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Making a Difference in Africa: It Broke My Heart to Leave Such an Adventure
The Lift Beneath Our Wings
Making a Difference in Africa: It Broke My Heart to Leave Such an Adventure
by: Pamala Lupo, Director of Orthotics
The first two things you learn in Ghana are patience and to always carry your toilet paper with you. I visited Africa this April as a guest of FOCOS (Foundation for Orthopedics and Complex Spine). This international organization is dedicated to bringing state-of-the-art free and affordable care to those who are afflicted with spine deformities and disorders of the spine.
There are 18 million people in Ghana but only two practicing orthopedic surgeons and only about 20 orthotists and prosthetists. Our FOCOS team was made up of 12 orthopedic surgeons and a support staff. My role was to assess the orthotic and prosthetic services and aid in patient care and clinical education.
When I arrived at the Accra airport, the capital of Ghana, the unfamiliar setting was exhilarating. Everyone brought medical supplies of one specialty or another, which presented some issues with customs. Some of us breezed through while others had to "negotiate" permission to bring them into the country.
There is a calmness and easy pace in Ghana that doesn't mesh well with our American ways. While rising at 7:00 a.m. to head for the hospital, our driver didn't arrive until 10:30 a.m. When we finally arrived at the hospital, I assisted Dr. Michael Mendelow with the clubfoot surgery of a 3-year-old girl. The opportunity to assist such a gifted doctor is an experience I will not soon forget. The patient's foot is now perfect and I casted her for orthotics the following week.
The rest of the time was filled with filming surgery, taking inventory of supplies, visiting wards, assessing patients, and seeking clinicians. I made friends with patients, families, hospital staff and strangers just excited to meet an American. I constantly took pictures to share with everyone when I returned. While the pictures show the many images I wanted to portray, they couldn't begin to share the experience!
What was most unexpected for me were the disabled on every street corner as we rode through town. Polio strikes 9/1000 and pediatric amputees are unbelievably prevalent. Children sell goods on the streets to help support their families. The children are often hit by cars and have no means of saving their limbs. Prenatal care is almost nonexistent, so birth defects are abundant. If someone is disabled, there is still the social stigma of not being seen in public. One can only imagine how many more are hidden in their homes and villages.
Wright & Filippis has committed to a 5-year plan in education and patient care in Ghana. We will assist in the development of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician Program at the University of Ghana. W & F will partner with FOCOS and the Ministry of Health to develop their technology and knowledge. Several of our suppliers have already donated parts and supplies as well as unavailable products for the hospitals.
We saw patients at the Trust Hospital up to the minute we left. The halls were crowded with patients who heard we were coming and there were still so many we couldn't help. We hastily evaluated patients for the care they would receive by the next FOCOS group returning in September. When my friend said it was time to leave, I broke down in tears. I was so anxious to return home, yet it broke my heart to leave such an adventure.
The night of my return my daughter had a soccer game. Sitting in the stands that I had sat in so many times before, it was somehow different. The waving American Flag, the green grass, the bright stadium lights, and the haze in the air all seemed crisper. I drifted to the place I had been just a day before. All I could think of were the images and the faces I had left behind. Ghana is truly a land of extremes. The people are educated and not, the seasons are wet and dry, people have and have not. Leisure time was not something I observed Ghanaians enjoying. I never took for granted watching my children, but now it is a treasure.
The importance of material goods is different as well. Only now do I realize that items I once viewed as being "on sale" are equal to that of a month's wages in Ghana. When shopping, I pick up item after item only to put it back because it doesn't hold the same enjoyment. It seems I don't need things like I used to. I was horrified at a recent dinner banquet where too much food was served and the uneaten food was discarded by the buckets-full.
My experience has changed my outlook on life. I am told that these feelings will dissipate with time and I will welcome that...or will I? I have had some people comment that I am calmer since I have returned. I smile and think to myself, "I am on Ghana-time".
If you are interested in more information or making a donation, please feel free to contact me at (248) 829-8284 or plupo@wright-filippis.com.
by: Pamala Lupo, Director of Orthotics
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| Patients soon to receive surgery from FOCOS.e |
There are 18 million people in Ghana but only two practicing orthopedic surgeons and only about 20 orthotists and prosthetists. Our FOCOS team was made up of 12 orthopedic surgeons and a support staff. My role was to assess the orthotic and prosthetic services and aid in patient care and clinical education.
When I arrived at the Accra airport, the capital of Ghana, the unfamiliar setting was exhilarating. Everyone brought medical supplies of one specialty or another, which presented some issues with customs. Some of us breezed through while others had to "negotiate" permission to bring them into the country.
There is a calmness and easy pace in Ghana that doesn't mesh well with our American ways. While rising at 7:00 a.m. to head for the hospital, our driver didn't arrive until 10:30 a.m. When we finally arrived at the hospital, I assisted Dr. Michael Mendelow with the clubfoot surgery of a 3-year-old girl. The opportunity to assist such a gifted doctor is an experience I will not soon forget. The patient's foot is now perfect and I casted her for orthotics the following week.
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| Pam casts a five-day old baby with a hyper-extended knee. |
What was most unexpected for me were the disabled on every street corner as we rode through town. Polio strikes 9/1000 and pediatric amputees are unbelievably prevalent. Children sell goods on the streets to help support their families. The children are often hit by cars and have no means of saving their limbs. Prenatal care is almost nonexistent, so birth defects are abundant. If someone is disabled, there is still the social stigma of not being seen in public. One can only imagine how many more are hidden in their homes and villages.
Wright & Filippis has committed to a 5-year plan in education and patient care in Ghana. We will assist in the development of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician Program at the University of Ghana. W & F will partner with FOCOS and the Ministry of Health to develop their technology and knowledge. Several of our suppliers have already donated parts and supplies as well as unavailable products for the hospitals.
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| Pam before she goes into surgery. |
The night of my return my daughter had a soccer game. Sitting in the stands that I had sat in so many times before, it was somehow different. The waving American Flag, the green grass, the bright stadium lights, and the haze in the air all seemed crisper. I drifted to the place I had been just a day before. All I could think of were the images and the faces I had left behind. Ghana is truly a land of extremes. The people are educated and not, the seasons are wet and dry, people have and have not. Leisure time was not something I observed Ghanaians enjoying. I never took for granted watching my children, but now it is a treasure.
The importance of material goods is different as well. Only now do I realize that items I once viewed as being "on sale" are equal to that of a month's wages in Ghana. When shopping, I pick up item after item only to put it back because it doesn't hold the same enjoyment. It seems I don't need things like I used to. I was horrified at a recent dinner banquet where too much food was served and the uneaten food was discarded by the buckets-full.
My experience has changed my outlook on life. I am told that these feelings will dissipate with time and I will welcome that...or will I? I have had some people comment that I am calmer since I have returned. I smile and think to myself, "I am on Ghana-time".
If you are interested in more information or making a donation, please feel free to contact me at (248) 829-8284 or plupo@wright-filippis.com.