A global epidemic is currently rocking humanity’s sanity. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, shortened to SARS-CoV-2, is the official name for the virus that causes the disease known as Covid19. The virus is genetically related to two previous Coronavirus outbreaks. SARS first caused global panic in 2003. That outbreak lasted from November 2002 until July … More An Epidemic of Panic
Mary, as I have been calling her, has remained severely malnourished now for four months of her almost seven months of life. Her five year old sister has a neurological disability caused by TB Meningitis, which happens to children when their TB disease goes unchecked for too long. Noone has ever identified the adult who … More When God Syndrome Gets in the Way
Baby Mary was commenced on anti-TB medications sourced from the Black Market in the past couple of days. That’s an underground drug deal I never thought I would support. After festering in misery for 4 months of her 6 months on earth I expect to hear only good news from now on. This however, is … More Underground Drug Deal
It’s a month since I wrote about Mary, aka “TB Baby”. Sadly there is still no reprieve for this deteriorating almost-6-month-old. She remains untreated and dangerously unwell at home. Her weight is perilously stagnant, with no weight gain for over 3 months. She is now developing other symptoms related to her suppressed immune system caused … More Dismay and Disarray
One of the people I didn’t mention in my previous blog is a 32yo woman residing on a little wooden canoe on the muddy water with her husband and three children. I would have said four children only last year her three year old fell off the boat and disappeared. The community men spent days … More Ladles and Jellyspoons
The other day here in Australia, I was with a friend in town when her daughter called her, panic-stricken after being bitten by a snake at their home 10km from town. As I sat on the phone with Emergency Services, who answered on the first ring, replying to their orderly and systematised questions, my surprisingly … More Baby Business
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper ~ WB Yeats The day I met Paula and her family 16 months ago, they were resigned to a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Tears were common at that time and I remember not believing our initial reassurances to her, that … More Magnifying the Magic
They are late and still building momentum but the Monsoons have arrived in South East Asia. With a bit of fluctuation, the Mekong River is rising steadily. Slowly surging out into the delta, rising waters are transforming the lowest level green fields into massive brown lakes. Soon many villages will become submerged in a combination … More Cultural Chasms
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