Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound I am sitting here in a guest apartment of TEAM in N’DJamena. TEAM is an evangelical mission group here in Chad who have a few guest houses that we often stay in when we are up here in the capital. It really does feel like a heater in here. I don’t mind it though. I am back and reunited with my family, of which all 3 of those boys are sleeping at 2:30pm. They need it. Zane is all off with his jet lag. He’s back to his good health, though a little fussy with his 5th tooth coming in! Lyol just finished his oral quinine course today for malaria. Sooooo good to see my little munchkin. Of course he’s all grown up and changed in the past 3 weeks. I couldn’t believe it when Olen told me that he grew 1/4 of an inch, can ride a bicycle, translates english into french for my father at the hospital, gave the sermon last week at church... No seriously. You can’t always believe Olen. So Lyol is pretty much the same, but still he’s all grown up too. Olen has his own battles as well. Politics. This past week has brought about some rediculous events. I’ll let Olen tell his own story, but can I just say, “This MCD has got to go.” Please pray for this to happen quickly. We have tried to work with him for almost a year and a half, and now it’s time to move on. Our hospital cannot function properly with him lurking. Needless to say, Olen is stressed and needs our prayers. So I am glad that they are all sleeping. It’s too hot for me to sleep. Zane and I have missed all of this heat being in the US. After getting Zane completely checked out by all of the wonderful medical care in Baltimore, we were finally able to relax. Boy was the weather nice there! After it was clear that Zane had fully recovered, he got some more vaccinations. Once you get your Yellow Fever vaccination, you have to wait 10 days before entering Chad. So....we waited...in comfort. Monday, Zane and I took the 13 hour flight to Ethiopia, of which Zane slept about 20 minutes combined I think. The flight attendants all loved him though. They all looked like models, so he thought it was great too. We had a 3 hour layover and waited in one of the corners close to my gate. The rest of the place was pretty crowded. At one random point I got up to make sure I was at the right gate. I almost ran into a nicely dressed woman because it was so busy. After a second for me to register her face, I realized it was Christy Shank. Christy is a friend from college and medical school who was a couple years older than me. She is currently serving as a doctor at a mission hospital in Malawi and was just traveling through. It was nice to catch up. Our flight from Ethiopia to Chad was typical. The flight attendants tried to get people in the aisles to be seated WHILE taxiing down the runway. One man had to finish his conversation with his friend who was a few seats back before he would listen to her. He wouldn’t even pay any attention to the flight attendant. I’m irritated for the lack of respect for rules sometimes. And lack of respect for women. I make a mental note not to be mad at everyone. Please God, I know it’s not everyone who lives here. I can’t make generalizations if I am to live and love people here. So I don’t get angry. I seriously struggle with this at times though. Zane slept the whole way thankfully. Immediately upon landing in NDJ, everyone unbuckled their seatbelts right away. Still taxiing. People stood up and opened the overhead compartments. Still taxiing. It’s still a little annoying for the lack of respect for rules. I struggle with ALL of my carry-ons (one of them, Zane’s “diaper bag” was 33 lbs that I had over a shoulder). So that is 3 carry-ons, a baby, and a stroller to get off of the plane. One really nice man from Ghana helped me though. Inside I quickly fill out the immigration card with my third hand. I gather all of my things and present the passports and card to the officer. He looks at them skeptically. “Where did you get this?” “At the Chadian Embassy in the US.” “This is no good.” Ya, whatever, MR. You just want a bribe. I hold my tongue and ask, “What seems to be the problem?” “They always give the wrong seals.” “We keep having this problem with them.” “Why don’t you tell your embassy to change it,” I couldn’t help myself, but I try to still be polite. I add, “I’m not paying you any money.” This is unfortunately typical for officers to make up reasons to get money out of you. He sends me over to the police area to wait in a crowded office. Me and my “light” carry-on baggage go and wait with the police for about 20 minutes. A very nice man found me over there and asked what I was doing there. I told him that I was not paying a bribe because I have a visa already. He was so nice and helpful and brought me right over to another officer, who quickly helped me through. This same man helped me gather all of my suitcases, put them through the security conveyer belt himself, while I waited with Zane. Then put them through this difficult turning doorway to get outside, again, while I waited with Zane. I tried to pay him (they all want money), but he refused. I’m pretty sure he was an angel with an airport badge. I wish I could remember his name. Olen came soon after, and now we are finally reunited. We will be here sorting out this MCD stuff until tomorrow, then finish the last leg towards home.

#115 A thousand thanks to the thousands of prayers

Dude, what did you put in this IV? It's awesome. Anybody else have a hankering for mango-flavored Doritos? Or Visine?

We want to thank everybody around the world for all your prayers. We have received hundreds of supportive emails of prayer and encouragement. God has heard our petitions and has healed our son. We don't have any update as to what was causing his illness, but he is a happy and healthy baby. He has already gained a pound since returning to the US. In fact, he has been healthy enough that they agreed to allow him to receive his Yellow Fever vaccination, which he needed to reenter Tchad now that he's over six months old. Tchad will not allow entry into the country for the first ten days after the vaccination, so now it's just waiting out the ten days before they can return. We also need to renew Danae and Zane's visas. We will soon be reunited and I can hardly wait.

Once again, thank you all for taking part in saving the life of our son. We wish to thank you all individually, but might fall short. Just the same, know that your emails of support have been read over and over again and have sustained us during immensely difficult times and lowest of valleys.

In the end, God was, is and will always be Love.

This is what it looks like when your scalp vein infiltrates.



love
olen and danae

danae.netteburg@gmail.com.

