Peter's Newsdesk

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=175 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B><U>Site Index</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3890e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><B>Site Map</B></A></FONT></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3890e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF3300" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF6600" FACE="Arial" ><B>Newsdesk</B></FONT></div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" style=" border-left: 1px solid #000000;" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div>  <script language="JavaScript1.2">  </script><script> if (document.all) document.write('<p align="center"</p><a href="javascript:addbookmark()">Click here to Bookmark this site!</a>') </script>  </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="581" HEIGHT="1%" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 70 ><NOBR><div> Beryl Thyer</div> <div> Memorial Africa Trust</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Go back to: </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><B>Site Map</B></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Peter's Newsdesk</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="90%" HEIGHT="10%" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 ><NOBR><div> <B><U>Year</U></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><div> <B><U>Month</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> <B><U>Message</U></B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 WIDTH="7%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="38" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="78" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="448" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 ><NOBR><div> 2006</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><div> January</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> RE: Beryl Thyer Memorial Africa Trust ; new website</div> <div> Sat, 28 Jan 2006 17:42:19 +0100</div> <bR> <div> Dear Peter,</div> <div> The Website is really great. Let me tell you how much I really admire you for the great job you are accomplishing. You know this Spirit is very contagious. I wish you all the success in your great mission.</div> <div> Yours sincerely</div> <div> Mhamed Harif</div> <div> <B>Comment;</B> Professor Mhamed Harif is President of the Moroccan Society of Haematology and Paediatric Oncology.I hope he is right, and that our commitment to child cancer in Africa will infect many visitors to our site.</div> <div> Peter</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> <div> Subject: Re: Beryl Thyer Memorial Africa Trust ; new website</div> <bR> <div> Dear Peter,</div> <div> This is a wonderful thing to do for Cameroonian children, as well as a memorial to your sister. It would be easiest for us to donate by credit card, as soon as you get the mechanism set up. We will be in Cameroon from 7 Feb to 7 Mar. Will you be there? It</div> <div> would be fun to see you again.</div> <div> Tom and Edie Welty.</div> <div> <B>Comment;</B> Tom is an Epidemiologist in USA. He and Edie also support the progress of health care - particularly for HIV in adults and newborn babies - in Cameroon. I will miss Tom and Edie in Feb and March; but there will (I hope) be another chance. Peter. PS:</div> <div> my response to Tom included the fact that our Credit Card donation system will soon be up and running on the site.</div> <div> Peter.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> <div> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 22:00:43 +0100</div> <bR> <div> Peter,</div> <div> Congratulations and good luck for your important work in the future. I Have great respect for all your important activities. Hope to meet you soon in Heidelberg.</div> <div> Udo</div> <div> <B>Comment;</B> Dr Udo Mueller is an official in Baxter Oncology GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany. The Company donates its product Endoxan for our BL children - a major contribution to the work of the Trust.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <div> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006</div> <bR> <div> Dear Peter,</div> <div> It was fantastic to hear from you. The Beryl Thyer Memorial African Trust seems a wonderful initiative! </div> <bR> <div> It would be good to hear in more detail how you are doing. As always there is open invitation to you to visit Liverpool at any time. Is there anything else I can help you. </div> <bR> <div> As you are aware I am Chair of the UKCCSG PODC Group. </div> <div> Our next meeting is likely to take place on the 16th May. If you are in the UK at that time it would be fantastic if you could come to the meeting which will be held in Manchester and talk to us about your experiences. Meanwhile, as above, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you with your great work in the Cameroon. </div> <bR> <div> With best wishes</div> <bR> <div> Barry Pizer.</div> <div> <B>Comment:</B> Dr Pizer is Consultant in Paediatric Oncology at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for Sick Children (Alder Hey), Liverpool, UK. He and his wonderful Department have advised and  assisted me in the past; it looks as though they are ready to in the future. I will hope to be able to present our work in Manchester, at the Paediatric Oncology in Developing Countries meeting he refers to. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 WIDTH="7%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="38" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><bR> <div> February</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="448" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 WIDTH="7%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="38" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><bR> <div> March</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><bR> <div> Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 19:41:14 +0100 (CET)</div> <div> From: "tchintseme francine"</div> <div> Subject: RE: ketamine</div> <div> To: "Peter McCormick" </div> <bR> <div> Dear peter,</div> <div> Thank you for the information about ketamine. I have not yet read my own, but I have already printed it ready to be used in the ward. Thank you I am amazed with the quantity of cyclophosphamide that you have received from Baxter. Thank you for fighting for our children I hope that somebody who is dedicated to this cause is going to help us for the transportation of it.