“Tomorrow will be the best day of my life”

I’ve often thought that these blog entries tend to be more like a string of updates, a list of activities, a mere recounting of things past.  Not a true space for reflection and meditation, insight and epiphany.  Perhaps this is because lack of time allows for only one blog entry every two or three months, and by then so much has transpired that the urge to cram everything into a small space of one blog is inevitable.  Perhaps I’ll blame my children – having 2 kids, one and three years old, is always a great excuse for most shortfalls.  In addition, perhaps I’ll blame our busy schedules.  This is often the case with two-doctor families where both parents work full-time and are both directors of their respective institutions.  Excuses aside, what I’m trying to say is, “Please bear with us for yet another string of updates.”  

1.  “No coverage.”  This is how we refer to a period like the last few months in which no grandparent is living with us to help with our kids.  Since my parents left Zambia at the end of September, we have felt a great void in our lives.  Thankfully, we had a nice home photo session with them the day before their departure.   

And we do chat with them daily on Facetime.  Nonetheless, we look forward to the end of this month when Paul’s mom will come back to join us in Zambia, and we shall once again have "coverage." 

2.  On my operating theatre table, I heard these words from my thin, quiet, 13-year-old patient: “Tomorrow will be the best day of my life.”  “Why?” I gently, but curiously, inquired.  She explained that she has spent her whole life being teased for her squint, or crossing of eyes.  With more than 100 prism diopters of very large angle, congenital esotropia, she did have a conspicuous stigma, indeed.  

But this opportunity was a chance at liberation, at pursuing a normal adulthood of the near future.  I decided to do an “R&R” on just one eye under local anesthesia. Because her numbers were off the typical charts for strabismus surgery, I decided to perform a large recession and resection (10 mm each) in one eye under local anesthesia, with the idea that the residual deviation could be measured and subsequent surgery done on the other eye in the future.  The surgery went beautifully, and her comment about “tomorrow” touched my heart.  I was so grateful for the opportunity to be used of God to help this brave, young lady, who by her one month postop visit was almost perfectly ortho (straight)!

3. Chipwenupwenu Road:  At last!  After years of waiting, hoping, and politicking for a paved road to Lusaka Eye Hospital, it finally happened.  Exactly two weeks after the caterpillars arrived on the scene, Chipwenupwenu Road was finally paved on 29 September 2015.  We can look forward to the rainy season this year, now that the patients will have no difficulty coming to our facility.

Before: Chipwenupwenu Road during rainy season 

During: At the start of road works

During: First layer

After: Road paved!

4.  A new dentist.  Dr. JoyJoy Falia, a dentist from Bangladesh who trained in the Philippines, arrived in Zambia on 2 October 2015 to work with Paul as a missionary dentist at Lusaka Adventist Dental Services.  She also works part of the time for International Caring Hands, with the mobile dental clinic based at Riverside Farm Institute, in which she is able to serve a more rural community in a dental outreach setting.  

We are so happy that she has come to serve in Zambia for at least the next 2 years, and our children really love her!  Last night, Jaycee’s dinner prayer solely focused on thanking Jesus for JoyJoy. 

Jaycee & Zach having fun with JoyJoy's camera

5.  Dental Outreach.  From 8 – 9 October 2015, Paul, JoyJoy and some dentists from International Caring Hands traveled west of Lusaka for anther dental outreach with the mobile dental clinic.  They were able to serve a truly needy community with much-needed dental treatments.

 

6.  A viral illness.  All of October 2015 seemed to be one big blur, after Jaycee came home from school one day with a nasty bug.  We assumed it was a viral infection (probably Coxsackivirus or something similar) which caused the fever, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms (cough, sore throat, runny nose) first in Jaycee, Zachariah, then mommy and daddy.  It took two rounds through our family, knocking each member down and out for several days before moving on to the next victim.  It took my voice away completely for several days.   

Jaycee, going to Lusaka Adventist Clinic to be examined by Dr. Mubanga

Since that time, we have not taken Jaycee back to school.  This round of illness was a powerful reminder that we should not take our health for granted, that we should make our health a priority.  There is a saying that time and health are two things that we don’t appreciate until they are gone.  This is so very true.  And we thank the Lord that we are all happy and healthy again.

7.  MMED students.  I am happy to be an honorary lecturer once again for the Masters in Medicine (MMED) students of Ophthalmology at the University of Zambia (UNZA).  The University has just had an intake of 4 new ophthalmology MMED students (what we call residents), and they have been coming to Lusaka Eye Hospital on Friday afternoons for our Ocular Pathology sessions.  It has been an honor and a joy to be able interact with my favorite group of people to teach – those who are at the very beginning of the rewarding road to becoming an ophthalmologist.  

8.  Royal Livingstone, Independence Day weekend, and Janie’s birthday.  As 23 October is my birthday and 24 October is Zambia’s national holiday (Independence Day), we decided to take advantage of the weekend to celebrate in Livingstone.  It was a lovely weekend, which we spent with the Minor family. 

Distributing children's magazines at a church in Livingstone

9.  ZOS Congress.  The Zambian Ophthalmology Society recently organized a Congress, during which ophthalmologists and other workers in eye care gathered together for a scientific meeting from 29 – 30 October 2015.  I had the opportunity to present two topics: Corneal grafting at Lusaka Eye Hospital (Fresh, Glycerol-, and Alcohol-preserved corneas) and Challenges of running a private eye hospital in Zambia.   

Overall, it was a very interesting meeting, and marked a significant leap forward in encouraging research and academic interest amongst our ophthalmology colleagues in the country.

