Part one of a three part series
When Bad Things Lead To Helping Others
In August of 2008 we posted the painful story of the death of the mother of one of the employees of Cool Runnings, a small resort on Lake Malawi owned by Samantha Ludick who also
conducts the Clinic at the Gate. The story appeared under the heading of "Am I Going to Die Here?". It relates the story of an elderly woman from a village in Senga Bay who had broken her hip. Like many Africans she was afraid to be taken to the hospital for fear that she would die there. This is often the plight of those who go into third world hospitals and she was afraid it was her plight as well. The broken hip could have been easily pinned in the west and she would have been out and home in a matter of days. But this was not the case in Africa and she eventually did die in the hospital at Salima. While the story of 80-year-old Hawa Dhaibu was a sad story to report it is important to see the rest of the story for in the follow up there is seen the opportunity and success that followed the pain that came with the passing of Hawa. Now for the rest of the story as it is related by Samantha Ludick from Cool Runnings.
A New Opportunity Arises
Magic’s mother lay seriously ill at Salima District Hospital six and a half weeks after she broke her hip. Her grand daughter who has been appointed her guardian, leaves her ago go (grand mother) to get help from the family. While traveling home on the local transport she meets a young man who has come from Makanjila, 25 miles across the lake from Senga Bay. The man’s right leg has bandages soaked in blood and puss.
She asks why he has left the hospital in that condition and he explains he has been there two months but the medicine is not working. He decides it will be better if he goes to an Africa doctor. She says, "No, I know an azungu, ( a white person) my uncle’s madam. She can fix your leg. She has good medicine." She struggles to carry the young man from the main road, up and down the sand dunes in the heat of the day, and finally reaches her uncle’s house. She explains that she couldn’t simply leave him on the side of the road, or allow him to go to an African doctor. Please get your madam to help him. "I know she can," she concludes. Magic phones Samantha explaining he doesn’t want to trouble her but would she please come to his house and see this young man. He notes the young man is in 
a lot of pain. Samantha puts a few painkillers, disinfectant and bandages in a small back pack, and rushes off to see what she can do to assist this young man. On her arrival Samantha is shocked at what she sees. She is introduced to the young man Ndhala and he tells her his story. He is a fisherman across the bay in Makhanjila and he cut his foot some month’s back. It continued to get worse so he came across the lake by ferry with his wife and young son to get his foot cared for at Salima District hospital since there is no Clinic or Hospital in Makhanjila. He was at the hospital for two months but there was no improvement. It just got worse so he decided to check himself out since there was no Manqwala (medicine) at the hospital. Samantha takes a closer look at his leg. The thoughts raced through her head, "Am I the right person? Where do I start? The pain he must be feeling…. There can be no words that can express it. You can’t leave him like this Sam… First things first, administer pain killers, clean the wound, change the dressing, take him for an x-ray to see if the infection is in the bone, then an HIV test so you know what you are up against, the dead flesh needs to be removed, mmmmm can I do it? You don’t have a lot of choices Sam!" In Part Two of this series we will see if the measures that are taken will save the life of young Ndhala or if his foot and leg will have to be amputated in order for him to survive.