Medical Evacuation


On May 24th I was notified that Peace Corps medical office decided that I should be medically evacuated as my cough was still lingering.  They figured that getting medical treatment at my home town would be the best way to address the situation.  I would have preferred to learn to clear my lungs and so be able to stay in Ghana until my desired close of service date of August 18th.  However, I realize that no one really had all the facts and we were all just trying to make the best decision.

I have 45 days to be medically cleared.  During this time Peace Corps will take care of the bills and I will officially remain a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV).  In a normal case I would be back on a plane to Ghana within 48 hours of my medical clearance.  However, as I have less than 90 days of service returning to site only to leave again would be very difficult on everyone.  So upon medical clearance I will complete service and become a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV).

Saying a quick goodbye


I was able to go back up to my site on Thursday the 26th.  I told my students, teachers, and community the news that I would be leaving.  I was able to stay to pack and say goodbyes before leaving after mass in the community on the 29th.

It was very hard to say goodbye so abruptly.  My original plan was to leave Ghana on August 18th, a few weeks after school was finished.  This would have given everyone time to prepare for my departure, for me to meet the next volunteer, and to have a formal celebration in the community.

We all managed the best we could given the circumstances.

You can't leave the Upper West without drinking a little pito.
OK, actually a lot of pito.

Students

Students

and more students

Sitting next to one of my favorite students and I can't get him to smile.

Mass in the community.  I'm wearing the new smock given to me by the community.

Roger and I just before I got on the bus to Accra.  I will miss him and all the rest.


Back home


I left Ghana Tuesday evening.  My flights had a very tight connection in Amsterdam – my next flight started boarding before I got off my flight from Accra and I just about missed it.  I could not say the right words for “short connection”.   My Atlanta flight was leaving within the hour but there was also another Atlanta flight leaving in 6 hours that people were waiting for – so saying Atlanta was a waste of time.  Live and learn.  I made the gate 5 minutes before it closed.

My daughter met me at the airport on Wednesday afternoon.  It was great to see her standing in the open area as I got off the plane.  I’m back in my house and scheduling doctor appointments and getting tired for bed around 5 or 6 pm.

Peace Corps will not stop me from traveling – but I am here for medical and will therefore delay visits to Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Canada, and other places to visit family and friends until after I’m medically cleared.

I’m still working through my emotions and first impression about being back in a first world country.  More to come in future weeks.

Peace Corps is a great opportunity


Bronchiectasis is permanent scaring of the bronchi.  I will be more prone to infections and the condition may worsen.  At present I have nearly full lung capacity and the cough is manageable.  So the condition is not so bad.

However, people may say or think that I would regret my decision to go to West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  That is certainly not the case.  I agreed to go knowing that I would be in a malaria hot zone, likely remote, with other tropical issues that could attack my body.  I considered the medical risks with a host of other factors – (analytical data driven engineer).  I also knew that it was possible that if I did not go I could get in a major traffic accident going to work.

The opportunity to live and work with people trying very hard to survive is an extraordinary opportunity for an American.  The opportunity to make the world a better place one life at a time, to learn so much, and to realize the potential for growth of yourself and others as a Peace Corps volunteer is so amazing and rewarding in a non-material way that it is worth the price of a little chronic medical condition.

I am so very glad I went and will be sharing other feelings and future plans in the weeks to come.

Health


By now you know my cough is still around but very manageable at this point.  I need to learn how to clear my lungs and then I could be cough free most of the day.  I also need to get some physical therapy for my shoulder and hip.  I’m back with my primary care physician so I should be able to manage the health issues without problems.  Hopefully within the 45 days.

Love always

John

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pito – brewed millet

Image
Corn, rice, and millet are the common grains grown in my region of Ghana. All three are used food, but millet is also used to produce the local brew – pito, or daa in the local language. “N nyu daa” - in Dagaree means “I drink pito.” There are several varieties of millet grown here – a red and white varieties have loose heads. These are used for pito and other foods. There is also a smaller seed variety with a tight head of seeds that is mainly used for porridge. (Don't have a picture of that variety yet.) In all varieties millet grows on a stalk with the grain head at the top of the stalk. White and red millet in the field Two bundles of while millet to be used for seed next season Converting a grain to alcohol is a common practice in various cultures. It provides a way to capture and digest the nutritional value of the grain. In some places, like Germany and the beer brewing monks, the making a beer was a way to preserve the harvest. In Ghana the millet is
Read more

Yam harvesting

Image
Roger and I went to farm to harvest yam on Saturday morning, September 13, 2014.  In Ghana a yam is a root crop that is different from a sweet potato.  We have sweet potatoes here as well. Yam recently harvested Preparing a yam for boiling The yam has a white flesh – softer than a white potato. In this area the yams are planted between April and June.  Harvest continues into December and January depending on the weather and pigs getting into the field. The plant is a vine – which is grown on stakes rather than allowed the spread out.  The plants are placed on a raised bed about 2 feet high.  The beds are surrounded by flat trenches.  This allows the rains to flow around, but not wipe out the yam crop.  Intercropping seems to be common practice with yams planted in the raised bed, soybeans around the edges, and rice in the trenches.  The occasional corn or okra plant is also among the yams – although the bulk of those crops are in other fields.   Row of ya
Read more

Mid-service Training

Image
This past week was mid-service training (MST). The conference was held on St. Lucia at the Mount of Prayer Coubaril run by the Benedictine Nuns. It was a lovely place with hospitable people as you would expect from Benedictines. A couple of years ago in Ghana I was able to spend a little time at a Benedictine Abby (popular with volunteers) – so it was a nice connection with the two Peace Corps services. I got a little spoiled with the great meals and the WiFi. I intentionally don’t have WiFi at my house so I’m less tempted to stay inside. I do have better data service than Dondometeng in the Upper West - no complaints there and so none here. Their Church Their view Their conference room Getting ready for a meal My room was the only one with a television.  It did work, but I didn't watch anything. My guess is the picture was a little fuzzy because of all the estrogen, but that's just a guy theory with a dirty phone This was actually my firs
Read more