AMERICAN SAMOA ADVENTURES!!

Talofa! Greetings from our tropical paradise!

Pago Pago Harbor

Ginger

Fatumafuti

Jungle hike

Toads galore

This past month has been eventful for Jim and I. Jim began working at the hospital and is seeing patients everyday. He has been doing knee injections. He has yet to do spinal injections or surgery as he is still waiting for some instruments, supplies, and medicine to arrive. He is getting more familiar with the hospital, with the people, and the patients that he sees. 

A few weeks ago we had a news conference with the local television station. The CEO of the hospital, the chief of staff at the hospital, Elder Haleck (an emeritus Seventy General Authority from the church, who has been instrumental to get medical missionaries on the island), Jim and myself were at the meeting. Jim was introduced. It was explained that he was here as a volunteer medical missionary in American Samoa to perform surgery that had never before been done on the island. (No pressure!!) It was a very nice way to let the community know what was available to them for spine issues. 

News Conference at LBJ Hospital

As we have traveled around the island, we have met numerous people who saw the broadcast about Dr. Gebhard. In fact, the day before Mother's Day we toured around to a more isolated part of the island. We saw a beautiful church with its doors open, and it was being cleaned for a Mother's Day celebration. We walked up the stairs and asked if we could look inside. We spoke with a woman. She asked about our mission, Her uncle was LDS so she knew about the church. Jim explained what he was doing. She said, "Were you on TV a few weeks ago? Are you the back doc?" We said that yes, he was the one. So Jim is known as the "Back Doc." 

Catholic church on the mountainside

View at Onenoa

I experienced a different kind of adventure about 4 weeks ago. While starting on a morning walk along the beach seawall, right next to the main highway (there is only one main road), I was confronted by 3 stray dogs. They ran across the highway, barking ferociously and aggressively. I was unprepared to defend myself as I had carelessly left my rock and my trek poles in the car. The dogs surrounded me, and before I knew it, I received a vicious dog bite on my lower leg. The dogs ran off, thankfully. I limped back to the car, made it home, and walked to our apartment, which is right next to the hospital. Jim met me, and we walked to the ER (which is an experience I never wanted to have while in American Samoa). 

Dog bite with stitches 

Dr Gebhard working his magic.

At the ER the wound was cleaned out, and it received 9 stitches. It was a dirty, uneven wound that began to fester a few days later. My heroic doctor-husband became my physician. He took out the stitches, cleaned the wound, cut off the dead skin and bandaged me up. Twice a day, everyday for two weeks, he cleaned and packed the wound. Two weeks ago, a wound vac was put on it to see if it would heal faster and better. It was taken off last week. Amazingly, it looked quite a bit better, not as deep or wide; but still a hole in my leg. This week I have had another treatment on it to promote more closure of the wound. It remains to be seen if I will need a skin graft to complete the healing process.

Wound vac on injury

Looking better after the wound vac

My missionary doc. I love the flip flops!

To look on the bright side of things, our friends, Peter and Toby Christensen, informed me that I have now earned the privilege of joining the "Persecuted for the Lord's Sake" Club. The Christensen's presided over the Las Vegas, Nevada mission a few years ago. Any missionary that experienced a dog bite or any other affliction became a member of this club. I was excited to know that this bite was not for naught and enabled me to become a member of this elite group. 

Lessons from a Dog Bite:

1--"PATIENCE: calm endurance, the ability to endure affliction, insult or injury without complaint or retaliation."

Even though healing is happening, it is a slow process. I am grateful for the advances in medicine that provide us with the ability to weather such injuries. The body itself has a miraculous way in its healing process.  

2--PAY ATTENTION: One can't let his/her guard down. I had been warned to carry a rock and/or a stick. I had them in my car, but because I wasn't accustomed to carrying them with me, I just got out of the car and started walking. Not paying attention to that detail has cost me some pain, some inconvenience, some time. 

"Put on the whole armor of God..Stand, having your loins girt about with truth...your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace..take the shield of faith...to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

3--GOD IS WITH YOU: With all that happened, I felt I had been protected from further danger because the other dogs didn't attack me, too. 

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the ^aLord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

Remember the Rock: He is our sure foundation!!

This letter wouldn't be complete without more "firsts" in American Samoa:

This huge coconut fell from a tree close to us at the beach.

Our friend cracked it open and we enjoyed fresh coconut juice and coconut meat.

Another way to enjoy niu (coconut water) right from the coconut.

Exploring the rocky coast on the island.

Relaxing after a busy day at LBJ Hospital.

                                                             Tofa soifua!