Baby, Stitch job, and Batel

    We'll show you the baby pictures first!

This little fellow was born Fri evening.  

Mama and baby did very well.  

He weighed 7lbs.  

 Here is a little girl who was going for water and fell hitting her head on a rock.  

(She's actually the daughter of the Aleg Kazak (judge).  

What can happen at the weirdest times around here? Well, on Thursday we got another another knock at the gate. I was in the house helping to prepare supper and Anita walked into the house. "I am going to the clinic to stitch up another wound," she told me. "Do you want to go with me?" I jumped at the chance to go especially since I had never watched a stitch job being done. When we got to the clinic, Anita got the supplies ready while they laid the small girl on the hospital bed. Her mom was with her, but she was even more worried than her little daughter. This little girl of about 4 years looked up at us with eyes full of fear and pain.  

      

Anita comfortingly spoke some words to her and started cleaning the wound. Gradually she calmed down and we knew that we had her trust and confidence. Sometimes I thought she was sleeping. She was so small but had such a brave spirit. Anita numbed the wound then she got out the stitching supplies. All the while we had the needle hid from the little girl's sight so I don't think she had much of a clue of what we were doing. At times she would hold up the piece of candy Anita gave her and look at it almost to reassure herself that this was going to be all right. After the wound was cleaned and washed, Anita started stitching. Four neat stitches was all it took. Afterward, mommy looked relieved and told her little daughter, "Say thank you."
   "Thank you," the little girl murmured.

~ Megan  

   "Good-morning, Batel, how are you?" 

   There I stand donning my gloves and there he sits trying to decide what answer to give to me. I don't know. I figure he is probably about the same no matter what he says. I've changed his bandage on his leg lots of times, and now he probably just forgets to be thankful it's healing. But no, the poor man has a reason to feel a little horrible right now. I know it is easy for me to forget the pain he could be feeling, so I try to be considerate and careful. As I began to bandage him, he or I pointed to another area on his leg, and began to discuss that. He says it hurts a lot. I feel it is plenty warm and swollen. So he is soon sitting on a chair waiting for Mis Anita to return. Sure enough, he had another abscess.  So, take a look at the picture. I did pity Batel all over again. I heard him moaning and crying as Anita helped him. Who could love an ugly old abscess with lots of puss and fluid in it?  And what are his chances that this is the last one?

~Mis Rhoda

As far as we can tell, Batel likely has a bone infection.  The sores on his upper thigh will heal on the outside, but soon another abscess, fluid pocket will show up again.  We've been treating him here at our clinic for around 2 years now.  To have something like this tested and possibly operated on would mean a lot of money, which this man doesn't have.  With the help of antibiotics and treatment of the sores and abscesses, he has done very well the last while.  

This abscess now will take some aggressive treatment again before we can sent this man off with a clean bill of health.  The infection goes very deep.  I had to cut through around an inch of flesh before I got to the abscess pocket.  Then I could actually stick a Q-tip 4 inches into the wound.  

He comes from way out by the water fall,so coming for care is more than a small hike to this older man.  

~Mis Anita