Update on Chawezi, and what's next

It's been a couple of months since I lasted update this blog with what's been happening with Chawezi. I thought it was time to lay out what's been going on, and what is next. (If you haven't read this blog up to this point, the best place is to start at the beginning.)

1. After returning from Africa, I started by waiting to hear back from World Vision Malwai on what the doctors were missing in order to do her surgery to repair the infected wounds on her backside. Finally they got back to me and told me they needed a 'vat drain', whatever that was.

2. I spent a couple of weeks researching what a 'vat drain' was, with no luck.

3. I went back to World Vision, and asked them to find out how much it would cost to move Chawezi to a private hospital, where I knew they not only had all the supplies they need, but she'd be a LOT more comfortable.

4. After several weeks, they got back to me and let me know that there was no need to move Chawei to a private hospital, as the doctors at her hospital had been able to perform the needed surgery, and that Chawezi was now recovering. (Amazing how they hadn't had the right supplies for nearly two years until a foreigner came along and showed interest in a patient, then all of the sudden they do? Sad, very sad.)
5. They also said that they could use about an additional $500 to help cover food and other necessary items for her care (and her aunt - don't forget that dear woman that's spent all these months there with her).

So, here are the next steps:
1. We plan to send the $500 to World Vision for Chawezi by the end of this week.
2. We'll ask how much it will cost to get Chawezi some real, durable prosthetic legs.
3. We'll plan another visit to check on her progress, probably some time in January or February.

And finally, if you reading this want to help, here's how you can: My wife and I can cover the $500 that's needed right now. But I'm anticipating the prosthetic legs costing at least $1000. The last pair was only $400, but they broke pretty quickly. We need to get a pair that will last her for years. And a trip to Malawi, including airfare, lodging, transportation, etc, will cost about $4000 (for one person). While the trip to check on her progress might seem outside the scope of nessecity, I know from experience that it's not. Take , for example, the fact that the hospital she's in suddenly got what they needed for her after I visited. She'd been there for nine months with no progress. After I was there, things moved within weeks. Squeaky wheel gets the grease, I guess.

We'll cover as much of these costs as we can, but if anyone wants to help, we welcome that.
Thanks for reading.
-Pat