December 15, 2007

Dear Friends,

Mike got a Christmas present early this year. At 7:00 p.m. on Thursday evenings, Mike gives a lecture to our medical students. On Thursday, December 6, he spoke about toxemia of pregnancy. We don’t see many cases of toxemia in Congo, which is curious, since it is a universal disease of pregnancy. The low occurrence of toxemia in Congo has been noted by many missionaries.

Well, such was not to be the case the following Tuesday morning at 1:00, when someone knocked on our door. It was a hospital guard with a note from the maternity ward, which said that they’d just received from a local health center a patient who was convulsing. Mike went immediately and found Mamu Mujinga Ngudie with a blood pressure of 200/100 in a persistent state of convulsion. It was an opportunity to show the benefits of a medicine that has been used forever in the United States to treat toxemia, but not in Africa. After receiving the medication, Mamu Mujinga stopped convulsing. Mike determined that if he could do some manipulations of the head of the baby, he could deliver her baby quickly.

The staff carried the patient to the delivery room where, after stretching the cervix manually a bit and rotating the head into a better position (what we call posterior to anterior), Mike was able to deliver the baby using a vacuum extractor. The baby had been in distress but responded quickly to resuscitation. The blood pressure of the mother dropped within minutes after the delivery to safe levels, and mother and baby were placed under observation with careful monitoring of vital signs, including urine output.

Toxemia with convulsions, known as eclampsia, has a significant death rate as well as serious risks of brain and kidney damage for survivors. At Good Shepherd Hospital, we don’t have the best means of preventing these problems pharmacologically, but we began treatment with what we have. Over the next 24 hours, Mike went to the hospital every four hours to check on Mamu Mujinga. He managed fluid input and diuretics to protect her kidneys and to minimize brain swelling. Twenty-eight hours later, she was still in a coma, but would respond to certain stimulations. However, she was showing no movement of her left side. At 40 hours, she was little changed but now moaned when her name was called. At 52 hours, there was some minimal change again, hope was alive! That evening, Thursday again, Mike was on his way to give his weekly lecture to the medical students, passing first by the maternity. Mamu Majinga was sitting up in bed, drinking a cup of broth!  The family was all gathered around as he approached, pointing to “docteur Mike,” telling her who he was. He took her hand, greeting her in Tshiluba, “Muoyo Mamu.” She didn’t respond, but her condition was greatly improving.

"Docteur Mike" with Mamu Mujinga and her baby after Mamu Mujinga survived eclampsia, with Mike's help, at the Good Shepherd Hospital.

The following morning, as Mike approached her on rounds, she cried out “Muoyo Ngangabuka Mike,” “Hello Dr. Mike.” Tears flowed from his eyes. The Lord is Great and good! Both alive and well.

We are going to suggest something to those of you who might consider this. Majinga’s  hospitalization will be expensive, perhaps, $200. This family comes from a poor village and has nothing. Good Shepherd Hospital provides medical care for those like her, but will be forced to do all they can to get some payment from the family. She and her baby won’t be able to leave the hospital until, somehow, this debt is paid.

Soon it will be the birthday of Jesus. God so loved us that He gave us His Son. We celebrate that by giving each other presents. He might just appreciate a present in the form of assistance for one of the least of His.

If you are interested in contributing to care of the poorest of the poor here, please contact us for instructions.

Our love,

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 313