range to prevent complications. She also suffered from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes caused by a severe shortage of insulin. She was immediately started on insulin therapy. 

“I was very scared when we got to FAME as I thought Esiankik was already dead. I was happy after a few hours when she opened her eyes. The doctors explained her disease to me and since I don’t speak Swahili, they brought in a translator [Social Worker Kitashu] who spoke my language. Once I understood the lifelong nature of the disease, my heart broke for my daughter. She is so young! How can I care for her when we live so far away and don’t have enough money?”

— Esiankik’s Mother

Esiankik (middle) is flanked by Nurse Moinan Letion (left) in FAME’s Ward 1. With her discharge scheduled, Esiankik was moments away from having her cannula gently removed, marking the end of her hospital stay as she prepared to return home.

This would signal the start of Esiankik's journey with diabetes. The compassionate nurses at FAME taught her mother how to handle the insulin, give injections and properly store it. Although terrified, her mother was determined to learn and asked many questions to ensure she understood everything. 

It's been five years since and yet diabetes continues to be a challenge for Esiankik and her family. This time, she has been admitted to FAME’s inpatient ward for five days. Accompanied by her mother and little brother, she had come to pick up her insulin which FAME generously provides without charge to help subsidize their costs and ease their financial burden. However, since she had missed a week of insulin shots, her sugar was dangerously high and she had to be admitted

“I do everything I can to take care of her. This time, we were late picking up the insulin because I didn’t have enough money for the transport to get here, so she missed a couple of days. I feel terrible! I try so hard to make sure we pick up the medication on time and give her the injections twice a day without fail. But sadly, I have let her down.”

— Esiankik’s Mother

Esiankik’s mother explains that she tries to follow all the advice that the doctors have given her. 

“I follow the diet advice provided by the doctors. However, sometimes we don’t have enough food, so she eats what the rest of us eat. Still, I always try to put her recommended food aside when I can. As for the insulin, I store the vials in a clay pot in the corner of our hut; the pot has soil that keeps the insulin cold. This has worked well. When I run errands in the local market, our elderly neighbor helps me give her insulin injections as he is a nurse and knows how to do it.”

— Esiankik’s Mother

“Esiankik is my second child. I am thankful that her five siblings are healthy; none have this illness. While I can leave three of the children at home alone when I bring Esiankik to FAME, my youngest son comes with us since he is so small. For some reason, he enjoys our FAME visits very much and I know he will be sad when he’s older and I must leave him home when I come here!”

— Esiankik's Mother

“Before Esiankik’s diagnosis, I knew nothing about this disease. I also didn’t know anybody who had ever had it. She was the first. I am so thankful to FAME, who continue to support me in this journey; for over five years now. Without their help, I would not be able to handle this situation. They have taken great care of us. Ashe Oleng [Thank You]!”

— Esiankik's Mother

Asked about FAME, Esiankik giggles, smiles and covers her mouth shyly. Her giggles and smiles say more than words ever could.

*The patient’s name has been changed to protect her privacy and permission was secured to share her story. The quotes from this interview have been translated from Maasai to English.