Swazi Reality: Laundry & Cooking

We Are Marching to Pretoria!

Finally! Lori and Lomasontfo have made it to the hospital in Pretoria. After lots of waiting, red tape and more waiting, the cyst on Lomasontfo's neck is being treated by the doctors in South Africa. Please keep her in your prayers over the next week as she undergoes treatment so far from home.

Can you see me now?

The longer Live in Love is in Swaziland, the realization grows of how easy many things are in the US in comparison. This week brought a trip to the Eye Clinic at Good Shepherd Hospital, a 45 minute drive to the closest eye care. The Live in Love Rav 4 was full: two 11 year old girls with undiagnosed eye problems, an elderly man who is blind, Abraham the wonderful interpreter, and Lori behind the wheel. The breakfast menu during the drive consisted of bread and bananas. Upon arrival at the clinic it took a few wrong turns before we found our way to the Eye Clinic. What relief to discover a much shorter line compared to the line of at least 120 people where we started. The wait to see the doctor was about 2 hours. When we (yes, all 5 of us together) entered the exam room there were other people being examined; you could call it a “community exam room” with minimal privacy and confidentiality. We took our seats in line, once again, on a bench.The older man was seen first. He was diagnosed with glaucoma and cataracts in both eyes. His left eye is completely blind and beyond any repair. The good news: the doctor believes a small amount of vision may recoverable in his right eye. The older man was admitted to the hospital, scheduled to have surgery the next day, and then return home the following day. What joy he will have at seeing his young grandson, a dedicated boy who walks with him, guiding him wherever he goes.Manswane is the first of the 2 girls to be seen. Her left eye rolls back several times through the day. The doctor informed us she has a lazy eye but is too old now to patch and strengthen her eye. The good news: There are no other problems with her eyes.Then it was Hlengiwe’s turn. Her eyes have been red (almost darker in appearance), itching, some bleeding, pain, and her eyelids seem to not open as much. All of this has been getting worse. Upon examination the doctor discovered several things including allergies, significant dryness of the eyelids, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and a staph infection. The staph infection is also in and around her nose as well as her forehead. The good news: the doctor prescribed 3 medications – eye drops, antibiotic ointment, and oral antibiotics and the pharmacy had all the medicines and no line.

The great news: When I asked about the cost for the prescriptions and the older man’s surgery the doctor, a kind Christian himself who has been in Swaziland for many years, said, “Don’t worry about it.” Sure enough we got to the pharmacy for Hlengiwe’s medicines and there was no charge. And the older man? 2 nights in the hospital and surgery for free!

Follow-up: When the older man was discharged from the hospital Friday he had a huge smile on his face… he can see!

The greatest news of all? God is good and still performs miracles everyday, big and small, whether we notice them or not. So, keep an eye out…