more human than us by 1kiki

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

more human than us

POSTED BY: 1KIKI
UPDATED: Sunday, November 9, 2014 09:08
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VIEWED: 1772
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Saturday, November 8, 2014 6:01 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/31/world/africa/photos-of-w
orkers-and-survivors-braving-ebola-at-a-clinic-in-liberia.html?_r=0

SUAKOKO, Liberia OCT. 31, 2014

The patients arrive, at first fearful of the people in spacesuits whose faces they cannot see. They wait for test results, for the next medical rounds, for symptoms to appear or retreat. They watch for who recovers to sit in the courtyard shade and who does not. They pray.

The workers offer medicine, meals, cookies and comfort. They try to make patients smile. Very, very carefully, they start IVs. They spray chlorine, over and over, and they dig graves. They pray.

These are the people of one Ebola clinic in rural Liberia. Run by the American charity International Medical Corps, the clinic rose in September out of a tropical forest. It now employs more than 170 workers, a mix of locals and foreigners, some of them volunteers. There are laborers trying to make money for their families, university students helping because Ebola has shut down their schools, and American doctors who, after years of studying outbreaks, are seeing Ebola’s ravages in person for the first time. A mobile laboratory operated by the United States Navy has set up shop at a shuttered university. Now, test results come back in a matter of hours instead of several days.

Some of the workers will stay a few more weeks, or until the end of the year. Many of the Liberians vow to remain until the disease is gone, when they can go back to their old jobs or resume their former lives. They work toward a time after Ebola.

I have dreams in the middle of the night, waking up in the Ebola ward as a patient. I’ve had dreams where I’m in the ward without any gear, just standing there in my pants and shirt. But I like getting up in the morning, and I like coming here. I think we’re actually making a difference for these people.Steven Hatch, 45, physician from BostonAt home, Dr. Hatch is an infectious-disease specialist in Worcester, Mass., and the father of 13-year-old twins.

I came here to look for a job to help my family. Some were afraid to come here, and I took the chance. I focus on my work. I can’t feel nothing when I’m working.Otis Bah, 41, gravediggerMr. Bah, who has a 20-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, previously worked in private security. One of his closest friends was treated for Ebola at the clinic; when he died, Mr. Bah helped bury him.

I got up in the morning, I prayed. In the evening, I prayed. At dinner, I prayed. Prayed to get well. Yesterday they said, 'You, you’re free.' I danced, I jumped.George Beyan, 34, Ebola survivorMr. Beyan contracted Ebola after carrying a sick friend in a hammock. The day he found out that he was free of the virus, he received word that his wife and two of his children were going to be tested. When he was photographed, he did not yet know the results. His 5-year-old son, William, tested positive, and Mr. Beyan returned to the Ebola ward to care for him. The boy died a few days later.

People are waiting on these tests. We know that time is of the essence for them, because somebody’s going to stay overnight in a suspected ward if we don’t get things done as fast as we can.Lt. Cmdr. Ben Espinosa, 44, microbiologist from Frederick, Md.By getting test results back as quickly as possible, Commander Espinosa and his team try to reduce the chances that a patient who does not have the disease will become infected by staying in the ward for suspected Ebola cases. Commander Espinosa, who is head of operations of the Navy’s Biological Defense Research Directorate, is married with four children, ages 7 to 20.

When I go in, we chat with them, ask how they’re doing, how they are feeling, whether they are in pain. They need love. They need reassurance. For those that believe in God, you have to tell them to have faith in God. Eat well. Take a lot of water. You can talk softly, rub their back, hold their hand. You want to take off the mask so that they see that you’re feeling what they’re going through. But you can’t.Pares Momanyi, 30, nursing supervisor from Nyamira County, KenyaMs. Momanyi, an emergency-medicine nurse, has worked on other humanitarian relief efforts, such as the response to a hepatitis E outbreak in South Sudan.

When this Ebola broke out, people were afraid to come here and work. But I thought, 'If we Liberians sit back and say we’re not going to work, then how will the other people feel that came across the sea to help us?' I’m here to serve this country, and I’m here as long as Ebola is in this country. If I die, my country will have the record of me.Tamba Shello, 26, gate security guardMr. Shello, who previously worked as a street vendor, graduated from high school just this year and hopes to study agriculture at a university. He has 3-year-old twin girls.

