Making Friends

Tison has been in Alaska for ten months. He is speaking English very well and has made a couple good friends. His friend, Isaac, spent the night--they played and watched movies. This is a new concept for Tison--to have a friend spend the night. What a life--watching movies, eating popcorn and drinking soda. He is having fun and building friendships. Tison is a good friend and is kind to the other children he knows.

He has several surgeries ahead of him. His visa extension application is in process. After consulting his plastic surgeon--we believe he needs to stay until June 2011. He is improving and also growing taller. He does miss his family but understands he is here to be fixed and then he can go home.

Ester In America

Esther Scarborough, the medical director for IFC in Indonesia, will be in Los Angeles to speak at a fundraiser. Esther has already been to Singapore and Hong Kong. She is an inspiring speaker and advocate for the poor. Esther was invited by Rebecca Grossman of the Grossman Burn Foundation (GBF) to speak at her fundraiser on October 8.

IFC has many partners and friends in L.A. This will be like a homecoming for Esther. She knows so many people and will find other doors to open while she is there. She is interested in the proposal of a burn unit at our base. This is a dream and the partnership with GBF could result in the ability to care for burn injuries at our base in Indonesia. This would be great news for those in the remote North Maluku and North Sulawesi region of Indonesia who are injured due to a burn accident.

Well--Esther arrives tomorrow. Is L.A. ready for Esther?

Mia--cerebral malaria

Mia is a young mother who has been a staff member in the medical work for many years. She is very petite and has a beautiful smile. She is a wonderful mother to her young daughter. She recently had a serious reaction to what the is believed to be cerebral malaria. Peter wrote, " She was unconscious for 40 minutes and is now semi-conscious. Mia is a faithful team member, she is small in stature but has a big heart--one of her specialties is caring for terminal cancer patients. We are also trying to contact her husband who works an hour and a half away from here."

She is well known by many American and Australian short-term team members. Mia has received the medicine she needed. It was brought in as an emergency response to her illness. She is now doing better--she is conscious, sitting up and talking. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.