Thursday, May 3: Eye fittings, more P.T. patients and fitting Joyce's brace

Thursday was the rest of John's patients from Choma for eye fittings. Protashow left out first thing with the bus to Choma to pick up patients. There were 8 people for eye fittings on Thursday.

Fabrication continued for the prostheses and orthoses....crunch time! Friday and Saturday would be patient fitting days.

Amanda drilling holes to screw the sail onto the prosthetic socket.

Blu came by the clinic to hang our sign that came on the shipping container. A friend of John's made this sign for our clinic. What an awesome gift!

This is Enest who had a severe stroke. John made him a prosthetic eye, we provided him with a walker and fit him with an AFO (ankle foot brace) to help him to walk more safely.

Amanda had 2 patients on Thursday for physical therapy evaluations. This is Amy from Children's Nest, an orphanage in Choma that Carolin works with, who brought Catherine for physical therapy evaluation. Amanda taught Amy stretches and positional techniques to address Catherine's internal rotation.

Amanda also worked with Junior, who has tone due to hydrocephalus. Amanda taught his mom stretches for his arms and legs, and she and Carolin casted him for hand splints to use for positioning. Carolin will make this hand splints in Germany and send them for us to fit in September.

Joyce also came for fitting on Thursday of the modified AFO we made. 

This is a good picture to show how callused her foot is from walking on the top portion of her foot that is curled under.

Initial fitting of the device. This fitting took a while, because I needed to make multiple adjustments to get it fitting and working just right. 

After finalizing the fit of the brace. 

Joyce had amniotic band constriction, which you can see on her left leg, is why her right foot is deformed and she also has a few fingers amputated as well. In the U.S., she would have had corrective surgery for the right foot as an infant. This brace supports under her heel to take weight off the top part of her foot. It also allows her to walk without a limp. I will follow up with Joyce in September to make sure the brace is still fitting well.

All the patients from Choma for eye fittings getting off the bus.

This is Kaboba, who lost his eye after being gored by a cow horn. He has a lot of scarring and internal damage to the eye socket from this injury.

What a wonderful smile after being fit!

This is Brite, who is 28 yrs old, and had an infection that caused him to have his eye removed years ago. John saw him last year for the first time, and he had a very small and constricted eye socket since his eye was removed so long ago. He fit him with a prosthetic eye and over the course of the year it gained back some of the lost socket size, which was the desired outcome. John was able to fit him with a bigger, more appropriate size eye this year. 

Group photo after fitting!

This is Costanine, who lost his eye from a bad chemical burn.

This is Nadezida, who is 40 yrs old, and still has her eye, but it has become shrunken and blind. She said that it just started to do that on its own, so she does not know her exact diagnosis. John was able to fit her with what's called a scleral shell that fits over the damaged eye.

This is Charity, who had her eye removed as a child from a stick injury. John said her fitting seemed to make the biggest difference of all for the person. She was so "down" on herself overall and especially her looks, so having the prosthetic eye fit helped her tremendously. What a beautiful smile!

This is Mivet, who John has seen for the past few years.

Group photo with Mivet and his father.

This is Alex, who is 36 yrs old. He said he had a horrible itching issue in his eye that turned into an infection and required it to be removed.  

John got a group picture with his patients from Choma after all the fittings were finished. 

Dr. Samuel Verkerk from Macha, with Eye for Zambia, did 8 eye removals of the 18 eye patients John saw during this trip. Dr. Verkerk fit them at time of surgery with orbital implants that Prosthetic Promises had sent to him. Quote from John, "Surgical implants in the African Bush, just AWESOME!". This contact with Dr. Verkerk has been great for John to be able to provide complete care for these patients with necessary surgery first and then fitting of a prosthetic eye. It's really cool to see how God puts us in contact with people and provides these connections and conversations for His glory.

After all the patients left, Blu brought the kids from New Day up to the clinic for a field trip of sorts to see what we do.

Even Ron and Dee's dog, Danu, finds prosthetics interesting. 😊

We got a group photo of the team under the newly hung sign for the clinic!

John packed up his tools and supplies after seeing patients on Thursday. He would leave out early Friday morning to Livingstone to fly to South Africa to see his daughter, Erin, who is doing her graduate studies there. He visited her for the weekend and then met back up with us at the Johannesburg airport on Monday.

Next post: Friday, May 4: Macha area prosthetic patient fittings

Friday, May 4: Macha area prosthetic patient fittings

Friday was fitting day for the Macha area patients. Protashow went with the bus first thing in the morning to Macha to pick up the 9 patients we would fit on Friday. 

While we waited for the patients to arrive, we worked on getting the rest of the prostheses ready for the Choma area patients who we would fit on Saturday.

Here's Christopher getting his prosthesis and new shoes on.

