This young wife and mother, Brenda, was referred to me by, Ema, one of the medical students I met in Uganda who helped us with treating some patients we brought to the hospital. Ema had met Brenda when she was shopping for souvenirs in the city and they became friends and kept in contact with each other after Ema headed back to Europe to continue her studies.Brenda had written to Ema that she thought she had appendicitis and so Ema, worried for her, contacted me and I contacted Ronald. Ronald immediately tried to connect with Brenda but she had changed her phone number and so we didn’t find her for a couple of days. I decided I needed to send money to Ronald in case this girl was in an emergency death and life situation, which I thought might be why she was not answering her phone.. It turned out, after Ronald finally found Brenda and got her to a doctor, that she did not have appendicitis, but a severe case of PID.. Pelvic inflammatory disease.Since that time Ronald has visited Brenda and her family. The family is in dire need. I sent 900 dollars to Ronald for Brenda’s treatment, money which, after hospital fees and medicines for her, then a hospital visit and treatment for their little girl who was sick and for food for the family, will all be used up and even more will be needed as the treatment for Brenda’s infection goes on for some weeks yet…This is a family of Chrisitan believers. Ronald affirms Brenda is a “strong believer”. Brenda’s husband, still a relatively young man, was in an accident a couple years ago and busted up his leg. Before the accident he was a boda-boda driver and Brenda had a chicken business. Brenda had to sell her chickens to pay for her husband’s leg operation. They didn’t have enough to finish the treatment, so he still retains the steel pins and plates used to stitch his bones together. These pins and plates still need to come out.I have no idea why they would insert a pin this way, let alone not take it and the plates out afterwards, but who can explain such medical practice!?…Ronald writes that Brenda’s husband wants to work, but is unable to get work as the employers don’t think him capable of operating their motorcycles with his leg in such a condition. Ronald writes “He is confused” and “is passing through the furnace of hard life”…Brenda with her husband and 3 children. The 4th child is a 17 year old cousin who is mentally disabled. I imagine they took the boy in before all their hard troubles began. In East Africa, mentally disabled children are often left to die or fend for themselves on the street. This tells something about their Christian hearts for sure.
