Posted on behalf of Ryan Fabrizius from March 6
Jambo from Arusha (actually waiting in Dar es Salaam airport at the moment)!
Today marks the beginning of my journey back home. The past two months have so quickly passed, and this week has been a one of good byes and thank yous. I had the chance this week to do some home visits with the Hospice team. Unlike American Hospice care, the hospice team at Selian visits home-bound patients regardless of their life expectancy. For example, most of the patients that we saw have HIV infection as their primary debilitating illness, which, we hope, will not be life limiting if they are able to receive their medicines and routine HIV care regularly. The particular patients were selected because of their poor overall condition and lack of family support and resources. It was a wonderful chance to see a broader picture of the daily experience of these patients, seeing their homes, families, and neighborhoods. In health care, we life to think that the clinic appointments, hospital visits, and medicines prescribed make a big difference in someone's overall health, but seeing the patient's living conditions and imagining their daily life, I can see how far downstream we are from the roots of their problems.
The last word in this series is actually one I have mentioned before, but it is so nice I'll use it twice. "Asante", as I have mentioned, means thank you. I have so much to be thankful for at the end of this two month experience. It has been a great joy to work alongside the Tanzanian medical staff at Selian, to experience their hardships, the challenges to caring for patients in this environment, and the camaraderie of sharing our knowledge, experiences, and goals. To let me follow along on their hospital and clinic rounds, my Tanzanian colleagues gave up their time and departed from their routine. But on top of that, I feel more than just a collegiality was fostered, that it was a lasting friendship. For that, I am thankful. Asante does not seem to explain this gratitude deep enough, but it is the best that I had to offer in return. Asante has been offered so many times during my stay here, both from me and to me. It is often for ordinary services, such as at a store or restaurant. It has been offered from our patients, often the most fervent "asante" coming from the patient and family for whom we have no good option to left. However, when I consider how much I have received during my time here, I wish I had more than just one word. I wish I had the power to help my friends accomplish their goals. I wish I could take the stories that I have seen and strike the problems at their roots. I wish we could all have equal opportunity to quality health care and the basic needs that would sustain that health. But for now, I offer thank you, and resolve myself to not forget what I have seen and the people I have shared life with here in Tanzania.
