Mahamadou

In the most recent post I told you about the death of the child in bed A6.  His name is Ma’azou.  And I mentioned the mother of the child in A3, expressing concern that she was witnessing such frequent death.  Her child’s name is Mahamadou.  It is still his name, even though he, too, has died.

He came in on the 10th day of his life, his abdomen severely distended, with its tight, thin skin permitting his blood vessels to easily be seen.  He had passed stool during the first few days of his life, an encouraging sign.  Then, according to his mother, his urine output began to diminish.  So he was taken to be circumcised, a commonly performed rite, but not typically done at this young age.  Mahamadou was circumcised in an effort to increase his urination.  The desired effect did not occur, as you can imagine.  But the traditional medicine he was given during the circumcision appears to have produced a predictable effect - his intestinal function decreased and his belly began to expand like a balloon.

There was no blockage at the outlet and he did not show signs of needing surgery.  We hoped that patiently waiting would be the most effective medical intervention we could offer.  And while his abdomen initially enlarged even further, it then began to decrease in size.  He was nursing, passing urine, and even beginning to pass stool.  Things were starting to look better for him.  But he was so small to begin with and had so little reserve.   

There is a fear among many mothers here of a nasogastric (NG) tube being used for their babies.  When a baby is vomiting or too young or weak to feed, an NG tube is passed through the nose and into the stomach so that milk or other food can be given to the baby.  While it makes sense to us that this is a beneficial and often necessary intervention, many women here are very resistant.  And even when a mother has been convinced, she often pulls it out prematurely.

Mahamadou had stopped nursing, his abdomen began to swell again and he was becoming more and more wasted.  We discussed the need for an NG tube with his mother and she agreed, but began to cry after it had been placed.  It is not the norm in this culture for a mother (or grandmother) to cry as it is in ours.  Mothers experience so much loss here, but seldom do they cry, at least not publicly.  Mamane, one of the translators, did his best to reassure her and explain why this needed to be done.  Her concern is understandable.  Sometimes, but certainly not always, a child that needs an NG tube is quite sick.  And some of them die, not because of the NG tube, but because they were so sick to begin with.  In their minds however, mothers make a correlation between an NG tube and impending death.  And that rumor circulates.

There are fears of western medicine in this country.  (There are also so many people who come to this hospital in such a vulnerable state and readily accept whatever treatment is recommended to them.  Most are extremely grateful for the care they receive.)  Some mission hospitals were once known as the place where “people went to die”, often because the sick were only brought in when everything else had failed and death was, by that point, imminent.  But by God’s grace and through the dedication of those He is using, that impression has changed.  Many come here first and they see the difference in compassion and love that they receive.  

It is sad to think that unfounded fears cause people to resist the medical treatments that could help them.  It is more sad to think that people resist responding to the spiritual healing that the one true God wants to provide them.  Maybe they have been taught  things that aren’t true about God, or maybe they haven’t even heard of Him at all.  We pray that people will see the love of Christ in the care that is provided here and that the Holy Spirit will move in their hearts to understand the message of God’s love that is spoken here.  

Mahamadou died during the night after we placed the NG tube (one night after the children in beds A6 and A4 died).  He and his mother were gone when I arrived at the hospital the next morning. 

Please pray for Mahmadou’s mother.  For the people in her village.  For the people who come to this hospital and for those who don’t, for whatever reason.  Please pray for us to be aware of and understanding of the cultural differences that are obstacles to clearly sharing the Gospel (and providing the best medical care).  And please pray for us and for yourself, that we wouldn’t take for granted the amazing blessings that He has given us - bountiful access to His truth and to material resources.  He has given us those blessings so that we would be a blessing to others (starting way back in Genesis 12).