After making sure the prosthesis fit well and was adjusted properly, Amanda worked with Christopher on gait training. 

Here's Blessford with his father. Blessford was seen last year for repair to a prosthesis he had that was a "straight leg" prosthesis, meaning the knee did not bend. We brought a pediatric prosthetic knee specifically for him this year.

Chris making some adjustments on his new prosthesis.

Blessford getting some gait training with Amanda as he tried to figure out the new prosthesis with bending knee.

This is Boyce, who has an amputation below the knee. I made him a prosthesis 2 years ago, which is now not fitting well, so he got a new prosthesis this year.

His fitting didn't take as long since he is familiar with how to use a prosthesis and all of the instructions.

This is Akim, who had a foot deformity with his right leg much shorter than his left. Last year, we repaired his existing device but he needed a new one this year. 

This is essentially an orthosis and prosthesis combined. The portion at the top is an AFO (ankle-foot orthosis) to support his leg, ankle and foot and then underneath is attached a pylon and prosthetic foot to make up the height difference. This is the same design as what he had before, so he is familiar with walking with this type of device.

This is Harrington, who has a right foot deformity with tone. I was able to correct his foot to not invert (bend inward) but his toe still pointed down. 

This brace is holding his ankle and foot at the best corrected position and enables him to walk without walking on the side of his foot. I hope to slowly correct his foot more over time with new braces. He would really benefit from seeing a neurologist and botox injections for the tone, but this care is not available in Zambia to our knowledge.

Here's Amanda working with Patrick on gait training with his new prosthesis.

Carolin did have one repair to do on Friday, which we weren't expecting.

Chris and Protashow with Given after fitting of his below knee prosthesis.

This is Best, who is just over 2 yrs old. He has a congenital amputation, so he has never walked before. 

His prosthetic fitting was a bit difficult. He was scared so he was crying, and then towards the end he fell asleep. Best is about the age that Luxon was when Chris first saw him in 2012. We see Luxon every year for a new prosthesis as he grows, and we'll see Best as well each trip to make him a new prosthesis.

After the patients left, it was mid-afternoon. Carolin and I stayed up at the clinic to try to finish up the prostheses for Saturday's fittings. We got caught there during a brief rainstorm and the electricity went out. We ended up not quite getting done.

We would assemble the last 2 prostheses on Saturday morning before the patients would arrive from Choma.

 *Next post: Saturday, May 5: Choma area prosthetic patient fittings

Saturday, May 5: Choma area prosthetic patient fittings

Saturday was the patient fitting day for people from the Choma area. Protashow left out for Choma with the bus first thing in the morning while we finished getting the last 2 prostheses assembled. We had 15 patients to see from the Choma area. 12 came on the bus back to the clinic, but 3 did not. We also had a lady come, Cledness, for a repair to her prosthesis. She really needs a new one, so we got her contact information to see her in September to make her a whole new prosthesis.

Here's Lucky getting fit with his device. This is another orthosis and prosthesis combined consisting of an AFO (ankle-foot orthosis) to support his ankle and foot with a pylon and prosthetic foot attached underneath to make up the difference in height. Lucky has a significant leg length discrepancy and has a fixed plantarflexion contracture due to walking on his tip-toes on the right side for so long.

Pastor Webster came with Lucky and translated for us as well. Carolin knows Pastor Webster from Choma, which is how we found out about Lucky and his need for an orthotic device for his leg length discrepancy.

Chris talking with Christone for some gait training.

Chris fitting Rosemary with her below knee prosthesis.

Rosemary after fitting of her prosthesis.

Little Rhoda getting her new bent knee prosthesis. Here I'm checking the height of the prosthesis by checking to see if her pelvis is level.

Carolin encouraging Rhoda to walk so I could check the alignment of her prosthesis. She's so shy around us. I'm hoping she'll get used to us and not be so shy, but I'm sure it's a scary experience for her to come to the clinic to be fit with her prosthesis.

Rhoda and her father. She got extra prosthetic socks and an extra pair of shoes with her prosthesis. I let her father know that we will be back in September so we can check up with her.

Giving Christopher some instructions about his prosthesis through a translator.

Here's Chris fitting Auvin with an above knee prosthesis.

Chris got a picture with Auvin after they were finished with his prosthetic fitting.

Staci stopped by to say hello. 

Here's Salia getting fit with her prosthesis.

And then she worked with Amanda for gait training. Amanda is adjusting a pair of crutches for her height in this picture.

Here's Protashow on the left (he didn't totally get in the picture) talking with Visa about his new above knee prosthesis.

Lawrence working on bending the knee of his above knee prosthesis.

All the patients waiting on the porch of the clinic.

Chris working to adjust the alignment of Allister's prosthesis.

Chris giving more detailed instructions about walking with the prosthesis.

We initially had Peter trying to walk with crutches with his above knee prosthesis.