</div> <bR> <div> I just sent you the picture of Adjara and my self. She is actually the only Burkitt patient in the ward. She is only 12 year old and she is taller than me. As you know during dry season the number of Burkitt children is decreased, to increase seriously in July and August.</div> <bR> <div> Yours truly.</div> <div> Francine.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 WIDTH="7%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="38" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><bR> <div> April</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><bR> <div> <B>Heidelberg visit!</B></div> <div> Peter and Jenny, my wife, made a brief visit, principally to meet senior R and D members of Baxter Oncology GmbH based there. The Company supplies BTMAT with as much cyclophosphamide as we need in our Burkitt's work in Cameroon. It was a good opportunity to thank them for their generosity, and to give them a presentation on the subject of BL. We also left them with CDs of our completed Pilot trials.</div> <div> It was good to meet people without whose help our work would go forward but very slowly indeed. They came over as genuinely interested and concerned with the BL work. Long may our partnership with them flourish!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 WIDTH="7%"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="2" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="38" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> May/June</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> I spent one month in our Cameroonian hospitals: 2 weeks at Banso Baptist Hospital and two weeks at Mbingo Baptist Hospital. The object was as on previous visits - to monitor the Burkitt's lymphoma work, to review all the BL case records, to prepare statistics for our BL Director Professor Peter Hesseling to work on, to support our local doctors - Francine and Doris - and the nursing staff on the Children's ward, to give them their next traunch of donated monies for the continuation of  their excellent work, to meet Administrative staff and others whose support for our work is essential, to consider if any further improvement/modifications to our protocol might suggest itself. The second objective was to present again my idea to establish a breastmilk bank at BBH and MBH. This idea was received enthusiastically at BBH, and is now up and running there. MBH is still considering the pros and cons of it, and will let me know soon.</div> <bR> <div> Low-tech radiant heaters designed by me are almost completed. These are for the safe management of the newborn at both hospitals.</div> <bR> <div> One interesting thing arose in the consideration of the BL work at MBH: their patients, seen and investigated and treated by Dr Doris, often fail to return for their last three chemotherapy treatments. These are patients who travel by public transport from the south of Cameroon. It is likely that the parents of these patients find it too expensive to return for the last three treatments. This is bad; the first three treatments are not enough to ensure a good chance of survival for the child, And their non-attendance deprives us of accurate information as to the outcome. So, it is bad for the child, and it is bad for our scientific study. </div> <bR> <div> A fairly simple solution suggested itself during my visit. The Baptists have another recently established hospital in the south. It has a Children's ward and a doctor whom I have met. It has a laboratory and an operating theatre. I suggested to the Director of Baptist Health services that we might usefully open a third BL treatment centre there (Mutengene Hospital). He was agreeable and enthusiastic. So my next visit to Cameroon (in October 2006) will involve a week or so in Mutengene, teaching and training in BL procedures and protocol, and delivering to them the necessary apparatus. This is most encouraging; it will take some of the load from Dr Doris (she sees and treats about one new case of BL per week at MBH); it will help the poor parents of seriously sick children; it will increase the prestige of the Baptist Health Board; it will add numbers to our flourishing and highly rewarding BL work.  Roll on October!</div> <div> Peter.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 ><NOBR><div> 2007</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><div> April  </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> In spite of nothing much changing on this page, visitors will find recent news in emails from the field; reports from our dear workers in the BL Treatment centres in N W Cameroon. But here is a preliminary announcement worthy of the Newsdesk. </div> <bR> <div> I have recently returned from my latest one month tour of service in the Baptist Hospitals where Burkitt’s Lymphoma is being investigated and treated free of charge. The work commenced in 2003. At the end of 2007 we will therefore have been rescuing children in Cameroon suffering from this most horrific cancer – for 5 years.</div> <bR> <div> Our Director in this work is Professor Peter Hesseling, who I first made contact with in 2002. He has a lifetime of knowledge, wisdom and experience in S Africa, of treating children with cancer. He has a particular interest in Burkitt’s lymphoma – which is much more common in our higher latitudes of Africa than in S Africa.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="410" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 57 WIDTH="404"><div> Prof Hesseling thinks big, and yet is not above stooping to greet a child who has recovered from Burkitt’s lymphoma, in her own home.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 403 WIDTH="404"><div> <IMG SRC="390fa840.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="388" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Prof Hesseling and Eucalia; survivor of Burkitt’s lymphoma</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Without his able leadership this Trust would not have been able to achieve what it has: we claim 55%survival of all cases we treat. We have treated more than 250 children since 2003. These results we have presented at international childhood cancer conferences around the world.