Olen phone: +235 62 16 04 93
Danae phone: +235 62 17 04 80

Olen et Danae Netteburg
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
52 Boite Postale
Kelo, Tchad
Afrique

Volunteers Welcome!!!

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#114 Zane, fever-free for one week!

Zane has had his first seven day stretch fever-free in six weeks now. Praise God. The doctors still don't know what caused five weeks of fevers. WBC 17,000, 84% lymphocytes and AST over 100 were his only striking labs initially. A million obscure tests are still pending. It would be nice to know, but I'd choose a healthy son and not knowing over the alternative.

Along the lines of sons and health, today is the one-year anniversary of Zeke's death, our nearly-adopted son. Nobody knows if we ever would have really had the opportunity to legally adopt him, but there was an immense bond and a physical, emotional and spiritual pain the day he died.

I had been torturing myself looking at pictures of these two precious boys, imagining if Zeke had lived and imagining the worst for Zane. Now that Zane is healthy once again, I can look at the pictures and peacefully recall happy memories with Zeke and anticipate a lifetime of father-son love between Zane and me. I don't believe I will ever see Zane the same. He will always be my miracle baby and every moment will be savored.

missionarydoctors.blogspot.com

danae.netteburg@gmail.com.

Olen phone: +235 62 16 04 93
Danae phone: +235 62 17 04 80

Olen et Danae Netteburg
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
52 Boite Postale
Kelo, Tchad
Afrique

Volunteers Welcome!!!

Zane: No news is good news

So along the lines of no news being good news...

Danae went to the ER Monday, where everybody was expecting her, from the infectious disease attending to the infectious disease fellow to the chief resident to the senior resident to the ER attending to everybody else. Everybody was very nice.

The infectious disease specialist spent 50 minutes with Zane, something I haven't done since medical school, and then several hours afterward researching what tests she wanted to order.

At some point, we will give you the very extensive and very impressive list of tests they ran.

Danae spent 12 hours in the ER Monday, was given the option to go home, which she accepted, then reported back Tuesday for more testing.

We still don't know what's going on with Zane, but this is only the second time in six weeks that he's gone more than two days without fever and he's now at four days.

All the specialist physicians have been very reassuring that we made the right decision to bring Zane back to America when we did. However, there are as many different opinions for his diagnosis as there are physicians who have consulted on him. Everything from malaria to typhoid to pneumonia to something viral to tuberculosis to who knows what else. All diagnoses so far, however, are treatable. That's all we care about. God is still good, in case you were wondering.

love
olen and danae

missionarydoctors.blogspot.com

danae.netteburg@gmail.com.

Olen phone: +235 62 16 04 93
Danae phone: +235 62 17 04 80

Olen et Danae Netteburg
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
52 Boite Postale
Kelo, Tchad
Afrique

Volunteers Welcome!!!

Satan's challenge

Zane arrived in DC today. He has had no fever since arriving at the airport in Tchad. If he can hold out until tomorrow, this will be only the third time in almost six weeks that he's gone two days without a fever.

Satan is issuing us a challenge. Since Adam died New Year's Eve, we have medically evacuated one volunteer for hepatitis (as yet an unknown cause), we have had another volunteer vomiting for a month nonstop since she arrived, we have had another volunteer fall from a horse and break her tibia/fibular, we have had another volunteer fall from the same horse and break either her sacrum or her coccyx, three members of the Parker family currently have malaria in addition to other volunteers, and of course Zane.

It's humbling on the front lines of the Great Controversy.

Pray for us.

love
olen and danae

missionarydoctors.blogspot.com

danae.netteburg@gmail.com.

Olen phone: +235 62 16 04 93
Danae phone: +235 62 17 04 80

Olen et Danae Netteburg
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
52 Boite Postale
Kelo, Tchad
Afrique

Volunteers Welcome!!!

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#106 Auto-pilot

Danae and Zane are crossing the ocean now at 36,000 feet. The pilot has put the plane on auto-pilot.

I’m waking up. I’m putting Lyol on the toilet. I’m wiping his butt. I’m smiling when Lyol offers, ‘Daddy crying? Here you go Daddy. Drink some water.’ I’m giving him his vitamins. I’m dressing him. I’m getting him breakfast. I’m forcing myself to eat a little, even though I don’t feel like it. I’m going to work.

I’m thinking of what I want to tell Danae when I get back to the house. Then auto-pilot kicks off and I remember that she’s not there anymore. I prefer auto-pilot.

I’m smiling and talking to staff, patients, families. I’m saying fine when people ask how I’m doing. I’m treating patients. All of this I can do without switching on my brain.

A baby cries. Auto-pilot comes off. I’m alert. I’m looking for Zane. Oh, right. He’s not here. He’s sick and on his way home. Home? Where’s home? Isn’t home where I am? This is too much thinking. I’m more comfortable on auto-pilot.

I take Lyol out to the garden to help me water plants. We go on a walk.

A baby laughs. Auto-pilot comes off. I’m alert. I’m looking for Zane. Oh, right. This happens again and again. It’s just so much easier on auto-pilot.

I thank Lyol when he offers me toilet paper to blow my running nose and wipe my tearing eyes. I give him a bath. I put on his diaper. I put on his pajamas. I read him a book.

Then I finally see him, really see him. Auto-pilot comes off. I squeeze him. I tell him I love him. I pray with him. I lay in bed with him, exhausted, yet unable to sleep.

Seriously? There are so many stronger, braver, more deeply-rooted people that could handle this. Not me.

I pick up toys. I shower. I brush my teeth. I walk back to my own bed. I’m back on auto-pilot. I like it this way.

Don’t ask me how I’m doing. What do you expect me to say?