10.  Kaizer’s concert.  Although I was a music minor in college, my musical activity was subsequently stunted by an abnormally heavy focus on academics during medical school, residency, and on.  Even during our four years in Zambia, I am ashamed to say that I can only count on one hand the number of times I dusted off my violin to perform for any group of people.  So when Kaizer, an amazing vocalist, asked me to join his band for his album release concert, I was more than excited to accept.  We had several rehearsals before the actual concert, which took place on 31 October 2015 at the UNZA chapel.  It was a truly liberating feeling to jam with talented musicians during rehearsals, and it felt wonderful to be making music again.

One of the rehearsals

The flyer for Kaizer's concert

11.  Potential partners.  Over the last month or two, we have had preliminary discussions from two of the founding partners of Lusaka Eye Hospital to re-enter into a partnership.  Operation Eyesight Universal (OEU) and CBM, both key players in the founding of our eye hospital back in 2001, have approached us to consider reviving our partnership.  Although OEU’s budget constraints are preventing them from jumping into a partnership with us, CBM seems quite interested after their visit to our Eye Hospital on 1 November 2015.  We are excited to see what God has in store for us in terms of new partnerships.

With Peter Borchert from CBM Germany, standing in front of the bus they donated >13 years ago

12.  Early Christmas.  Every year, either the Dental family or the Medical Auxiliary from Loma Linda University will send us a Christmas gift care package.  This is so special, as we rarely receive mail from the U.S.  So on 5 November 2015, we received the Medical Auxiliary’s care package, stamped on December 2014!  So you can help me decide whether this was a late Christmas present for last year,…or an early Christmas present for this year.  Of course, the kids didn't care.  They were very excited about the parcel and its contents. 

13.  Late rains, load shedding and kwacha devaluation.  The situation with electricity here in Zambia has gone from bad to worse.  Last year, the rains were sparse.  This led to a very dry season and a shortage in hydropower due to low water levels in the Kariba Dam.  ZESCO, Zambia’s power company, has implemented “load shedding” on a national level since June, where scheduled power cuts in different regions allow the country to manage its shortage in power.  Although some parts of Lusaka have 3 or 4 days of the week without electricity for 8 hour stretches in the middle of the day, our area in Makeni is fortunate to have the power outages occur mostly during the night.  Our scheduled outages used to occur from 10 pm – 6 am, but they have recently shifted to 12 am – 8 am; in addition, there are often unscheduled power outages.  Unfortunately, running the generator during the power cuts has proven to be super expensive, so we have been trying to ensure that the generator is turned off on nights and weekends, which makes for interesting refrigerator and freezer contents. The rains have come late again this year, and we hope this is not a foreshadowing of worse load shedding schedules next year.

Rains have been so sparse that Vic Falls is at its driest point!  Just a trickle in October 2015.

Our handy solar-powered lamp at work during power outages

The lapses in electric power have negatively affected the country and its economy, with major copper mining companies (Mopani, Glencore) deciding to lay off thousands of workers.  Lower copper prices are not good for an economy that is so dependent on copper as its major export product. 

To make matters worse, the Zambian kwacha has taken a huge hit in terms of depreciation.  In 2011, when Paul and I stepped foot into the Zambia, the foreign exchange rate was 4.8 kwacha per 1 US dollar.  From 2012 to early 2015, the kwacha began to devalue slowly, to about 6 kwacha/dollar.  From August to date, the kwacha has gone for a wild ride, with rates quickly rising to 8, then 10, even to 14.6 at some point.  Today, it lies (albeit unstable) at about 10.5.  The cost of almost everything at the shops has gone up, even doubled, in a matter of a few months!  All our consumables for use at the hospital have sky-rocketed, since most of the drugs are imported and purchased with the almighty dollar.  We can only hope for the best in this struggling economy, but things don’t look too promising in the near or distant future. 

14.  Jeff Jones and Zimba Eye Camp.  From 2 – 21 November 2015, Jeffrey Jones, a senior ophthalmology resident from Loma Linda, joined our team for his international ophthalmology rotation.  

He even got to come down to Zimba for an eye camp (15 – 20 November), during which our team was able to screen 244 patients and successfully perform 58 surgeries.  What a great experience it was for all of us to work together with the Zimba team.  We look forward to many more collaborations and eye camps together.

 

15. Marine Corps 240^th birthday ball. On 14 Nov 2015, the U.S. Embassy hosted its annual Marine Corps birthday ball at Ananda’s Wedding and Conference Center.  The Minor family was kind enough to invite us to this regal event.  It was interesting to see four men in uniform march in with the birthday cake, a few pieces of which were cut with a real sword and fed to the U.S. Ambassador for Zambia, the oldest marine present, and the youngest marine present.

On a rare night out without the kids

16. Thanksgiving & Paul’s 40^th birthday.  We were lucky enough to be invited to the Minors’ home for Thanksgiving dinner on 26 Nov 2015.  Although we are far from home, it was lovely to be able to enjoy the camaraderie and friendship of those present.  It was a true feast, and we were even able to celebrate Paul’s birthday briefly with a birthday cake.  

Celebrating Paul's 40th birthday (27 Nov 2015) at home with cupcakes

Happy 40^th birthday, love!  You're the best husband and father anyone could ask for!

17.  The kids. Jaycee & Zachariah continue to grow and learn.   

 

Zach just turned 15 months old.  He is now walking, talking (vocabulary of about 25 words), and climbing everything and anything he can get a foothold on.  

Jaycee loves books and is learning how to read by sounding out the letters for a select few basic words. 

 

We enjoy baking together!

She is also able to tell me the first letter of certain words after sounding them out.  Watching these two munchkins grow and learn is so fulfilling and rewarding.  

And that’s all for this latest update.