Greetings, friends and supporters!
We aren’t even three months into 2022 and AHA has already impacted more than 100 individuals and families facing difficult medical and life circumstances. We have an exciting international trip planned in April and BIG plans for the rest of the year.
Thank you for being a supporter!
PROGRAM PREVIEW: International Medical Team Returns to Malawi!
AHA co-founder and Board Vice President Dr. Baker Henson is scheduled to return to Malawi for the first time since 2019! This is the longest Baker has been away from the Warm Heart of Africa since AHA’s creation in 2001. Baker will be joined by Board President Karen Clark and volunteer nurse and World Camp alum Sara Gensmer. The Malawi staff is looking forward to welcoming the team and showing off the progress made on the ground. Since AHA’s last international trip in 2019, the surgical program has developed into a locally driven initiative. The international team will bring additional specialties and training techniques to further develop the skills of clinicians at Kabudula Community Hospital (Kab).
During the upcoming trip, AHA will conduct a four-day surgical camp at Kab with a goal of completing 50 surgeries, addressing Kab’s surgical backlog, and providing training for four local clinicians! We need your help - please consider donating to support these efforts!
BY THE NUMBERS: 2022 January - March
PATIENT SPOTLIGHT: Mphatso
Mphatso stands with his sister and parents in front of their home in rural Mozambique.
Mphatso is a 12-year old boy from Mozambique who was born with a facial tumor. When he was young, his parents took him for treatment but after being referred to several different facilities in both Mozambique and Malawi, the family ran out of money and temporarily halted their efforts. Through connections that crisscrossed the globe, Mphatso was connected to Ali who reached out to AHA.
With AHA committed to handling the logistics of Mphatso’s care in-country, Ali went to work fundraising to cover the projected cost of treatment, plus all related expenses like transportation, accommodation, food, and even cell phone minutes so Mphatso and his father could stay in touch with the AHA team and their family.
Mphatso and his father at Mercy James Institute in Blantyre.
In January, AHA’s very own Nurse Christina met Mphatso and his father at the Mozambique-Malawi border and escorted them to Mercy James Center for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care in Blantyre.
While at Mercy James, Mphatso had a CT scan, bloodwork, and an ultrasound scan. Through the tests and exams, it was discovered that Mphatso’s tumor is vascular in nature which makes it more difficult to treat, especially in an under-resourced location such as Malawi. However, Mphatso’s team is made up of experts who are dedicated to his care and have devised a strong treatment plan.
Angela visited Mphatso at Mercy James to provide coloring books & magazines to help pass the time.
Earlier this month, Mphatso underwent his first procedure to close one of the veins connected to the tumor. In two months, he’ll have a second surgery to close a second vein. Once he’s healed, additional surgeries will be needed to remove the tumor itself.
This has all been made possible by Mphatso’s family’s dedication to getting him treatment and Ali’s incredible resolve and fundraising efforts.
We are so incredibly proud to work with Ali to get Mphatso the care he needs and deserves. Thanks to our supporters and donors, we will continue to support Mphatso throughout his entire treatment process.
NEW PROJECT: Surgical Training Site at Nkhoma
Nkhoma Hospital has been a great partner in some of AHA’s past programming and medical sponsorships. Now, AHA is partnering with Nkhoma to coordinate enough surgical patients so they may become a surgical training site for the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS). PAACS supports the training of African surgeons who are committed to staying and practicing in Africa.
A third partner in this effort is SAFE, which is covering fees for certain procedures. With AHA addressing barriers such as transportation, diagnostics, and coordination of care and SAFE addressing fees, more patients will have access to surgery, while building Nkhkoma’s capacity to become an official training site for future generations of surgeons in Malawi.
ICYMI: New Video & Website
Have you poked around our website recently? If your answer is no, you’re missing our new site and our new video!
Thank you to Matt Mullarkey for filming & creating this video!
DID YOU KNOW? AHA’s history
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Zikomo (Thank you) for your support!
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