Merry Christmas! I love this season and this year once again am so grateful for many things. I wanted to show the great work that Fr. Herald and MiDo have done in getting patients their much needed heart surgery in Cameroon. Below is Fr. Herald's Christmas Newsletter with a link to a donation website. I will be headed back there in a few weeks and we hope to operate on these patients.
Peace and Happy New Year!
Franciscan Mission Outreach December 2014 Activity Report
A HEART FOR CAMEROON
From October 15 to 24 Fr. Herald accompanied US cardiac anesthesiologist Dr. Ellen Dailor (top right) to the Cardiac Centre at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Shisong Cameroon, run by Franciscan Sisters. Dr. Dailor has served several times at this state-of-the-art medical facility - the only one of its kind in Central Africa - and shared her experiences with Fr. Herald. He went to see how Franciscan Mission Outreach might help provide life-saving heart surgery to Cameroonians in need. By God’s providence, Dr. Claudia von Lutterotti and Andrea Maria Zeller (below left, with Fr. Herald) of the European nonprofit Mido - which raises funds for the same purpose - were also visiting at the same time.
Cameroon is a developing country of 22 million, a vast number of whom live in rural areas, survive on what they grow and lack adequate medical care. The average yearly income is under $2000 and life expectancy reaches only into the mid-50s. Cameroon has an extremely high incidence of rheumatic heart disease: 100-200 times higher than in wealthier countries. Rheumatic heart disease (caused by the strep virus) damages heart valves, affects mostly children and young adults and is the most common cause of cardiovascular death in the region. It’s estimated that 40,000 people in Cameroon suffer from this disease.
The Cardiac Centre at St. Elizabeth Hospital has the advanced capacity to do open-heart valve replacement surgery to treat this disease and save lives. The Centre has a full time, European trained Cameroonian cardiac surgeon, Dr. Charles Mve Mvondo (right), and the staff and technology to provide intensive pre- and post-operative care. When Dr. Dailor is there the surgical team is complete. Though the cost of this surgery in Cameroon ($7000) is only a small fraction of that in the US, it far exceeds the means of almost everyone there who needs it. Nearly 100 patients unable to pay are on a waiting list for surgery.
That’s where Franciscan Mission Outreach comes in. We are working with the Live Greater Foundation to match donations from Mido and cosponsor patients for heart surgery at which Dr. Dailor will attend as anesthesiologist. We are endeavoring to make sure this amazing Cardiac Centre functions at full capacity for the benefit of the poor. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to give seven Cameroonians in need the Christmas gift of free heart surgery.
Please help us in this effort to save a life!
Visit: www.youcaring.com/fmo-h4c
