Photos from the Second Half

 

Our team with the Physios at the Military Hospital.

Skyline of Addis Ababa at dusk.

Our team with the Physios who attended the weekend course.

Reflections from the Second Half

The 2022 SBU DPT Ethiopia team has officially gone, served, and all have returned to our respective homes in time for spending Christmas with our loved ones. It was our first ever effort to the country of Ethiopia. Overall, it was rich for us in terms of learning about the culture as well as learning about the healthcare system of the country. We met and treated people from all walks of life - from the financially poor to political, military, business, and entertainment dignitaries. And I can confidently say that I saw this team treat all of them exactly the same – with honor, dignity, and with a complete outpouring of love. The last half of the trip became busier and busier as word spread about the team. We were asked to present a day and a half of continuing education over the weekend, which the team embraced with only 2 days’ notice. I could not have been more proud to see the team pull together their knowledge to teach a total of about 25 Ethiopian Physios about the current evidence on Knee OA and Low Back Pain. And I threw in a quick session on Body Taping. Ultimately, I believe we were able to leave a lasting effect from the knowledge sharing from the weekend course along with the day to day sharing in the care of regular caseloads with the Ethiopian Physios at 2 large public hospitals. It was so satisfying to watch the PT’s and students, into whom I previously poured my teaching, so freely begin to pour out their knowledge to Ethiopian patients and PT professionals all hungry to learn. This is the ripple effect of education. To God Be the Glory! - Bev

Thursdays at the hospital were designated for club foot casting day, and as one of the therapists that wasn’t as pediatric minded as others, I tried to not get into the way of the busy therapists who were casting. While standing off to the side, I noticed an older women standing by herself who had been waiting for well over forty five minutes for time to talk with the head PT. Compelled by the Holy Spirit to go talk to her, I went up to her hoping she spoke English and she did. We chatted small talk for a bit, but she quickly jumped right to the point that she had been waiting for so long to see if she could even attempt at getting her daughter in for us to see. You see, word had spread that the “Americans” were here and she had such faith in what we were doing that she wanted just one visit with us and her daughter. She left crying with joy when it was decided that we would push off our lunch to see her daughter. Her daughter came in, and it was an absolute joy to treat her. Not only that, but as a team we were able to all offer assistance. A couple of therapists and I were able to provide much needed therapy to address her condition, other team members were able to aid in fixing her wheelchair, and yet others were able to pray with her mom. Through a full team effort we were able to consult her health needs as well as plant a seed spiritually. I do not know where she stood spiritually after we had prayed with her and her mom, but through God we provided healing and demonstrated Christ love to her, now leaving it to the Holy Spirit to continue his work. This stood out to me because back in July as we were planning for this trip, I had reached out to Dr. McNeal to ask about how we were going to incorporate our faith with our treatment. She reminded me that Jesus’ time on earth was largely spent healing physical needs as well as sharing the news He brought to this earth. This past story reminded me so much of this. Like with the mom who brought her daughter to us, the Gospels tells us of people who brought their sick to Jesus with the hope of physical healing in which Jesus helped both their physical needs as well as give them hope for eternal life. Physical therapy opens the door for ministry and this story made it so evident as to why we were in Ethiopia, to ultimately share the love of God and spread the story that so greatly impacts our lives. - Ethan

I had the pleasure of witnessing how the physiotherapists of Addis Ababa were able to help make a difference in the lives of their patients with very little resources. One of the most impactful moments for me was seeing how the people of Ethiopia were suffering in so many ways and yet they were so gracious, hospitable, and very welcoming to us. This trip helped remind me to always be grateful for every challenge we encounter in our lives and to not take things for granted. It also encouraged me to continually place myself in other people’s shoes and give/show love to all just as Christ loves all of us. - Katrina

One moment that was the most impactful for me this trip was when I was able to work with a few patients at the dialysis center. A lot of them were very reconditioned and were not walking very well and/or were very weak from treatment and lack of activity. I had the privilege of meeting and working with a woman who had been coming for dialysis for 1 month, and had not been able to walk when she started treatment. She came into the clinic that day with a cane and was still having a lot of difficulty ambulating. It became clear that her assistive device was not appropriate for her needs and that she would benefit from one of the walkers we had brought on the trip. When I walked into the room with it her whole face lit up and she told me that she had been searching for a walker for a long time but was not able to find one. It was amazing to see the change in her countenance throughout the rest of our session just from that simple gift. At the end of our session Dr. McNeal asked if we could pray for her and she told us that she was Muslim but that we could still pray with her. She in turn prayed over us, which was such a blessing to me. After we prayed, Pastor Ammanuel told us how shocked he was that she said yes and that it shows how grateful she was that she allowed us to pray over her because Muslims usually don’t agree to Christians praying for them. I really appreciated this woman’s openness and our mutual ability to share our beliefs and prayers for blessing over one another. - Rebekah

