Monday, April 22- Tuesday, April 23: Fabrication and even more new patients

Monday was back to work! I started the sewing part of fabrication on Monday morning, which is for the "sails" that go on the above knee prosthetic sockets. Whitney helped with cutting out material and burning holes for attachment holes and in straps for buckles---this is a time consuming and tedious process, so we are so grateful for her patience in doing this. Caro continued with laminations and had a countdown going for when she would finish. Protashow was cutting out sockets once they were finished laminating, breaking out the plaster and smoothing the socket edges. We had quite the assembly line going. 

Protashow smoothing a prosthetic socket. 

Caro getting in some study time between doing laminations. She's an orthopedic technician and is going to school right now to be a Orthopedic Technician Meister (which is what we call a practitioner in the U.S.) 

John polishing an ocular prosthesis. 

Me sewing the sails (cloth portion for the prosthetic sockets)

Caro checking the lamination of an above knee socket to make sure it was set. 

The finished sockets table where we would start assembling the prostheses. 

Carts for the finished prostheses and supplies. We have a bag for each patient with their prosthetic supplies and matching shoe that we put on the prosthetic foot. 

Also on Monday morning, John went with Protashow to Macha Hospital to see Dr. Samuel about Protashow's eye. 

 Protashow had gotten something in his eye the week before we arrived when a car battery exploded, which turned out to be a piece of plastic from the battery that Dr. Samuel removed. We were all so thankful for the care from Dr Samuel and preventing serious damage or infection of Protashow's eye. 

On Tuesday, Onester came with her husband to see John for a check up. He made her ocular prosthesis in 2014, so she's in need of a new one. 

John took an impression on Tuesday for a new custom prosthetic eye for her. 

Also on Tuesday, we had a prosthetic fitting. This is Hardwell, who we were able to fit with an above knee prosthesis. Judi is the one holding the phone taking a picture. 

Judi and Jack are missionaries in Mkushi, Zambia, which is 582 km (362 miles) from New Day Orphanage where our clinic is located. They know Wes and Laurie from New Day, so had found out about Prosthetic Promises and our trip in April after talking with them. 

Here Protashow is getting crutches for Hardwell to use instead of a walker while I'm making changes to the settings of his prosthetic knee. 

 Hardwell had a significant burn injury to his right leg in 2016 which was not healed when in October 2018, Judi and Jack's non-profit Help4Hope Afrika covered the hospital costs for Hardwell to get an amputation. 

Judi and Jack drove all the way from Mkushi, which took 14 hours on the roads in Zambia, with Hardwell and Mimi (who was seen by John for a prosthetic eye) for them to be seen at our clinic. They stayed with Hardwell in the area while his prosthesis was being made and then brought him to the clinic on Tuesday for fitting. 

Here's Judi giving Hardwell a great big hug in her excitement for him to be walking with a prosthesis. 

Group photo after finishing with the fitting of Hardwell's prosthesis. This is wonderful testimony of what the love of God can do for someone. He puts people in our lives for His purpose. All glory to Him!

On Tuesday afternoon, we also had a man come to the clinic who wears these braces due to the effects of polio. These are quite simplistic braces that attach to shoes that he uses to keep his knees straight and support under his hips for him to walk using forearm crutches. We don't have the ability to make KAFOs (knee-ankle-foot-orthoses) at our clinic due to lack of materials and the time needed for fabrication of these. He had gotten these braces in Lusaka and lacked transport money to go back to get new ones. Our only way of helping him was to give him the money needed to get to Lusaka and refurbish his forearm crutches. He was very understanding and gracious of our explanation, and very thankful for the money to get transport to Lusaka. We pray that this man will get the help he needs in Lusaka with new braces for his legs that keep him able to walk. 

Monday and Tuesday were very eventful with new patients, a patient fitting and continued fabrication. Our week would only get more eventful and busy!

Next post: Wednesday, April 24- Thursday, April 25: Finishing fabrication and patient fittings