</div> <bR> <div> Peter Hesseling’s latest idea is that we should hold a BURKITT’S LYMPHOMA SYMPOSIUM. All workers – now at 3 Baprist hospitals – should come together at one place, for a week-end conference. They have never done that before. We would exchange experiences, difficulties, triumphs, ideas; and we would look to the future.</div> <bR> <div> This meeting is now planned for the weekend of December 7 – 9 2007.  Twenty or so colleagues will foregather; each will give a presentation of the BL work as it affects them.. Invited guests will come from England, Germany and Canada. Trustees of BTMAT will attend. Drug companies who donate their anticancer products will attend. Children rescued will attend and play their part. All will enjoy a beach party at the end of the conference. Cameroonian Radio and TV will be present. An official photographer will record all. The Cameroon Baptist Health Board will record every word delivered. The Proceedings will be available to colleagues and other interested persons worldwide.</div> <bR> <div> It is a most exciting event for BTMAT to contemplate; watch this space at the end of this year for a Report on it!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 ><NOBR><div> 2007</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> September</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> <B>Interesting days in fundraising for the Trust</B>.</div> <bR> <div> On Wednesday 12<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> I spoke at a meeting of the Chelveston cum Caldecott WI in their Village Hall in rural Northamptonshire, describing the work of the Charity. A latecomer swelled the audience to 14 souls. It was the smallest group I had ever addressed; and a very pleasant evening it was, with a lot of pertinent questions asked afterwards. And a very fine cheque given to me at the end.</div> <bR> <div> On Friday 14<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> I spoke for 10 minutes to the assembled population of Haileybury School in Hertfordshire. With 600 pupils and staff present in the magnificent Chapel, this was the biggest group I had ever addressed. And a very pleasant morning it was. This fine Public School has adopted BTMAT as its international Charity for the academic year just commencing. I believe they were impressed with what they heard and saw. There was no cheque to bring home, but this does not matter. Their commitment is total; there are plans for fundraising events. I am confident of financial assistance from Haileybury in the fullness of time. </div> <bR> <div> It is always a privilege to speak on behalf of the sick children of Africa; to raise awareness of the fearful disease Burkitt's lymphoma; to win over the hearts and minds of the good folk of our country, be they young or old, be they few in number or many.</div> <bR> <div> Peter. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday and Friday 21 and 22 September</B> were remarkable days for me.</div> <div> It was the International conference of the United Kingdom Association of Milk Banking, marking the 10<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> Anniversary of their activities.</div> <div> Held at the prestigious conference centre of Chester racecourse it was a truly remarkable venue, and a truly remarkable event.</div> <div> One hundred and seventy delegates came from 19 countries as far apart as Australia and Iceland.</div> <div> Africa was represented by the great Professor Anna Coutsoudis and her colleague Penny Reimer, of Nelson Mandela University, KwaZulu Natal, and by me, representing the five breastmilk bank projects set up in Cameroon with funds from BTMAT.</div> <div> My own presentation was warmly received. Without my customary begging I was in fact presented with £100 for our work in Cameroon. This was wholly unexpected and very welcome, and a moving experience for me.</div> <div> BTMAT now has £1100 ringfenced for breastmilk banking in Cameroon; enough to set up banks in two more hospitals.</div> <div> I will not readily forget this meeting!</div> <bR> <div> Peter. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 ><NOBR><div> 2008</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><div> April</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> <B>From March 16 until April 16 2008</B>, I was in Cameroon again, joining in the great work of the Children’s wards, in the three Baptist hospitals we serve. There was time to partake in the day to day clinical work; something I dearly love – even in my 70th year!</div> <bR> <div> All the case records of all the latest cases of Burkitt’s lymphoma were reviewed, and also the records of the cases of Wilms’ tumour – cancer of the kidney. The competence and commitment of our dear colleagues in all three hospitals was yet again beautiful to behold.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="385" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3ba2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="379"><div> Nafisatou going home after her third chemo for Burkitt's lynphoma, with a doll supplied by BTMAT</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Our Clinical Study into the usefulness of Ultrasound imaging of all our BL cases is proceeding well. U/S staff are excited at this aspect of their work; they are pleased too that they will one day be named as co-authors in the publication and conference presentations that will follow.</div> <bR> <div> We are about to establish Child Cancer Registries at two of the hospitals. A room at Banso Baptist Hospital and at Mbingo Baptist Hospital have been furnished and equipped for the purpose. Donated computers and printers will soon arrive. The hospitals have laid on the necessary wireless internet connections for us. These will be the first Child Cancer Registries in Cameroon – and probably in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.