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, going on a mission trip for the first time since Covid. But the Lord’s hand over our team and project was evident all throughout the trip. He perfectly crafted our team, and getting to experience SBU’s first PT trip to Ethiopia together was such a gift. It’s hard to put into words, other than it left our hearts feeling flooded. There are a lot of moments that stick out, but there is one afternoon in particular that I keep coming back to. A patient was brought in that had suffered meningitis and a severely high fever a year ago, and the affects left her unable to sit, stand, or walk independently. I got pulled in to help, as we originally thought she was a pediatric patient (turns out she was turning 30 in a few days, not 13…oops!) I had no idea what to do, but I jumped in to help in whatever way I could. She experienced a lot of pain when we attempted to stretch her muscles. Pretty quickly, we recruited other team members to help with ideas. At some point during our 60-90 minute treatment session, every person on our team had an opportunity to work with her in some capacity. Whether it was stretching, therapeutic exercise, finding wrist/thumb splints, or fixing her wheelchair. We all got to be a part of her session, and she spoke English fairly well, so we were able to communicate a bit more with her than some other patients we saw. We squeezed her in - which delayed our lunch by a couple of hours - but getting to meet her, work with her, pray over her, and witness her and her mother’s gratitude was really touching. I’m humbled and immensely grateful for the opportunity to experience Ethiopia’s beautiful culture and interact with the people we met - especially alongside my team. We’re sad to come back home and go our separate ways, but I’m confident He’ll continue using us to bring glory to His name. - Kailyn

One of the most memorable moments for me on this trip was when our team saw a patient who had meningitis and was living with after effects of the disease such as contractures, balance deficits, and decreased mobility. She was the only patient in the clinic at the time which gave the unique opportunity for all members of our team to be involved in her care. It was a really sweet moment where I saw everyone pull together to use their knowledge and abilities to help the patient in whatever way we could - whether that was working on balance training, searching through equipment to find anything that could help her, adjusting her wheelchair to better fit her, or encouraging and praying over her and her mother. It was in that moment that I observed how perfectly the Lord knit together our team with each individual’s unique gifts to serve the people of Ethiopia. As the week went on, I continually observed members of our team interacting with patients and always having someone on our team with knowledge and skills to meet individual patient needs. It was so sweet to work and grow with my peers in this way. - Courtney

The thing that will stick with me from this trip is how fortunate we are for what we consider “basic” health care, especially when it comes to fractures. I had two examples of this through the trip. The first was a working mother that came into the clinic with elbow pain. The pain started about 1 year ago when she fell. After the fall she was diagnosed with a fracture near the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. For treatment the physicians chose to inject the women with corticosteroids, which initially relieved the pain. The pain relief led the patient to believe her bone had healed, however after a month or two she began to have pain in her elbow. It was again due to the fracture which had not joined.  The patient immediately wondered if she could continue to work and care for her children. If she cannot work she cannot feed her family. Taking a decreased work load was also not an option like it typically would be in the U.S.  The patient was soon going to be faced with the decision to choose to continue working without allowing the necessary time for the fracture to heal, or to stop working and no longer being able to provide food for her children. With this treatment session the team was able to relieve some of the pain in the shoulder region caused by muscular tightness. We continue to wish we could have done more for her but the circumstances were out of our control. Another patient came into the clinic in a wheel chair with a very noticeable leg length discrepancy of about 6 inches. When asked if this was congenital or caused by trauma, he said it was due to a fracture in his leg a long time ago and the physician chose not to immobilize the femur; instead the physician left the femur to heal on its own. The bone was not aligned when it healed, causing a significant deformity. Despite this the patient wanted to walk. I asked if he had been walking at home and reported he had. The man had been using two crutches to walk which required significant amounts of energy. The patient was provided a walker and educated on proper use of the device as well as strategies to conserve energy. After the training he did not want to stop walking. He was enjoying being able to walk with such ease. Neither of these patients could explain why the treatment was performed the way that it was but both were ready to return to their lives. Both of these cases would have been considered an “easy” fix in the US, but due to high demand on physicians, lack of resources, and on occasion lack of knowledge the healthcare system could not provide the highest level of care needed for these patients. These interactions showed me how much of a privilege it is to have access to the healthcare we have in the U.S. - Jon

