“Every body loves Raymond?”

Joey Starling — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:55:47 +0000

While Joey was riding our main mode of transport – a Chinese manufactured motorcycle – down to the work site late one afternoon, an old man stopped him along the way and said he was very sick. Joey told him he could go to our house and perhaps “mum” Beverly could find out what his sickness is and how to treat it.
The next day, the man showed up at the house asking for help. I asked him a myriad of questions regarding his condition and symptoms. I dived into my Special Missionary Medical Books to make sure that my suspicions were correct. The man was around 70 and he just was balling saying that he knew he was dying. His grown daughters and extended family had helped him to pay over 30,000 Naira ($200 US and enormous amount of money for a poor old man) for two different hospital stays and treatment. He said they had told him it was his heart and that there wasn’t much they could do about it and the swelling in all of his lower body & limbs. After my examination and research, I decided all indications were pointing to filariasis as the major cause. This disease is another tropical, mosquito born, disease. The mosquito takes larvae from an infected person and the larvae go through their life cycle inside the mosquito. When the mosquito bites again, much later, the young larvae now are transferred to the new host.
Raymond was so grateful… “Madam, you are so kind” He would say “Thank you” over and over again! He asked us to write down any expenses and he would find a way to pay us later. I consulted the doctor our children have seen about the case and we decided on a course of action and the appropriate medication. Joey purchased it in town and we also decided because of the severity of his case, his age and possible heart condition, and the possible reaction to the medication to keep him overnight! He kept thanking us. He quickly made himself at home…telling all the children, including Jordan and Chase what to do!
We gave him the medication and monitored him during the first 48 hours! The swelling began to reduce some, but it will take weeks to kill all the parasites. Because of an accident combined with the swelling, he has a bladder incontinence problem. There are no depends here and so it complicated matters here. We all had to pitch in to help the Raymond. Beverly had given him a small bell to use whenever he needed anything, since he was sleeping on our small porch. He did not spare using at all! Ring, ring, ring… and soon the nick name “Everybody loves Raymond” began to be an inside joke with our family. We took him to his home and he seems to be doing ok. The swelling is still there, but has reduced some and he is doing much better, however, there may not be a total cure for his condition. So please pray for him!
Anytime we are reminded about the whole bell experience someone will say; “Everybody loves Raymond” and we all chuckle!

Life on the Edge
Sometimes, as we ride down the highway or through the usual traffic in Nsukka on our “machine” (motorcycle), we are reminded of how good most of us have it back in the USA. A vehicle that has 4 wheels and a traffic system and laws help to keep us safe, for the most part. Here, it is amazing how risky it all is. But we are thankful we don’t have to walk everywhere! We really are in need of a small pick-up truck. We have just do not have the funds at this time for this luxury. The most of our funds are being used in the construction and development of the land. Please pray that somehow we can manage to find the funds to purchase a vehicle. ($12,000 USD).
We have gotten our house back into shape and purchased some shelving (Carpenter made them) to be able to put some things up. The place is beginning to feel like a home again. Screens had to be cleaned and new ones installed and general cleaning, cob web removal, and finding a place for everything. We are happy that we are finally having a kind of schedule. The boys are home-schooling and we are forging ahead with plans.
Helping the Community
We have met with the Nsukka Local Government Area Mayor as we had brought Safety Vests donated by our friends at Allied Waste (now Republic) in Fort Worth to the city clean-up workers. The meeting was very productive and a Bull Dozer which will be in the area soon was promised help us clear and level the land. Also we were able to share some disposable bedding/gowns for the pediatric ward in the hospital. These were donated by a manufacturer in the USA. We hope to do more of these types of donations to the communities we will be reaching and involved in.
Bev has been so busy with the locals in Amukpa village. There are so many sick ones. Many of them are basic things she can diagnose and treat. However, some of the problems are quite complex and she has enlisted the help of a Doctor who comes to a nearby hospital several times a week. One of the patients, a young mother, had what looked like intense mastitis and infection. Her child was dying from lack of nutrition and she was in incredible pain. Beverly carried the woman and child to meet this Doctor and he performed a minor surgery (I won’t go into the gory details; suffice it to say that it was a terrible untreated infection). The Dr. indicated that had they not come in, the baby probably would have died and the mother may have lost her breast. Beverly has been teaching the mother (and grandmother) about the care the child needs to survive (including expressing milk – giving vitamins), and making sure the woman continues her treatment.
Due to a particular vitamin deficiency and other particulars, a three-year-old boy who is extremely bowlegged was brought to Beverly. He is need of the proper care, which may be found at Enugu City 1.5 hours from here. We would like to take him to an orthopedic hospital there. The treatment will not be even ¼ of the cost of such treatment in the USA. We are seeking a sponsor for his treatment. We know this is not life-threatening, but in Africa he will be reduced to tremendous discrimination in the future if he does not find a way out. If you are interested in sponsoring his treatment, let us know and as soon as we have the details, we’ll let you know.
Through the experiences of dealing with so much sickness and the lack of education and resources of the people of the village, Beverly has decided that she can enlist some local physicians to donate a day every month or two and will open a weekly clinic. This will be a one-day a week “free” clinic. We are still trying to plan a medical team visit from the USA to help us for a week or two. We will rent a small room for now to see and treat patients. Pray for these plans there is still much to do and think through.
We are not a bank and we know you aren’t either! But please spread the word and if you haven’t joined our financial support team, please join as soon as you can!!! Let your friends and family know that this is a very worthy cause and that the donations are truly benefiting the children! There is so much need and we can’t solve it all, but together we can do something.
We are in the process of retrieving some new additions in our orphan care. Please pray that we are able to negotiate with town leaders and villagers! Sometimes they hide the children, fearing what the white man might do with them!
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. We couldn’t be here and do what we are doing without you!

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“Every body loves Raymond?”