Flying to Haydom and Billy Goats Gruff

Below is a photo of Oskar Wendell, the tortoise living in our yard. The Wendells have lived at Exempla house for many years. (Wife Chloe not pictured)

For the past couple of weeks we have been treating a little girl named Elisa, who is so weak that she can barely walk. Using what limited test we had available, we have treated her for everything we can think of that could be causing her to be so sick. But despite our efforts, she has gotten sicker and weaker and I feel like we are watching her waste away. As is the case with many of our patients, her family has no money.

So some of us decided to find a way to transfer Elisa to a hospital with more resources, including a CT scanner (that's the same as a "cat" scan), to see if she has something fix-able wrong with her brain. Here is what has transpired since starting to make those plans:
I met some amazing people. A taxi driver offered to drive me and Elisa to Moshi without charging a return fee. A pediatrician offered to help facilitate her admission at Moshi. An occupational therapist gave me contact information for a neurosurgeon who could assist. My colleagues offered to help pay for the trip. These are the people i've been writing about -people who have moved here, whether temporarily or long-term, to help improve the lives and health of the people of Tanzania. The answer came from the folks with the flying medical service, whom i happened to have dinner with last night. Pat is one of the pilots and just happened to be flying to Haydom Lutheran hospital, where they happen to have the right resources for us, and there happen to be seats remaining for me, Elisa and one of her family members. We leave tomorrow afternoon and will fly over Lake Manyara to a little town called Mbulu. Look it up - it's southwest of Arusha, toward the middle of the country.
I don't know if we'll be able to fix this child but for some reason i feel like we have to keep trying.

Elephant (Tembo) in Tarangire National Park

On a lighter note, here are some photos of the Tanzanian wedding I attended with my roommate, Babu Kent, on Friday:

This is a picture of the "Cake." As you can see, it is actually 3 goats, roasted and mostly skinned and positioned as though they are running. When the bride and groom "cut the cake," they actually cut a piece of meat off of the goat.

Babu Kent and I with nurse friends from Selian

Bride and Groom sharing champagne with family

Traditional Masai Dancers (Groom was Masai)