One of the more eye-opening experiences for me on this trip was on our last clinic day working at the military hospital. There we got to meet one of the few doctors of physical therapy in Ethiopia as well as his physio staff. I was impressed by their flexibility, not only with their resources, but also in their care, as many of the patients they cared for have multi-system impairments that are high complexity in nature resulting from various mechanisms of trauma from war. That day we were there we saw patient after patient one immediately after the other, all with different presentations resulting from trauma as could be expected in a military setting. These clinicians did the best that they could with the equipment, time, resources, and education that they had so that their wounded countrymen could have another (and a better) chance at a normal life after their injury. Their passion and care for their brothers and sisters is something that I will carry with me into my practice as I return home. - Isaiah

On Friday morning, half of our team served at St. Peter’s while the other half served at the dialysis centre. When our team met up at the dialysis center for lunch after a busy morning at both locations, we were surprised with a visit from a group of outstanding ladies, including the the Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya. They all so graciously expressed their thankfulness to us for visiting Ethiopia and serving its people. They went on to explain how much it means to them and offered us Scriptural encouragement as well as blessed us with prayer. We were all so moved by this experience. God’s timing was truly perfect, as we were all beginning to feel the effects of sickness, fatigue, unpreparedness; and God once again swooped in to remind us that His ways are always greater and He is faithful to provide when we have nothing left. God’s presence was felt throughout the entirety of the trip, but the whole team would agree that it was overwhelming in the break room that day. Of the MANY moments throughout the trip that truly touched my heart, this was a big one. – Chaney

As I have started to reflect on my time in Ethiopia, the theme of gratitude continues to circulate through my thoughts and memories. I can recall a woman’s eyes overflowing with happy tears as she begins to walk for the first time without pain in over a year. I can see her stretching out her hand to bless team members for loving on her and caring for her. This same extravagant expression of gratefulness occurred throughout the trip despite whether or not equipment was given or whether or not an immense change in symptoms occurred. Both patients and fellow physical therapists were overjoyed with the thought alone that I was there. This sentiment has caused me to look to God for a heart check. Am I thankful for the time and effort people in my life give? Is God’s presence alone sufficient when life is not providing the outcomes I want? Maybe sometimes the answer is yes. I am certain, however, that my answer is not yes enough. This time of ministry has challenged me to cultivate a heart and a life of gratitude. To me, this means that my thoughts and actions are motivated by who God is and what he has done/continues to do. This means that I continue to show up and “work heartily as unto the Lord.” This also means that I make it a point to express gratitude to others even if it is solely for being present. -Brittany

Photos from Days 2-4

 

Days 2-4

 Selam, friends!

We’re a few days into the trip and we’ve finally had a chance to adjust from jetlag (thanks to coffee, melatonin, and Benadryl). Everyday we’ve tried new foods, made new friends, and made new memories. 

Over the past 3 days, we’ve spent most of our time serving at Kidus Petros Hospital (St. Peter’s in English). The hospital is a government-run institution that is primarily a tuberculosis specialized hospital that serves the people of Addis Ababa. We’ve mainly been at their outpatient physiotherapy department alongside their staff and have been able to co-treat many patients with different musculoskeletal and neurological disorders. It was interesting to see how differently they treat under different environments with different equipment. The physios there were eager to learn new techniques and use new equipment.

“We were called into a room to treat a patient with a new stroke. As I walked in, I was surprised  to see four beds with barely any equipment, only one catheter. Despite this I was very impressed by how the patient’s family wanted to be involved with the treatment. The patient’s sons stepped in and assisted in sitting him up and other therapeutic activities. I was also very impressed by how eager the patient was to work to improve his condition. In my experience, many patients in acute care would refuse to work with physical therapists, but this man was willing to push himself and try new things. We got to treat him again the next day and I was surprised how much he improved overnight, as he was already out of flexor synergy and his standing balance was much better. Seeing him walk for for the first time was a big moment for me, as this was his first time to walk in 10 days since the onset of stroke. I was most impacted how much the family wanted to support our patient. Before he left the clinic, we were able to pray for him.” - Jon

