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Mediterranean Dinner Raises $8,000 - (Posted:June 21, 2010)
It began as you entered the church foyer and were invited to enjoy the magnificence of the 230 light chandalier created in Greece in 1962 which emanates a warm glow in the sanctuary of the Byzantine stained glass sanctuary of Grace Church in Thunder Bay. Guests were then invited to find their seats in the banquet hall.
They were greeted by soft azure fabric decorated walls and tables with Silver Greecian candelabra shedding a soft light over the emaculately white table settings on matching azure embroidered table cloths.
All this to the accompaniement of Greek music and dramatic scenery of Greece scrolling by on the stage screen. Some of the gastronomic delights included Spanakopita, Tsatsiki, lemon potatoes with Greek Chicken, Hummus with Spicy beef and traditional Greek Yogurt with honey and nuts. This was accompanied by a running commentary by Chef Dimitrios Vergidis, the head of oncology for the Thunder Bay Regional Cancer Centre.
There are two kinds of people in the world. Artists and accountants.
The above is for the artists
For the accountants: After all the expenses were paid, $8000 was raised to ship the next container Saturday July 10th from the MEMO warehouse at 9 a.m.
Included in this container will be the:
- 4x4 diesel mountain ambulance to transport women to hospital during the rainy season.
- The 3 oxygen generating systems so ambulances in three of the cities we help will have oxygen tanks available on board.
- A sophisticated anaesthetic machine so the surgeons in Caibarien hospital can start doing major surgery again.
- An electrical surgical unit so trans urethral postatectomies can be done in Placetas.
- 170 intravenous infusion pumps so that our hospitals will be able to deliver accurately dosed IV drips.
- $30,000 worth of dressings provided to us by Friends of Ostomates Worldwide from Ottawa.
- Bags of shoes for residential hospital patients who cannot afford to buy shoes.
- And hundreds of other items to improve care in the 7 hospitals of Villa Clara.
At the Banquet I gave an illustrated presentation of the Miracles of MEMO over the last six years. The Miracles are still happening!
Miracles occur as the result of hard work and prayer. We thank God, and you, for helping these miracles to continue.
Exciting Developments - (Posted: June 15, 2010)
Three years ago the Villa Clara Minister of Health asked if we could find a four wheel drive diesel ambulance to carry pregnant women in labour, from up in the mountains needing emergency caesarean sections to Santa Clara. In rainy season the rivers become torrents and wash out the roads and bridges, necessitating a vehicle capable of off road travel.
We have been looking, but most ambulances are only two wheel drive.
Last week a four wheel drive diesel ambulance was retired from a northern community. Tim Olson a MEMO volunteer who works for the city as a mechanic let me know it was going to auction and that it looked to be in good shape. He measured it carefully and found that if we let the air out of tires and cut the wheel
fender flares off it would fit in a container!
I approached the head of emergency services here, Norm Gale, and he was very supportive of the idea, and has said he will try and get the city to donate it to us.
If it works out, we can ship it in the July 10 container. It will leave only 17' for other stuff in the container though. We will need to buy a heavy duty winch so it can pull itself through rivers.
It is really exciting to see this happen as it will save lives of women and make travelling over difficult terrain safer and more comfortable for them.
It will also be an expression of the Love of God and Canadian people to our Cuban sisters.
The urologist in Placetas has been asking if we could provide the instruments for doing prostate surgury on older men through the penis (TUR) rather than the difficult and sometimes dangerous open abdominal surgury now done in Placetas. Needed was a 30 degree cystoscope, a resectoscope (the instrument that removes the tissue) and an electrosurgical unit to power the resectoscope. We approached 10 special men in Canada that we know are very generous, to help acquire this equipment. As a result we have been able to buy used reconditioned scopes at a fraction of the thousands of dollars needed for new ones.
As well Mr Ron Morey of Food for the Hungry who collect redundant medical supplies from all over Saskatchewan, the way MEMO does from Northwestern Ontario, was able to supply the electrosurgical unit free of charge.
So now we can supply everything needed to do this surgury. PTL!
But the icing on the cake is that I am in correspondance with a professor of urology at the Alberta Medical School who may be able to come in the fall to Placetas to make sure the equipment is properly used. Praise and Prayer!
Ron Morey was also able to provide a really good anaesthetic machine for the hospital in Caibarien. Because their old machine quit working, they have been unable to do any surgury requiring general anaesthetic for over 6 months! We are so grateful for Food for the Hungry's generosity.
Aurora is now visiting MEMO supporters in Western Canada and returns July 8th for a month of mammography training under Dr Neety Panu at the Regional Cancer Centre here.
And finally, this coming Saturday June 19th is the elegant, 6 course Greek Feast prepared by the head of oncology Dr Virgides. Guests will watch a video of the actual food preparation while Dimitrios explains why eating this kind of food will make you younger next year! We hope to raise enough money to ship the next container and also buy the mammography film for Aurora's breast screening clinic. Some tickets are still available from Christine at 807 345 2331.
