Students for International Mission Service (SIMS)

Outlook 2001

the road to Gimbie
Ken Rose, MD
Medical director
Gimbie Adventist Hospital

We returned from a wonderful time with family and friends while on furlough in the States. There are some things in Ethiopia that just don’t change. One thing we found about Gimbie is that (and this is a blessing) rarely do all things go wrong at the same time. Either the electricity is out (and that usually means the water too—as we pump our own water), and the phones, vehicles, and roads are working, or it’s the other way around. However, we’ve come back to the phones not working, but the electricity and water have not been a problem in the least! Even the roads between Gimbie and Addis are now passable when it’s not raining too hard and the vehicles are now working properly.

It is good to be back to work and in our own house again. With God’s blessing, we were able to get all 18 check-in pieces of luggage to Gimbie all intact and nothing was broken. We want to thank all those who helped donate well-needed medical equipment, supplies, and medications. They will be used and well appreciated!

As for the medical work, we’ve already had many new and different cases. Just a few days after returning, I was called to our emergency room around 11:00 p.m. What I found was a case that is a general surgeon’s nightmare (especially in Gimbie).

Unfortunately, Gimbie is not immune to domestic violence. An older women’s husband had taken an axe to her, managing to make a very large wound at the base of the skull (missing any major blood vessels), and again two blows to the top of the skull. It was obvious that she had lost a lot of blood, but the lady was still somewhat responsive and had no significant neurological deficits. Fortunately, any major bleeding had stopped. We did our best in cleaning the wound and repairing the injury without getting into trouble (uncontrolled bleeding).

Somehow, during the incident, the lady also had two fingers nearly completely amputated—so we also did what we could to fix the hand. The outlook was very poor because of the high risk of infection, especially with the covering of the brain being damaged, along with any neurological problems that may develop from such an injury. We informed the family of the dismal outcome and gave them the choice of taking their mother home—most likely to die—or let her stay in the hospital for a few days and give her antibiotics and pray—hoping for the impossible. They chose to leave her in the hospital for a few days to see what would happen. We started her on IV antibiotics, and waited to see what happened. Well, after 10 days and many prayers, she has gone home, not fully recovered, but past the critical period of infection, with only a small neurologic deficit in her right hand. She was eating, and with the assistance of the family, able to sit up and move around. God was good to her. Again, we thank God for His care.

[Outlook 2001]

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