“I was able to assist in treating a man who had suffered a spinal cord injury at T9 that left him paralyzed from that level down. We were able to teach him about his injury and how to improve his sensation and motor control. Immediately following his injury, he was told that he had a complete spinal cord injury, meaning he would not regain function below his level of injury. However, he told us that he was beginning to have sensation to the top of his hips, and we were able to feel muscle contraction in that area as well, meaning that he did have motor control below his level of injury (Yay!). We told him that there is hope that he will continue to regain function. We continued to educate him on exercises that he can do to improve his sensation and control. We noticed that he had some swelling in his feet due to being wheelchair bound for so long. Because of this, we searched through our supplies to find compression sleeves that would fit him. We found 2 different sizes to use on each leg and one of them ended up being the perfect size for that leg. It was the last of what we had of that size. (God still works miracles!) The patient was so thankful and continued to have a positive attitude despite his circumstances. He taught us just as much as we taught him. 

Another one of the many things that have touched my heart thus far was when I observed a low back pain patient come to the clinic in tears and having difficulty walking because of her pain. After being treated by Isaiah and Ethan, the patient was able to walk much easier and was no longer in tears. She repeated the phrase “God bless you, God bless you…” in Amharic (the Ethiopian language) near the end of her treatment. It was amazing to see the impact that was made and such a blessing to witness the patient leave the session so much better than when she came. I can see God working here.” - Chaney

We also got to spend an afternoon in their ICU. We and their staff collaborated on early mobility and positioning strategies in order to improve outcomes for patients. 

This morning, and most other Thursday mornings, the staff at St. Peter’s physiotherapy department treat many babies with clubfoot deformities. We enjoyed learning about their methods of casting these kiddos to improve their function and mobility long term. 

Aside from our days in the clinic, we’ve had some fun times in the evenings. Due to traveling, we weren’t able to celebrate our team leader’s (Bev) birthday, but a couple of nights ago, Pastor Amanuel and the other local staff collaborated to put together a dinner celebration for her. Last night, we also got to visit and quickly tour a local Orthodox Church, which is a main religion in Ethiopia along with Islam. 

Amasegnelehu (thank you), for your continued prayers for this trip. God is doing so much and we are looking forward to seeing Him do more here in Addis. Until next time, ciao!

Day 1

After a grand total of over 17 hours in the air, and a layover in Houston, TX and Istanbul, Turkey, the team landed safely in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia at around 1:00am local time. After an adventure getting through customs, we met our amazing driver Thomas, who drove us to the guest house where we will be staying for the next 9 days. We were able to finally get to bed at around 4:30am. 

After a delicious, genuine Ethiopian brunch provided by our chef the next morning, we headed off to the 2 hospitals where we will be serving throughout our time here. They are both located in Addis Ababa, only about a 30 minute drive from our guest house. Our first stop was Menelik II Yeabe Dialysis Center, where we were given a tour and educated on the needs of patients that we will be serving. Next, we visited St. Peter’s hospital, where we met one of the pediatric cardiologists and the hospital director, who welcomed us with open arms and educated us on the hospital system. We were also given a tour of the adult and pediatric emergency departments, as well as the physiotherapy clinic where we will be providing care alongside their 6 physiotherapists. Tomorrow through Thursday, we will be serving with our Physiotherapy skills at St. Peter’s hospital, followed by Menelik II. 

After our visits to the hospital, our amazing guide and Ethiopian native, Ammanuel, took us to a cafe in heart of Addis Ababa for coffee and cake. (It is safe to say that Ethiopian coffee IS all it’s cracked up to be!) We finished the day with a delicious dinner and fellowship with each other. 

We are blessed to be able to use the gifts and talents God has given us to further His Kingdom here. We are thankful for all of your prayers and support throughout this adventure! 

-Team Ethiopia

We've Arrived!

The Ethiopia team is finally all together in Addis Ababa! We have had a long 2 days of travel and some fantastic Ethiopian food and coffee. Pray for our jet lag to resolve quickly so we can be good and faithful servants.

We are off and running again- FINALLY

The SBU DPT Global Health Outreach has been drydocked since the beginning of the pandemic. But no longer! We are gearing up for our first trip to head out this weekend. Thanks to a small army of volunteer students, our supplies are packed. Watch here for updates on this first ever  SBU DPT trip to Ethiopia!