Beatrice hard at work doing PT after SIGN nailing of all 4 long bones of the lower extremities.
Beatrice standing with new, first-year orthopaedic resident Nobert Langat (left) and chief orthopaedic resident Isaac Kingori (right).
Right femur SIGN FIN nail.
Right tibia SIGN nail.
Left knee x-ray showing both femur and tibia SIGN nails.
The result of one of the multiple crashes which took the lives of more than 200 Kenyans in December 2017
Story told with patient's permission.
Kenyans use the word “imagine” frequently after listening to
a story that has an unfortunate or unbelievable outcome, but that which might
be ironically typical for normal, daily life in this developing nation. For example…Me: “I just waited in line at the
Immigration Office in Nairobi for more than 3 hours!” Kenyan friend: “Imagine!”
Or…Me: “The policeman who pulled me over for ‘speeding’ actually suggested I
pay him a bribe.” Kenyan colleague: “Imagine!”
Or…me eating lunch at the hospital: “My beef stew is missing the
beef.” Response? You guessed it. The word, used in these contexts, carries with it a negative sense of “if
only.” If only things could be
different. If only there was hope for
real and lasting change.
Now, imagine yourself traveling cross-country as the front
passenger in a matatu (14-seat van used for the majority of public
transportation in Kenya), over-stuffed with more than 22 people (a common
illegal problem in Kenya), and over-speeding on the main highway in Kenya
(two-lane road with on coming traffic).
Imagine your matutu driver operating recklessly, crazily passing large
trucks in order to save time, all the while with passenger shouting at him to
“slow down” and “take care!” Now imagine
that, while overtaking another vehicle, a large semi comes barreling directly
towards you, and with nowhere to turn to the left or right.
This is all Beatrice remembers prior to waking up one week
later in Kenyatta National Hospital, with all four large bones of both legs
shattered, the only survivor in this horrific December 2017 road traffic
accident, only one among many in which more than 200 Kenyans lost their lives
during this normally festive, family-oriented, but travel-heavy and now
infamous month. She had been given minimal
care at KNH, and still had fragments of bone protruding through the skin in her
right thigh. Desperate, without money to
pay for her care, family members requested transfer to Kijabe, where Watsi, (an
on-line crowd funding platform), and four donated SIGN nails fixed her broken legs. Now, she is on the mend, beginning to walk
not even a month after her injuries. When telling Beatrice how fortunate she was to
be alive and how amazing, unbelievable and God-ordained the events were which
brought her to Kijabe for care, her response was “Imagine!”
So the word “imagine” can also be used positively to respond
to a story in which the impossible breaks through in the midst of tragedy, and
in the end, all is not lost, futile, hopeless, or ruined. Here, the positive use of the word carries
the sense of “Can you believe it!?” This
is the essence of the gospel.
Imagine!...when we were dead in sin, God made us alive in Christ (Eph. 2:1-10). Imagine!...every tear will be wiped away, and there
will be no more pain or death (Rev. 21:4). Imagine!...Christ is preparing a place for us in heaven (John14:2-3). God can do exceedingly, abundantly
more than we can ask or imagine (Eph.
3:20)! Real, lasting change is possible (1
Cor. 6:9)! Because of Christ, the “if only” becomes the “can you believe it?" Imagine!
Thanks for all your prayers and support!
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