Seizure clinic

Thursday afternoon we went to the seizure clinic, sponsored by Children of Blessing Trust (COBT) The clinic meets about twice a month and supplies seizure medications at no cost. They do not take care of other medical problems at that time. COBT runs a school for special needs kids, teaches adults with special needs or lack of education due to seizure (you can be expelled from school because you have seizures = you are 'disruptive', so you end up with no education). About 1 in every 100 people in Malawi have a seizure disorder. Sometimes it is simple epilepsy and once their seizures are controlled, they go on to live a normal life. Unfortunately, many of them have a multiple of special needs - controlling the seizures is only one small part. These conditions arise from episodes of cerebral malaria or meningitis, birth injuries / hypoxia / cerebral palsy, psychiatric issues, trauma or just 'we don't know'.  I think some of the kids may have some sort of autism but I am no expert in that field at all. Kathy Bowler is the lady 'in charge' and she is amazing. She can get these kids extra nutrition, wheelchairs and other aids, physiotherapy... She is not a doctor but has recruited Dr. Young to help at the clinic regularly and I have been blessed to be asked to help out several times, along with Dr. Bryony Pannell. It can be very heart breaking when you realize that so many of these kids literally have no decent future in Malawi. There are no 'half way' houses, no special programs for their learning / physical needs, no government assistance for them. Their Moms are often full time care takers so cannot work and the dads sometimes just disappear. If you have a heart for special needs kids, consider giving to this ministry. They have a website. The money is well spent. We have the clinic in the school rooms and you can see they are very basic. Most of the workers are Malawians, so jobs are created. Please also remember that the missionaries themselves have to eat, buy gas, go to the doctor, pay school fees for their kids, buy clothes.... so often people will give to a
building fund but miss the fact that the missionary, with their feet on the ground, need support.
Anyway, I know so many of my friends have huge hearts and someone will come along side of COBT and be of help. Enjoy the photos!

Ready to start: me, medical student Allison, Maggie Maseko and Julie Hoskison

Mom and child

This one was a real hand full. If you are not my friend on Facebook you should be! She was busy, busy, busy the entire time. Dr. Bryony is in the background. We are in one of the school rooms.

The little ones grow up, the seated young lady is still struggling with some issues, although her seizures are much better now

We don't really treat anything except seizures, but this guy was having abdominal pains before each seizure so I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something big going on in his abdomen.