Randi – Out of Africa

July, 2010 Update

Follow-Up on Randi:

Here is a follow-up on Randi Bahnick’s month-long serving trip to Africa.  Just a reminder: Randi is a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  The country in which she served has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.  She wrote the following while she was serving at a hospital in Africa:

Randi’s African Adventure:

“Salaam ah lay koom! or Peace be with you!  (I have no idea how you spell that!)

“Life at the hospital in Africa has proven to be very different from home.  We’re still getting used to the lack of supplies and cleanliness, and we are doing our best to teach the students how to do things in more medically sound ways.

“I’ve experienced multiple deaths and that’s been extremely difficult, especially because they don’t seem to initiate resuscitation all that well.  They just cope with the fact that their loved ones are going to pass.

“I keep praying that God will use me to be love to these people and that maybe, in some small way, I’ll be able to make a difference.  I’ve been able to make friends with many of the African students/nurses, which has been amazing.  They are so receptive to my teaching and that’s really encouraging.

“I feel like after two weeks of being here, I have finally found my niche – a place where my heart’s passions come a little more alive:

“A couple days ago, we went through a really rough 24 hours.  We were in the midst of having our own version of a 4th of July party when we all got thrown into an emergency c-section situation.  The baby was under fetal distress.  There was meconium detected, which gets everyone on edge a bit because we know there is a high chance the baby will be in respiratory distress once delivered.

“I was with another volunteer from Seattle, explaining the c-section process, when I started to have a bad feeling and wanted to prepare myself for delivery.

“The baby was delivered – blue and not breathing.

“We rushed the baby to our resuscitation table where I immediately found myself going into PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) nurse mode.  I started CPR and by that time, all five of us North American volunteers were in the room working on this precious baby girl.

“We worked and worked and worked, but unfortunately, the baby did not survive.

“As I stood there with the baby in my arms preparing to give her to the family so she could be buried, I was overwhelmed with the realization that there is still so much we could help with.

“The education level is low, the sense of urgency in emergency situations is low, and the medical critical thinking isn’t up to par.

“That night was very difficult for me, and for all of us, as I thought about how another precious, precious life was lost.

“Yet it changed my perspective on what I need to do in my remaining time here.

“The next morning wasn’t any better as we lost two more babies…(they seem to come in waves)…but once again, this fire started to burn within me.

“We’ve been taking action by doing some really good teaching with the nurse-midwife students and I think it’s starting to sink in.

“I made a bunch of posters that now hang in the resuscitation room and the labor room, teaching them about what to have ready before every delivery in case of emergency, the steps for newborn resuscitation and proper APGAR scoring.

“As soon as I hung a poster up, three midwives gathered around it to read it.  We got to talk about it! It was encouraging!

“We also started teaching a 3-day class on neonatal care and proper resuscitation.  This training is great because we are able to get the midwives one-on-one, to teach the proper CPR and resuscitation skills.

“I feel like this is the mark I can leave behind – working with individual nurses and making small changes in their practices.

“So, yeah, there are definitely some big struggles going on and some challenges to overcome, but there are some really, really great things going on as well.

“I finally feel like I have something to offer and am being used.

“Mayhartsinit (thank you)!  Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your continued prayers.  It is so encouraging to know I have you at home thinking of me and praying for me, my team, and for the people of Africa!” – Randi Bahnick

Mayharsinit (Thank You):

Hopefully many precious new lives will be saved from this day on, because of Randi’s time spent teaching and training, passing on some skills she has been blessed with.

What a beautiful way to open doors of love and dialogue between our very different worlds, countries, and faiths.

I’m so proud of Randi and the team for having the courage, selflessness, and spirit to Go and Be Jesus with a people he passionately loves.

Thank you for playing a role in making this possible. You’re prayers and contributions are making a difference beyond this world.

In His Love,
Randy