But we decided the walker was better for stability and safety for him. Amanda only had a brief time to work with him on gait training since he was the last patient fit and the bus was leaving soon.

Got a picture of Carolin and my goodbye. She rode on the bus back to Choma to Children's Nest, the orphanage she volunteers at. She would be leaving later in the week to go back home to Germany and had more work to do at Children's Nest before she left.

The 3 patients who didn't come were Simon, Denis and Mainde. We had their phone numbers to call them, so we were trying to arrange for them to come on Sunday for fitting. The original plan was for us to all leave on Sunday for Livingstone, but we decided that Chris would stay behind to see the last patients while Protashow took Amanda and me to Livingstone on Sunday to see Victoria Falls before our flight on Monday.

*Next post: Sunday, May 6-Tuesday, May 8: Last patient fittings and travel home

Sunday, May 6-Tuesday, May 8: Last patient fittings and travel home

On Sunday, Amanda, Protashow and I left New Day for Livingstone. Chris stayed behind to see the last 3 patients that didn't come on Saturday...who we hoped would make it to the clinic on Sunday.

Protashow took Amanda and me to Victoria Falls on Sunday and then to the market downtown.

These baboons got really close on the walking path at the Falls. 

Only 2 of the 3 patients came on Sunday for prosthetic fitting. Mainde and Denis came, but Simon did not. (And we didn't get any pictures of the fittings). Chris said both fittings went really well, and we talked with Protashow about fitting Simon if he comes to the clinic. 

Farewell clinic....until September. Since we have the storage room and work areas set up now, we get to leave a lot of supplies and tools in the storage bins, etc. This will make it easier for Protashow to see patients for repairs between our trips, and it made it nice that we didn't have to have everything packed up before we left. Protashow would take care of more organizing and cleaning after he got back from Livingstone.

On Monday morning, Blu drove Chris to Livingstone to meet up with us before we went to the airport. Before we had to be at the airport, Protashow was super nice and got up early to take us on a short, self guided game drive in Livingstone at Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. We didn't see much large wildlife but it was still really cool, and Protashow was a great guide.

We saw lots of warthogs and this really large bird (that I don't know what it's called).

There was also a lot of impala.

And this giant bird (again, don't know the name of it). We also saw one hippo, but I didn't get a picture.

Once we met up with Blu and Chris, we got all our luggage together and headed to the airport. We met up with John at the airport in South Africa and arrived back in Texas on Tuesday, May 8. Another successful trip for PPIHN in the books!

Well, that's a wrap on my blog posts about our Spring 2018 trip. We are making plans and getting ready for our September 2018 trip. Right now, the team for September will include Suzanne O'Connor (prosthetist/orthotist from Dallas who went on our 2016 trip), me (prosthetist/orthotist), my friend Louise Mahnich, who is going to assist the team and be our photographer/videographer, and Protashow, our "on the ground, year round" team member. 

I hope this series of blog posts has shown what Prosthetic Promises is all about, and more importantly what God is doing with this ministry. All the team members are just blessed to be part of this. We are constantly in awe of the things God is doing with Prosthetic Promises....the number of people praying for this ministry, the donations that make these trips possible, and the new connections and conversations that are showing us how PPIHN is growing. Thank you for your prayers and support for PPIHN! 

Reflections at T-minus 4 days

Sunday's sermon was extremely thought provoking for me. Shout out to Pastor John for the well timed message right before we leave for our trip. The scripture was from Acts 3 and Luke 24:33-48. In both of these scriptures, it's talking about events that "are not reasonable" (to take Pastor John's wording) by our human concept of life and what happens in the world. In Acts 3, Peter heals a lame man who can then walk for the first time in his life. In Luke 24, Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection. Both of these are just not reasonably explained. 

Now the part that started my sequence of thoughts and reflection is in Acts 3:12 when Peter says to the astonished crowd after he heals the lame man, "...why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" (NIV). And then the pastor's question to apply it to us today: "Can I get a witness?" 

Why yes!, pick me! I want to be a witness!

So, here's my self examining question: How am I being a witness to God's work with Prosthetic Promises? How good a job am I doing showing others what He is doing through this mission? We certainly aren't miraculously healing people, but God is doing some really awesome stuff through PPIHN....and not just in Zambia. The amount of conversations and opportunities we have to witness here at home is amazing. Am I taking all those opportunities? 