Brief Update - (Posted: May 10, 2010)
We have received final word from the contractor demolishing the old Port Arthur General Hospital, that they will not be donating laundry or kitchen equipment as they have some commercial expressions of interest in the stuff. They will also not allow us to salvage things because of liability concerns. We accept this as being within God's plans for MEMO.
Those who were going with me (Jerome) in June for a team trip to Villa Clara have had things come up that prevent them from going at this time. For this reason the June trip has been put off until the fall. It means some important parts and supplies will not be carried until the fall.
Plans for the June 19th Mediterranean Dinner fundraiser are progressing and some of you will be asked to volunteer as kitchen help, servers etc. to make this event successful. We hope to raise enough money to ship a container June 26th ($9000). This will include the remainder of the instruments and equipment necessary for trans urethral prostatectomies to be done at Placetas hospital. This will supercede the present horrendous open operation that is done now to relieve male urinary obstruction.
Finally, here is a poster asking people to remember MEMO Cuba for donations in "Lieu of Flowers" (Click to download)
Upcoming Mediterranean Fundraiser
- (Posted: April 26, 2010)
On June 19, 2010, come out for an exciting evening of Mediterranean food. Tickets are on sale now. Contact Christine Hettrick at 807-345-2331. Click on the image below for a PDF of the poster:
What is MEMO up to these days? - (Posted: April 15, 2010)
The current situation at the Port Arthur General Hospital (PAGH) are getting the laundry and kitchen equipment etc. Sadly, thieves stole copper pipe and wire and in the process pulled down asbestos all over the place making it unsafe to work there. The next four months will be spent removing the asbestos safely. The day after they are finished with the clean up, the contractor will start the demolition. MEMO may possibly have a day or two to go in then and remove the laundry, kitchen and switch plates etc. We would need a massive volunteer crew to do all of these things simultaeneously and very quickly with almost no notice. With God all things are possible! With MEMO not quite so.
When in Cuba last, I (Jerome) learned that the Placetas ambulance service with five ambulances had only 2 oxygen tanks which had to be filled in Santa Clara 40 km away. We have just been given 3 oxygen generators the size of a humidifier that plug into 110 V that will fill small tanks to 2000psi of oxygen. It takes 15 hours to fill a tank but with 12 tanks they should have a regular supply of oxygen now.
Rita Rossi and a friend will be leaving April 27 for Cuba with enough mammography film in their carry on luggage for 800 mammograms. The film cannot be x-rayed so with special letters, pray they will be allowed through security. (We need money to pay for the film!)
June 19th will be Dr Virgidis' Mediterranean 6 course gourmet Greek dinner and talk on living healthy. This will be held in the Grace Church Banquet Hall. Tickets are $100/person. We hope to raise enough money to ship a container on June 26th. More details will follow on the website so be sure to check back!
We are also in the process of raising the money for a cystoscope and electrosurgery unit to do non-invasive prostate surgery (TUR) in Placetas. At present, to relieve the urinary obstruction caused by prostate enlargement in men, a very difficult and dangerous open abdomen operation is done in Placetas. We hope to raise enough money through men's church groups across Western Canada.
Finally, the first week of June, Dave Williams and I will be going to Cuba. Dave owns Thunder Bay Diagnostics and has donated several ultrasound machines. He will be evaluating ultrasound services in the hospitals we work in and giving information on newer ultrasound techniques.
We appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Want to get involved with the work of MEMO? Click here!
Cuba Work Team Returns with Great Successes! (Posted: March 12, 2010)
Click here to read about the latest work of MEMO volunteers in Cuba!
Donations from Canadian Tire! - (Posted: February 22, 2010)
Shown here is Thunder Centre's Canadian Tire general manager James Iannetti on the left and Chris Cameron, Store manager.
on the right donating hundreds of dollars of tool kits to MEMO on February 17th 2010. The tool kits became available as a result of damage to the packaging.
MEMO attempts to keep donated hospital equipment running in Cuba. This is hampered by the fact that hospital maintenance personnel often lack even simple tools. This donation of sets of wrenches, screwdrivers, and other tools will go a long way to making possible proper maintenance of hospital equipment in the seven Cuban hospitals MEMO works with in Villa Clara province of Cuba. The laundry maintenance man at Placetas hospital keeps what tools he has locked up in a no longer used commercial dryer to make sure they don't go missing. MEMO believes if we give them the tools they will do the job. Our thanks to the Thunder Centre Canadian Tire Management for their generous donation to a needy far away part of our global village.
February 21, 2010 - Packing Day huge Success!
On Saturday, February 20th, volunteers showed up to help pack the 38th container for Cuba. The packing went well with about 2/5ths of the container holding beds and wheel chairs from the LPH storage.
35 stacking chairs for the hospital for severely incapacitated children were also sent, along with 676
other pieces. A huge thank you to all who helped. As you can see from the picture (right) it is not all about moving boxes!!
Please note, on February 28th, five of us leave for 9 days to motivate painting of the sooty Placetas kitchen and check on arrivals of equipment and current needs we can help with.
Please remember the team in your prayers as we seek to show God's love for the people we serve in Cuba.
Also we appreciate your prayers for a successful voyage through customs with our 22 bags of medical equipment.
Jerome