Our World Gospel Missions colleagues are in Malindi on retreat for the next week. Before leaving, Dr. Johnson was asked to admit a child from Imani orphange to St. Mary's Hospital. The transporter of the child had not yet arrived and so Michael provided a note to me to convey to the driver authorizing the child's admission. Upon leaving, Michael comments,
"Oh by the way, I've referred another child to you."
" Don't worry Michael, the driver has already been here and he has the note, so, he's on his way to the hospital"
"No, this is another child. Faith (from Imani), called me this morning and she's sending another child, I gave them your number so you could admit them, just sign the note for 'The Least of These' (his organization for providing care). "I told them Dr. Pitts would admit the child since I wouldn't be here."
"Oh thanks Michael, Now I have admitting privileges."
"Well, after you've been here two weeks, you're in charge"
Such is life at St. Mary's hospital, even visiting health care professionals lend a hand at providing care for those who may not have access either because of distance, finances or both. As it turns out, this child was the son of Faith's friend, Maureen, who had already gone to Kenyatta National Hospital because her child had been experiencing seizures every hour since 4:00 a.m. But because she is aware of the care and personal attention the child will receive at St. Mary's she called Dr. Johnson, and then, me.
Ian Josh, 3 1/2 years old, was seen almost immediately at St. Mary's and it was at first suspected that he had menningitis. Although he hadn't had a seizure for the last 2 hours and his temperature was normal at the time, menningitis is suspected in cases where the child doesn't have a history of convulsive activity. In addition to the mother and father, Ian is accompanied by his grandmother who happens to be a retired nurse and was tracking symptoms and current course of events well. The child had recently experienced pneumonia, had been hospitalized, treated and released from Kenyatta during the course of the past two weeks, had finished discharge meds, but now had a different problem,... these new onset convulsions, of seemingly unknown origin.
The pediatrician, Dr. Kimani was wise, patient and kind,.. a great combination of personal attributes when seeing patients at St. Mary's. Upon inquiring about the patient's history, it is determined that these current episodes may be due to high fever. Even in our country, children have seizures of this type. Nonetheless an EEG is ordered, phenobarital is prescribed and the child and family are sent home. When I called to follow-up that evening, Ian hadn't experienced further seizures and was sleeping, no surprise since he had had several doses of phenobarbital that day (for emergency and acute treatment of the seizures). When Ian's Mother, Maureen, called the next day, Ian was doing well, still experiencing no further symptoms.
So, there is a bright side and, for most situations, good outcomes for cases at St. Mary's,.. not all children remain in the hospital and not all children die. Although we still don't know whether or not Ian has epilepsy, the EEG will provide further information, we do know that he was seen with compassion and love, by all who attended him. Isn't this what we're supposed to do?
As for my admitting priviledges, I hope they're short lived,.... but then again,..whenever we're asked to 'stand in the gap' for 'The Least of These', we all have admitting priviledges to offer our neighbors a higher quality of life.
Welcome
Welcome to All. This blog is a discussion site, looking at our lives through our experiences, our spiritual, and, not so spiritual lens, ....what our lives look like at The Front. We are and some would argue, always have been, in interesting times. Servants, past and present have been at constant struggle with whatever the issues of the day have been. Where do we even begin to name them: poverty, hunger, education, shelter, .... and did I mention poverty? Fifty-one years ago, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty, a war by the way, we're still fighting. Then again, we've always been at war with poverty, and yet poverty has remained steadfast. Jesus apparently got it right: "The poor will always be with you." But Jesus was a smart man. Did he mean what we think? Does poverty always have to be with us. Let's talk about this, and whatever else, in real and truthful ways. Let's view our lives from The Front.
If you have come to help me, then you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is linked to mine, then we will work together.
----(Anonymous) Australian Aborigine Activist
--mailto:--neilpitts@aol.com
----(Anonymous) Australian Aborigine Activist
--mailto:--neilpitts@aol.com
Contemplative Action
The Rite of Initiation: You are going to die
A shocking statement. Perhaps. But the Franciscan Priest, Richard Rohr,,who has studied the Rite of Initiation has said the following::
"Every initiation rite I've studied had some ritual, dramatic, or theatrical way to experience crossing the threshold from life to death in symbolic form. Some ritual of death and resurrection was the centerpiece of all male initiation. It is probably why Jesus sought out and submitted to John the Baptist's offbeat death and rebirth ritual down by the riverside, when his own temple had become more concerned with purity codes than with transformation. It is probably why Jesus kept talking to his disciples, three times in Mark's Gospel, about the necessity of this death journey, and why three times they changed the subject (8:31-10:45). It is undoubtedly why Jesus finally stopped talking about it, and just did it, not ritually but actually. Death and resurrection, the paschal mystery, is the theme of every single Eucharist no matter what the feast or season. It takes us many seasons and even years to overcome our resistance to death.
"The transformational journey of death and resurrection is the only real message. It makes you indestructible. The real life, God's life, is running through you and in you already. But allowing it to flow freely doesn't come easily. When you do, the spiritual journey really begins. Up to that moment it is just religion. Everything up to then is creating the container, but you have not yet found the contents; you are creating the wineskins, as Jesus says, but you are not yet drinking the intoxicating wine."
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