November 2009
November 22-Dec 1, 2009 - MEMO Volunteers head to Cuba
Updated provided by Dr. Jerome Harvey
"The most valuable thing MEMO gave us to look after my mother, was the commode chair" (Toilet on wheels)
This was said to the team last week as I stood in a small cluttered but immaculately clean Cuban house in the small coastal city of Caibarien.
A hospital bed, over bed table, a wheelchair and, 
most marvelous of all, the commode chair, had been given to this woman by
the local health authority to look after her 92 year old mother at home (see picture).
It was an emotional experience for Paul Heinrichs, an engineer from Kelowna, as he realized that this was part of the hospital equipment that he and others had labourously removed and packed from a closing Kelowna Home for the Aged in March of this year. After raising the $12,000 for shipping from generous Canadians, the equipment had travelled by container all the way to this Cuban home as a demonstration of God's love to these people.
The Caibarien Ministry of Health Officials had used this donation of hospital furnishings to provide the support necessary to keep these dear old people close to their loved ones in familiar surroundings. All the work and giving we are doing is making a huge difference in lives of these people. The MEMO team of five Canadians from across the country arrived in Cuba on November 22 with twenty suitcases (thank you West Jet!) full of supplies for our work. Dawn Gibbons, a specialist nurse from the Thunder Bay Regional Cancer Centre, carried all the supplies necessary to teach five very keen Cuban Cancer Care providers the technique for inserting a long fine catheter all the way up to the big vein, entering the heart so chemotherapy could be provided over a two year period without painful inflamation of veins in the arm. (You can provide one of these catheters for $175 to a Cuban cancer patient)
Rod Homaniuk, an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) supervisor from Edmonton, Alberta, was welcomed with open arms by Cuban EMS workers as they shared common experiences and goals.
He brought piles of supplies of things that will save lives in Villa Clara province. One example is the reflective safety vests that protect EMS workers at night at highway accidents from oncoming traffic.
They had none until now.
Another example is simple plastic and foam neck braces for accident victims to prevent further harm to neck injuries. In Canada they are used once and thrown away (Bad Canadian Germs!!) It is a tribute to Rod's approach that he was able to contribute new techniques and information in a positive way that will help Cuban EMS personel in saving lives.
Paul Heinrichs renewed friendships with hospital maintenance people, as he reviewed the huge needs in maintaining an aging and often broken infrastructure in the hospitals we serve.
He brought suitcases full of tools to help equip Cuban workers struggling with the need to keep equipment functioning without adequate tools. We provide service manuals and repair parts where possible.
Steve Neufeld,the Latin America director of the EFCCM, and the person I am responsible to, and myself held many fruitful meetings with Health Ministry Officials. One very difficult situation the Ministry is facing is the decision to commit the resources needed to install the Simulater xray machine at the Celestino Cancer Centre. This machine is beneficial in planning Cobalt radiation treatments for cancer patients but requires a huge amount of work to install. As the saying goes, "It is hard to remember your job is to drain the swamp when you are up to your armpits in alligators!" We have nothing but respect for how much the Cuban Health Care System accomplishes with so little.
Pray for us that we can be as helpful as possible in a positive way as we seek to do God's will.
I could go on and on about wonderful things that we experienced such as attending the graduation of the Christian school for teaching sign language and seeing the little girl, now ten, that we first fitted
with a hearing appliance in attendance. Or visiting the eighty bed residential facility for severely physically and mentally incapacitated children who are cared for by a very compassionate Cuban Staff
encouraged by the considerable donations of furnishings MEMO has made over the last year.
However, let me mention a couple of things that you may be able to help us with. You may remember the 12 bed palliative care ward in Celestino Hospital Cancer Centre we furnished with new beds. It is moving to a new area that will accomodate 20 beds. The room has been painted a bright robins egg blue. They need curtains for the five windows and cheerful framed pictures at least 12" by 18" in size so that they can be seen from the patients' beds. These patients are at the end of their earthly life and they deserve to spend their last days in a comfortable, restful and attractive place. MEMO has committed to sending comfortable chairs, bedside tables, etc. from our inventory in the next container. If you can help contact us.
We are also planning in having a team go to paint the sooty Placetas hospital kitchen at the end of February. Dr Aurora hopes to return with the team to Canada to begin her month of post-graduate study in
mammography at the Cancer Centre in Thunder Bay at that time.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Jerome
November 2, 2009 - Container #37 shipped off!
Updated provided by Dr. Jerome Harvey
On Saturday, October 31st, we shipped off container #37. All went well with an enthusiastic group of volunteers. We shipped over 50 beds but due to the skilled packing of Dave March and his crew there was still a third of a container left for other things including an excellent ultrasound machine which can be used for locating breast cancer tumours for biopsy after they have been picked up by mammograms.
As well enough mammography film and developing chemicals were shipped which will last until the next container is shipped in the Spring. The laminar flow cabinet from the TBRHSC Pharmacy also got shipped. This is used in protecting nurses from toxic fumes as they prepare chemotherapy.
263 bags of used clothing and shoes went in as packing to protect equipment from damage in shipping. This will be a great blessing in Cuba's current economic crisis. Having a heated warehouse with kitchen and washroom facilities made the packing so much more pleasant. (Thank you Grace Church)
As soon as money is available we would like to ship a container of medical equipment and hospital furnishings which we have stored at the Lakehead Psychiatric hospital. St Joseph's care group has kindly made this available to us.
Finally please remember in prayer the team going to Villa Clara Nov 22. Dawn Gibbons of the Cancer Centre here, to teach insertion of central IV lines for administering chemo therapy. Rod Humeniuk from Edmonton to evaluate needs in the area of EMS. Paul Heinrichs an engineer to help in rationalizing maintenance in the hospitals. Steve Neufeld and myself to talk to government officials about how MEMO can help in the future.
All that we do is in God's hands. Pray that we and our Cuban friends will have wisdom in what is best to do.