Sunday 26 October 2008

The difference between life and death

As our time in Liberia comes to a close, it seems that more and more people are contacting us for help. This weekend I took two calls on my cellphone: one from our local fuel station manager, asking if we could do a CT scan on one of his pump attendants who has just had a stroke; and one from a Catholic Sister who works up-country, where a boy has come for medical care with a big tumour in his neck that is pressing on his spinal cord and now he can't walk...Sally also met an ex-pat aid worker in town yesterday needing medical attention too...tomorrow will be busy for me as I ask our Hospital Manager if we can help in any of these cases. In this instance, my cellphone holds the answer of life or death, especially for the boy with the tumour on his neck - I very much expect I will be telling the Catholic Sister that we can't help, and thus sentence the boy to a slow, frightening and painful death...Olly

1 comment:

Vicky Warren said...

Father--I feel so helpless and heart broken. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded to you of bringing visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of--come to this child's assistance in this great need- I pray boldly for your intervention in this desperate situation. Amen