Have I told you about the "unreasonable" things we have witnessed God do on our trips?          
  Like in September 2016, when Suzanne and I were working at the clinic and had no idea the electricity went out at the orphanage for about an hour. The clinic is connected to the same electricity, but it stayed on at the clinic and we continued to work through that time. 
  Or the fact that we saw 38 prosthetic patients and 22 eye patients in 12 working days last year. That's a lot!! of work to be done in that short time. Only way that is possible is through the empowering strength He gives each team member during the trip. 
  Or the time I needed just one rivet to repair a woman's forearm crutches, and we had not packed any rivets to take. I had searched through everything looking for a rivet or bolt I could use, and I knelt down at this trunk of mixed components and prayed "God just give me one rivet to make this work for this lady"....and I found just one. 
  Or the year that a lady who came to for John to make her an ocular prosthesis traveled with her husband and baby on her back on a single bicycle for hours to get to us. 
  Or the reality that PPIHN is about to embark on the 6th trip to Zambia and work out of a clinic built through donations. 

There's so many more stories and opportunities for us to be witnesses proclaiming the work God is doing through Prosthetic Promises...both in Zambia and here at home. I pray that we identify and take those opportunities. Because, like Peter, we want you to know it's "not by our own power" that any of this is possible. 

I'm looking forward to sharing with you about this trip when we get back. We so appreciate all of your prayers for this mission!

New things for 2018

So, there's a few changes for 2018 from my previous post. 

#1---we're adding a second trip in 2018! Prosthetic Promises will be making an April trip and September trip to Zambia this year. We have been working towards this, and it looks like we can make it happen this year. It's pretty difficult to expect patients we see to wait a whole year to see us again. Yes, we have been training Protashow each trip so he's available to do repairs to prostheses if someone needs it, so we aren't leaving people without any options. But doing 2 trips this year will be fantastic! With each trip, we've had more people we've had to turn away due to lack of time and materials. An additional trip will allow us to see more people and check in on patients. 

#2---with the added trip, we're incorporating more people for the Prosthetic Promises team. Suzanne has opted to do the September trip, which works out better for her schedule. So, April's team will include John, Chris, myself and newcomer Amanda. Amanda is a physical therapist who works in Denton, which is how I know her. Having a P.T. on the team is so exciting! Chris and I will be able to fit patients and then Amanda work with them on gait training. Usually, because we're working to fit so many people in one day, we only get to work with each patient on the basics of how to walk with their new prosthetic leg. Amanda will be able to work with them more in depth. She will also be helping with all the other aspects of our trip like evaluating patients and fabricating the prostheses. 
     It also looks like Carolin, who is an Orthopedic Mechanic in Germany, will be able to volunteer with us. She has been to Zambia before and found out about Prosthetic Promises online. She's making a trip back to Zambia to volunteer at an orphanage in Choma and will be there during our April trip, so she'll be able to work with us. I think this is a pretty cool opportunity for some mutual learning---prosthetic fabrication in Germany vs the U.S., techniques, etc. 

#3---there's currently a cholera outbreak in Zambia. It's mostly in the capital city and surrounding area, which is about 180 miles from New Day Orphanage where we stay for our trips. New Day is only affected right now by their school semester being delayed in starting, as the government has delayed all schools from starting the term. We are looking into cholera vaccines for our upcoming April trip. Please join us in prayer for Zambia as they face this cholera outbreak. 

I'm really excited to see Prosthetic Promises growing with an additional trip planned for this year, new people on trips, seeing more patients and overall having more opportunity to be servants for Christ. 

Excited to be back at the clinic for another trip in April!

Plans for 2018

Hello there...it's been a while. Though I haven't done a blog post since I finished our "2017 trip recap", we've still been busy with plans and coordinating for our upcoming 2018 trip. 

We have 4 team members going in April 2018, including John (ocularist), Chris (prosthetist), Suzanne (prosthetist/orthotist) and me (Katie) (prosthetist/orthotist). This will be Suzanne's 2nd trip, and since we've all been before it should make it easier with travel and the "what to expect" part. We are talking with a prosthetic technician from Germany, who is trying to coordinate her trip to Zambia to align with ours so that she can volunteer with us. We so hope this works out!

We have some really awesome board members for Prosthetic Promises! Two board members, Jordan and Hope Overturf, recently organized an online Indiegogo fundrasier to raise funds for our next trip. The fundraiser featured "rewards" for certain donor levels. All the rewards were from Africa. Over $2,000 was raised...all going towards our trip in April. 

                   

Team member John Brinkley and his friend Greg will be making another trip to Kansas to load the shipping container with supplies that will head to Zambia early next year. We basically have to plan a year and a half in advance when packing things on the shipping container. The container that John and Greg loaded supplies onto in December 2016 just arrived at New Day Orphanage in late June of this year, which was after our 2017 trip so will be used for our 2018 trip. It gets a bit complicated in keeping track of what supplies are where. What we will need this coming April will need to be packed as luggage to check on flights rather than loading on the shipping container. Whew!

As we get closer to our upcoming trip, I'll be posting more updates. We are excited to have the team set and know when we will be going back to Zambia. We so appreciate your prayers and support as we look ahead to 2018!