We arrived home safely and are COVID negative! A few travel issues required us to come home 2 days earlier than planned but we are grateful there were no major issues.
As I reflect on the month, I see God's hand on so many details. He orchestrated patients to be seen, all the help I needed in clinic, and miraculously healed his people. I am grateful for my neurosurgical colleagues who were so helpful on several cases. Enock had a benign growth in his sinus that was impinging on his eye and brain. He underwent excision of the mass. It was quite difficult to remove but we were able to save his eye and there was no cerebral spinal fluid leak.
I enjoyed teaching the general surgery resident assigned to me. His name is Yves, from Burundi. He tells me his height is a trait found in his tribe. He certainly learned how to handle trauma this month.
There are always the cases that break my heart. Shown below is an 18 year old male and his older brother who came to clinic early in my trip. They had traveled far to get help. They had no money and no place to stay locally. Fortunately his care was covered by student health insurance. Ricky presented with left ear pain and decreased hearing. On exam he had fluid behind his left ear drum. He also had a large mass in the back of the nose suggestive of a malignancy. His scan showed a large unresectable mass. We did a biopsy and connected him with the oncology team who will likely treat him with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He is going to have a difficult course ahead of him. We prayed for God's healing power.
The hearing aid business was a blessing as usual. I was able to fit 10 patients with hearing aids this trip. I had some powerful aids donated from a hearing aid company and these were perfect for my severe hearing loss patients. I connected with a deaf interpreter and was able to fit 2 teenagers that had profound hearing loss. This was the first hearing aids these kids owned. We were also able to connect them with sign language school which will give them another tool to communicate with in school.
Thank you for your prayers and support. I look forward to sharing God's faithfulness now in the states. I am planning on returning again in August.
Blessings,
Chase Miller
