He had knowing, radiant eyes despite the obvious agony gnawing at his entire being. His body was relegated to cachexia; one year of difficulty swallowing and unimaginable weight loss has robbed his muscles of any tone they might have had. His eyes smiled at me as I stepped up as the third surgeon to examine him, talking over him in a partly foreign language. He started to have trouble swallowing a year ago he told me, offering no explanation on why he had waited so long to come to a hospital. It was only when he started having stridor, audible upper airway obstruction with a whistle accompanying every exhale that was impossible to miss, that his relatives brought him to seek medical care. He had bulky lymph nodes on both sides of his neck, protruding from his fragile skeleton like golf balls. There was a palpable mass protruding from his neck that had been slowly robbing him of his twenty year old life.
Amidst the emergence of increasing interest in social justice issues swirling all around us, you may have reflected on how many people have, in droves, begun to speak out, whether it is against racial inequality, harassment in the workplace, how guarded or helpful we should be toward refugees, equal pay, equal rights & respect, or against many other forms of injustice that have been bursting forth in our country and in our communities.
U2's Bono talks Texas, why he's saluting George W. Bush and the foreign aid argument we're missing
Apr 16 2018
Jill Cowan, Economy Writer
Over the last two decades, Bono has become known almost in equal measure as the frontman of U2, one of the most successful rock bands of all time, and for his humanitarian efforts. It’s for the latter that he’s set to receive the George W. Bush Medal For Distinguished Leadership.
Ahead of his trip to Dallas to receive the award, he talked with The Dallas Morning News. ...
I was hoping you could talk to me about your approach to activism and humanitarianism and how it's evolved over the years. I'm curious about the differences in strategy between the (Red) campaign and the One campaign.
I always saw (Red) as the sort of gateway drug to the kind of activism that the One campaign does. You know, I think it was [former Senator from Tennessee] Bill Frist ... he's a physician, and he was saying to me, if you want to make this stuff relevant to politicians, then you're going to have to bring it back to the pig roast, bring it back to the people where they live — not just the Capitol. Not just to the media. That was really where (Red) began. ...
With proposed cuts to PEPFAR funding, there's this sense now — and getting back to what you were saying about Bill Frist — how do you bring this back to American taxpayers?
We're really grateful for the United States for the role that you play in the world, in terms of defense. But if you ask the military men and women, they will tell you that [foreign aid, like PEPFAR] is defense. I went into the Oval office to visit President Bush and I had three pills in my hand and I said, 'Paint them red, white and blue, Mr. President, because these [life-saving medications] are the best advertisements for the United States.'
Read the full interview in The Dallas Morning News.
By Senator Bill Frist, MD
A life-changing story has been missed by the media and the general public. But it will be highlighted in the history books in future generations.
Things are continuing to go very well here at Hope Park. I am getting more and more adjusted to the daily workflow at the center, and I’ve been working on a number of projects to help the community of Munsieville. For example, I’ve been continuing to work on creating data capture and collection systems for Hope Park. This is important as it allows those working for The Thoughtful Path to identify how things at the center have changed over time, such as the number of students enrolled in No Child Left Behind and the outcome of those children, or what kind of community education workshops have taken place. Additionally, as Hope Park continues to reach out to potential new stakeholders, being able to show quantifiable data about what is being done at Hope Park will be essential. To that end, I’ve created a number of documents and forms such as cover sheets for enrolled children, a guestbook to keep track of adult visitors to the center, and a planned weekly schedule for each staff member. This kind of documentation is something which The Thoughtful Path has struggled with in Munsieville, and it is my hope that these systems will have a lasting impact on this community.
By Jenny Eaton Dyer
As students protest to encourage changes in gun laws to better protect our schools, or teachers march for better pay, I’m reminded of college students marching for a cause about which they are passionate. It was the 45th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, and those who marched stood for the dignity of human life, and a pro-life agenda. Students held signs saying, “I am the Pro-Life Generation.” I want to ask, what does it mean to be a “Pro-life” generation? What does it mean to March for Life? Does it mean anything beyond the attempt to end access to abortion?
As students protest to encourage changes in gun laws to better protect our schools, or teachers march for better pay, I’m reminded of college students marching for a cause about which they are passionate. It was the 45th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, and those who marched stood for the dignity of human life, and a pro-life agenda. Students held signs saying, “I am the Pro-Life Generation.” I want to ask, what does it mean to be a “Pro-life” generation? What does it mean to March for Life? Does it mean anything beyond the attempt to end access to abortion?
Advocating locally for global health
Mar 21 2018
By Renee Lewis
While working in Haiti for almost 20 years in public health and development, I have seen firsthand the incredible impact that well-managed and well-funded programs can have on the lives of vulnerable populations, especially women and children. Of the many global health and development programs that I have had the good fortune to be involved in, one of the most successful has been with the South Florida-based Project Medishare for Haiti, where I currently serve as executive director.
On February 24th l landed in Johannesburg and was brought to Munsieville. The trip to where I was staying in Krugersdorp was about an hour, and I spoke at length with my driver Simon about the political and socioeconomic climate in South Africa. Jacob Zuma, the previous president of the country, had just stepped down amongst longstanding frustrations with his abuse of power, and there is a aire of cautious optimism about the future of the government and their incoming president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who has promised to make a stand against the widespread government corruption which has been plaguing the country.
By Jenny Eaton Dyer
Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day. To achieve parity and inclusivity for millions of women worldwide, the first step is contraception, which are not only lifesaving mechanisms in the developing world, but a key to flourishing. For this International Women’s Day, we, as Christian leaders — pastors and activists, authors and artists — ask you to stand with the 220 million women who say they want life abundantly, with access to contraceptives. The U.S. leads the world in funding for international family planning. (Since the Helms Amendment passed in 1973, none of this funding has supported providing abortions.) But last year, President Trump recommended zeroing out this funding in global health.
Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day. To achieve parity and inclusivity for millions of women worldwide, the first step is contraception, which are not only lifesaving mechanisms in the developing world, but a key to flourishing. For this International Women’s Day, we, as Christian leaders — pastors and activists, authors and artists — ask you to stand with the 220 million women who say they want life abundantly, with access to contraceptives. The U.S. leads the world in funding for international family planning. (Since the Helms Amendment passed in 1973, none of this funding has supported providing abortions.) But last year, President Trump recommended zeroing out this funding in global health.
FGHL Blog: Maren Shipe - Blog 1 from Kenya
Mar 01 2018
At Vanderbilt a busy day in the surgical clinic could involve seeing 20-30 patients, all of whom are in the electronic medical record with their medical and surgical history, labs and imaging at your finger tips. You count yourself lucky and efficient if you can finish typing or dictating all of the notes by the end of the day!
Here at Kijabe, Kenya it’s a different story. Surgical clinic opens at 9am and ends whenever patients have finished being seen, usually around 6pm. Yesterday we saw over 120 patients with two attending surgeons, three residents, and two interns. Patients start showing up the night before if they travel long distances, and will sleep in the hospital hallways overnight. When we arrive to clinic the halls are crammed full with patients and their families hopeful to find an answer or a solution to what has been ailing them.
Here at Kijabe, Kenya it’s a different story. Surgical clinic opens at 9am and ends whenever patients have finished being seen, usually around 6pm. Yesterday we saw over 120 patients with two attending surgeons, three residents, and two interns. Patients start showing up the night before if they travel long distances, and will sleep in the hospital hallways overnight. When we arrive to clinic the halls are crammed full with patients and their families hopeful to find an answer or a solution to what has been ailing them.