When I come into work, I pray to the almighty God that I should not be ill, that I should be strong and work. I feel a little scared. When I get there, I know how to move. I don’t touch any object in the high-risk area. I am very careful about how I work. When I am around a patient, I don’t touch them.Moses Tarkulah, 29, sprayerMr. Tarkulah graduated from high school recently and was looking for work before the Ebola outbreak. He disinfects the high-risk
areas of the clinic, including the hallways, bathrooms and garbage. When someone dies, he sprays the body before it goes to the morgue

I like going over to the patients and interacting with them, giving them hope. When I am home, I feel that I am not doing the right thing. So some of the days I am off, I will come back and say hi to the patients — just to give them that courage that there is still life for them, that they can come out.J. Sam T. G. Siakor, 30, water, sanitation and hygiene supervisorOnly specially trained workers in protective gear can enter the two wards that house people with confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola; others can interact with the patients from outside a fence, several feet away. Mr. Siakor, a university student, teacher and gospel artist, has lost an uncle and an aunt to the disease

In some communities we visit, they say I want to kill the patient. Sometimes they ask me to even drink the oral rehydration solution. It’s not poison! I have to drink it before I give it to the patient. They will ask me to give the patient a mask, because I am wearing a mask, so the patient too should wear a mask.Mabel W. Musa, 27, ambulance nurseMs. Musa has lost a close friend and several colleagues from her previous workplace to Ebola. She believes that working at the clinic has made her a better nurse.

Every day when I come into work, first thing, I pray. At first, I was so afraid. But now I’ve decided that being afraid will not help. All you have to do is just be more careful of everything.Sophie Jarpa, 25, safety officerMs. Jarpa is responsible for monitoring the workers as they put on and take off their protective gear. She was inspired to work at the clinic after her university classmate and friend died from Ebola. Her university is shuttered because of the outbreak.

I lost one of my nephews. At the time, to be very frank, we did not believe that Ebola existed, so we were doing things with that ignorance. He did not even go to a
medical center. I took this job to join the process of fighting Ebola in Liberia. I feel happy rendering my services to my own people. And I feel happy when they are becoming cured from this Ebola unit. I feel proud.Daniel Korha, 36, laundry workerIn addition to his nephew, several other members of Mr. Korha's family have died from Ebola. Previously, he built roads and bridges. His involvement with the clinic started before it began operating; he was on a construction training course that was canceled because of the outbreak, and he helped build the clinic instead.

I saw dead bodies all the time. I became afraid. I had all the symptoms. After nine days, I started responding, little by little. I would walk in the morning. I made friends. I took care of the children.Mami Bienda, 39, Ebola survivorOf the three children that Ms. Bienda helped care for while she was recovering in the Ebola ward, at least two survived. Ms. Bienda, a produce vendor, was infected by her husband, who died. She has three children of her own, ages 5 to 18.

When they said the clinic is coming, I decided to come and work and find a job. I feel bad. All this time, people dying, every day, burying all day. It’s very wrong.Jean P. Dolo, 44, gravediggerBefore the Ebola outbreak, Mr. Dolo was a taxi driver, but work dried up when the epidemic began. A benefit of working at the clinic, he believes, is that he would receive treatment quickly if he got sick. Mr. Dolo is married with four children.

I came here to fight for survival. You see your friends are going down, down, down. You observe people being buried on a daily basis. If you don’t have heart, you lose hope. But however bad is the situation we were in, God was able to carry me through. Over the three weeks, I encouraged myself by exercising. I jogged around. I read the Bible. I prayed. And that’s how I was coming up, little by little, until now.Genesis Sackie, 30, Ebola survivorMr. Sackie, a language arts and social studies teacher, contracted Ebola from his brother, who died. After his release, he was most looking forward to playing with his children, ages 1, 3 and 9.

Every day, people die of this sickness called Ebola. It hurts me a lot. Sometimes when I go in and see a patient lying there, I encourage them. I say, you have to pray, give yourself strength. Don’t look up at us because we’re carrying a body. You got to get it off your mind. I tell them the sickness can happen to everybody. It is not your fault.Albert Nimely, 18, burial supervisor and hygienistBefore the outbreak, Mr. Nimely played for Liberia’s under-20 national soccer team. His dreams for the future include playing professional soccer internationally, working for International Medical Corps abroad and becoming an information technology specialist.

When I came, I was very weak. I was feeling miserable. I took my medication and always listened to the bosses, the bigger people that were there. That got me encouraged.Junior Samuel, 8, Ebola survivorEbola killed Junior‘s parents, and now his uncle and aunt will care for him. Upon his release, he was eager to see his siblings.

