Day 9 in Malawi

This morning we stopped for groceries, then drove across town and picked up Angela, a friend Roberta met when she was teaching a women's Bible study in the prison. Angela had committed a white collar crime and spent 3 years incarcerated. Now she cooks for large groups of needy people. Every 2-3months, Angela and Roberta visit Esther, a 31 yr. Old woman and her mother in a village called Mkukula. Esther has been bedbound since birth, her legs are severely deformed and contracted. I believe she has cerebral palsy. Her speech is only intelligible to her mother. Esther is dependent for all her care, and mom is her caregiver. Esther was very excited to see her friends, they have been coming for about 2 yrs, bringing grocery staples and company . We found mom today was quite ill, could barely walk, pain all over and severe pounding headaches. She has a skin condition called vitiligo, where her dark skin is turning light all over her body and she said it was very painful. So Roberta offered to take her and her son to a nearby private hospital where Roberta knows 2 girls who work there as doctors. The son found a Caregiver for Esther and then we all went to Blessing hospital, about a 20 min drive. We were there for maybe an hour and a half while mom was examined and lab work was done. She was found to be hypertensive, but lab work was all normal. All they gave her for pain was aspirin and also blood pressure medication. And referred her to Kamuzu Central Hospital Skin clinic, as they had no idea what was going on with her skin. That is the country's main hospital, located 45 min away in Lilongwe. Roberta paid the hospital bill, and gave mom money for transport to and from the hospital. Then it was back to the village to take them home. The ride to their house was another adventure in how narrow a space can Roberta drive through? And some off roading. Then we drove back to Lilongwe to take Angela home and got home around 3:30. We never got lunch, so were hungry and ate leftovers.
Did some sewing and got the first cushion cover done. Pretty sure I won't get ten done. Also worked more on Sunday's sewing project.Meer informatie