Saving Amina’s life

A young girl in Chad was suffering from a mystery illness. Find out how a BMS World Mission supported hospital solved the mystery and saved her life.

Amina* cried all of the time. She did it from birth. Her parents knew that this wasn’t a normal amount of crying and decided to take her to a hospital to find out what was wrong. But the doctors couldn’t find anything. Little Amina was too young to communicate, so they didn’t have any idea what was causing her so much pain.
 
Her crying continued for years and her parents became desperate. Hospital after hospital and doctor after doctor couldn’t find out what was wrong. They tried many different tests and treatments, but nothing could alleviate her pain. It was hopeless.

The first few years of Amina’s life were full of suffering. It wasn’t until she was old enough to speak that she was finally able to tell her parents where the pain was coming from. It turned out that the pain was coming from her lower abdomen and that it hurt when she urinated. Her parents rushed her back to hospital, hoping they would finally find answers.

This time they brought her to the BMS-supported hospital, Guinebor II (G2), in Chad. A doctor examined her and ordered an ultrasound scan of her bladder. From that scan the family finally found the source of all Amina’s pain and suffering: a large stone (the size of a golf ball!) in her bladder. Immediately, the doctors operated on Amina.

Fortunately, it was a very straightforward surgery for the doctors at G2 and they had the stone removed in less than an hour. If they had never found the stone in Amina’s bladder it could have led to kidney failure or even death. The operation likely saved her life.

“The poor little girl was suffering for ages because she wasn’t old enough to tell her parents what was wrong,” says BMS mission worker Claire Bedford, a pharmacist at G2. “I’m so glad we were able to help her.”

*Name changed

A BMS pharmacist transforming lives in Chad

Claire Bedford may not be in on the life-saving surgeries in the hospital, but she is still helping save and transform lives in her role at G2.

Claire is working alongside three Chadians in the pharmacy. She and her team enable patients to get affordable medication, without having to travel too far. The pharmacy at G2 is the only one for about seven miles.

Every Wednesday morning, Claire and other hospital staff go around the 40 hospital beds and offer to pray for everyone who is hospitalised or in mourning.

“I’ve been here for ten months and no-one has refused yet,” says Claire. “People are very open to all things spiritual and they are quite happy to chat. I have definitely seen people come to faith just within the last week.”

Although Claire is still adjusting to life in Chad, seeing the way lives have been saved and transformed is an encouragement to her.

“I’ve often felt weak and useless here,” says Claire. “But God has reminded me that his power is made perfect in weakness.”

Pray that G2 continues to be a blessing to the patients who come seeking hope and healing. Also pray for Claire as she continues to do mission in Chad. Pray especially for her work in the pharmacy and ask that the hospital would continue to have good access to medications in Chad.
 

This article first appeared on the website of BMS World Mission and is used with permission.