</div> <bR> <div> Another innovation is the inauguration of Parent Support Programmes at our hospitals. Many parents are poor. The hospitals do not provide food or transport costs for them. The hardship for such people is easy to see. Support for them has hitherto been random through our Trust. In future the Parent Support programmes will be funded by well-wishers from other countries: Norway, UK, Switzerland, and S Africa. This amounts to a global collaboration for the benefit of the poor parents of our sick children; something of which we are proud.</div> <bR> <div> Our Clinical Director – Professor Peter Hesseling – has designed a new Protocol for Burkitt’s lymphoma. It is based upon information gathered during recent years; it is likely to be the definitive Protocol for BL in Africa. One of my tasks was to go through this new Protocol with all colleagues involved in it. Everyone understood and appreciated it. </div> <bR> <div> The breastmilk banks at all three hospitals are thriving, and providing a vital service for the tiny fragile newborn infants in the three Maternity Units.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="385" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3bc2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 56 ><NOBR><div> A male nurse feeding a newborn orphan at Banso</div> <div> Baptist Hospital, with donated breastmilk from that</div> <div> hospital's Breastmilk Bank</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="385" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3be2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 56 ><NOBR><div> An orphan newborn at Mbingo Baptist Hospital. with</div> <div> donated breatmilk from that hospital's Breastmilk</div> <div> Bank</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="383" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3c02ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 57 WIDTH="377"><div> Three tiny premature babies born at Baptist Hospital Mutengene, who required brestmilk from that hospital's Breastmilk Bank in the early weeks of their lives</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> I visited two other hospitals offering them breastmilk banks; a fine modern Catholic hospital in Bamenda, and the main Government hospital in the SW Province – Provincial Hospital Limbe. Both hospitals were interested. Dr Paul Wharin will follow-up on this when he goes to Cameroon in June. Thereafter we should be able to donate the banks to these hospitals, and train the staff in their use.</div> <bR> <div> It was a happy and successful visit. Staff morale was high. The input of the Trust was warmly appreciated! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2 ><NOBR><div> 2008</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="14%"><div> April</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78%"><div> <B>An Outreach Experience by Resarch Assistant Nurse Mercy Kigha: To Baworro in Menchum Division, to see a BL Child who failed his Follow-up.</B></div> <bR> <div> This journey started on 30th January 2008 at 8:00am.  I arrived in Bamenda, the capital city of the NW Province, at about 9:00am, and waited until 10.00am for a vehicle to become full with passengers. Finally we set off in a 10-seater bus which carried 14 people plus the driver.</div> <bR> <div> The journey continued till about 5:30pm when we finally came to a stop; that was in a village called Benakuma.  Here we sat on a veranda that was like a public transport agency parking space, and waited for a vehicle commonly called truck or tipper which was to leave Bamenda and pick us up here at Benakuma. This was because the truck driver did not want to pay money to the police who stand along the road controlling traffic and passengers. A big truck with numerous passengers would have led to a bigger bribe that for the driver alone!</div> <bR> <div> It was by then getting late so that I finally had to spend the night in Benakuma as the truck finally arrived there very late and could not continue. It was dark, and the roads ahead were bad.</div> <bR> <div> I continued the journey the next day sitting in the truck in front beside the driver. There were many other passengers behind, in the truck. We set off at 6:30am. We passed through hill-country and rivers that had no bridges. Part of the journey had to be done on foot - trekking up hills where the vehicle could not climb with the people and the heavy cargo it was also carrying.</div> <bR> <div> Finally we arrived at Baworro at 3:30pm, tired and exhausted with painful and slightly swollen legs! I felt like somebody who has been working hard on the farm continuously for 2 days, in the heat and dust!</div> <bR> <div> However, after all the above struggles, our patient’s home was identified and both parents and the child were at home.  I was made very welcome, was given water for a bath and then had dinner with them. We discussed the child’s condition with them. I examined him and found him healthy and strong, with no evidence of his former abdominal cancer; no masses were felt in his abdomen. This was wonderful, and made my arduous journey well worthwhile! However, the parents were encouraged to bring child to hospital again for the necessary follow-up ultrasound examination.</div> <bR> <div> I rested on the 1st and 2nd of February, while waiting for the truck to be ready for departure for Benakuma. We started back for home the next day and had the same rough ride and delays as on the outward journey.</div> <bR> <div> I arrived home on the 4th February, with no accident; only extreme tiredness and swollen legs which subsided after a week.</div> <bR> <div> I thanked God for his care during the journey, and for the good state of our patient in his remote home.</div> <bR> <div> Following up our Burkitt’s cases is often like this. It required one week of travel to find one small patient. We nurses, and our doctors, and our distant overseas sponsors really care about these sick children!</div> <bR> <div> Mercy Kigha.</div> <div> Research Assistant Nurse</div> <div> Mbingo Baptist Hospital</div> <div> NW Province</div> <div> Cameroon</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>o0o</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> (Peter's Newsdesk)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id52_m.htm" TITLE="Peters Newsdesk">top of the page</A></div> <div> Beryl Thyer Memorial Africa Trust, a UK registered charity  ~  1112603</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>