First, I was a waste handler, for one month. And then I was promoted to the laundry as supervisor. I feel good. I found passion in the job. I want to save the lives of my people. I worry about my health, but by God’s grace, God is protecting me.Yarmah J. Cooper, 30, laundry supervisorMs. Cooper was studying agriculture before Ebola closed her university. She has two children, ages 3 months and 14, and her fiancé also works at the clinic. She looks forward to resuming her studies and, eventually, to farming rice, potatoes and cassava.

My mother was afraid for me to come to the Ebola center. She was panicked. I said, 'Mommy, if we all sit back and no one volunteers to fight Ebola, what would it be like in Liberia? We’re going to die from the virus. You can die from Ebola, I can die from Ebola, my sister can die from Ebola, and even my daddy. It is better that we volunteer ourselves to be trained and combat the virus.' She got convinced, and she allowed me. But all the time, she tells me I should be careful.James McGill Kiamue, 23, sprayerMr. Kiamue sprays bleach inside the high-risk areas, including patient rooms, the garbage and the toilet. He also sprays corpses and accompanies the burial team. Before the outbreak, he was studying biology and chemistry at a university. He is planning to marry and hopes to become a doctor.

From the outside, it’s really, really scary. And with the P.P.E., you are very hot. But when I got used to it, I took it in my way. I’m used to working with a smile. When you do a job that you like, you have to do it with a smile. It’s the only way to succeed.Eric Dieudonne, 32, water, sanitation and hygiene coordinator from Moundou, ChadMr. Dieudonne worked for Doctors Without Borders for many years, supporting missions in various African countries. His background is in civil engineering. "P.P.E." refers to personal protective equipment.

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 7:52 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

WTF is this ?

How many have already died to ignorance and and flat out idiocy ?

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 7:56 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

What really struck me was this...

Quote:
My mother was afraid for me to come to the Ebola center. She was panicked. I said, 'Mommy, if we all sit back and no one volunteers to fight Ebola, what would it be like in Liberia? We’re going to die from the virus. You can die from Ebola, I can die from Ebola, my sister can die from Ebola, and even my daddy. It is better that we volunteer ourselves to be trained and combat the virus.'

Someone who doesn't live in denial, but jumps in to help out of sheer survival instinct.

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 7:59 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

What strikes ME is how you said you're out of here, and yet you're not!

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 8:15 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Anything relevant OT? No, of course not.

definition of a troll: "and I refuse to chase others in a mindless, endless circle of " debate " on the internet. If I 'bitch out' of a discussion, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter, my views have been presented, and there's nothing left to add."

SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 8:24 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Anything relevant OT? No, of course not.

The entire point of the thread was go-se.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 9:01 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

These are people, little rappy. The people you write off. The people you reduce to unimportant trivia. This is what you think of them: "The entire point of the thread was go-se."

You couldn't have made my point more eloquently. They are far, far more human than you.

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 10:14 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Great thread, Ikiki. Reminds us that people have to continue to live and survive in ebola infected areas and that people still need treatment, and someone to treat them.

I'm not sure what Rappy's response was about? Perhaps he invisages some bubobic plague response where families with infected are locked into their houses, waiting to see who will live and who will die, untreated and uncared for?

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Saturday, November 8, 2014 10:21 PM

DEVERSE

Hey, Ive been in a firefight before! Well, I was in a fire. Actually, I was fired from a fry-cook opportunity.

The post made me homesick in a weird way.

My wife and I just got back home after 2 months volunteering in Africa and seeing our daughter. We'd have stayed longer, but that's all the time we could get from work. Our daughter is there still, 1/2 way through her tour. Next month she will be going to work with those with HIV and who have been orphaned by it.

Seeing the pictures and reading the stories makes me feel like I miss the places we were at and I want to go back.

Oh let the sun beat down upon my face;
With stars to fill my dream;
I am a traveler of both time and space;
To be where I have been

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Sunday, November 9, 2014 1:36 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
What strikes ME is how you said you're out of here, and yet you're not!

What strikes me is how you misread what I write, just like Mr G. Out of that thread, not out of the forum. Do you have a brain? Do you use it?

-------------

Anyway, I don't know why but these pictures brought me to tears.

The other thing that I noticed is that everyone had different specific personal reactions - some people were afraid and put their faith in prayer, others were pragmatic, and others were gung-ho but there was a similarity among them, they were all aiming at the same goal. Impressive.

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Sunday, November 9, 2014 8:42 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

I'm not writing off anyone, so I have no idea where that's even coming from. I just think the piece is way over the top and heavy on the drama.

And Sig, I truly hope to never see you post in that other thread. I kinda doubt it, but we'll see.

I knew it was too much to even think you'd be leaving RWED.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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