Yesterday I went to the dialysis unit in the hospital to visit the children and make balloon animals for them. The children travel from places throughout the West Bank (aka Occupied Palestinian Territories) leaving early in the morning in hospital vans sent to pick them up and bring them through the various checkpoints into Jerusalem. The dialysis lasts for 4 hours and then they travel back home. This is a whole day process basically and has to be done 3 days a week. Of course, there is no way that any of these children could live without kidney dialysis. So, no matter how miserable the process may be, all the mothers, the fathers and children are so grateful and thankful for this wonderful service they are able to receive at the Lutheran funded hospital. There is no other place they can receive this treatment in the West Bank. The hospital also provides other medical services for Palestinian adults including some patients who are lucky enough to get permission to leave Gaza in order to receive needed medical treatments. As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, it has become impossible for their hospitals to perform all types of medical procedures, so there is a great need to be able to move patients with serious conditions like cancer and those needing heart surgery into Israel for lifesaving medical treatment. Staying here at the guesthouse are mostly volunteers, including a retired heart surgeon from New Zealand who gives up 6 weeks of his life every year to come here to perform heart surgery in an Islamic Charity hospital just down the hill from here. He told me that recently due to efforts by many human rights groups including Amnesty International, they were able to get 13 patients out of Gaza for heart surgery. Many patients will die though while they wait trying to get the permits to leave Gaza and enter Israel for treatment. Life is precious...the people here know all too well that it can be very tenuous and every day is a gift from God. Access to health care should be a basic human right no matter where you live in the world. As Bono says in one of his songs, " Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die."
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Giving Thanks for Life
Yesterday I went to the dialysis unit in the hospital to visit the children and make balloon animals for them. The children travel from places throughout the West Bank (aka Occupied Palestinian Territories) leaving early in the morning in hospital vans sent to pick them up and bring them through the various checkpoints into Jerusalem. The dialysis lasts for 4 hours and then they travel back home. This is a whole day process basically and has to be done 3 days a week. Of course, there is no way that any of these children could live without kidney dialysis. So, no matter how miserable the process may be, all the mothers, the fathers and children are so grateful and thankful for this wonderful service they are able to receive at the Lutheran funded hospital. There is no other place they can receive this treatment in the West Bank. The hospital also provides other medical services for Palestinian adults including some patients who are lucky enough to get permission to leave Gaza in order to receive needed medical treatments. As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, it has become impossible for their hospitals to perform all types of medical procedures, so there is a great need to be able to move patients with serious conditions like cancer and those needing heart surgery into Israel for lifesaving medical treatment. Staying here at the guesthouse are mostly volunteers, including a retired heart surgeon from New Zealand who gives up 6 weeks of his life every year to come here to perform heart surgery in an Islamic Charity hospital just down the hill from here. He told me that recently due to efforts by many human rights groups including Amnesty International, they were able to get 13 patients out of Gaza for heart surgery. Many patients will die though while they wait trying to get the permits to leave Gaza and enter Israel for treatment. Life is precious...the people here know all too well that it can be very tenuous and every day is a gift from God. Access to health care should be a basic human right no matter where you live in the world. As Bono says in one of his songs, " Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die."
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Well...finally I'm here in Jerusalem
Please be patient with me- I'm new to this computer, blogging and the whole thing.
But, I should figure it out! I'll eventually get the hang of it.
I finally have found some wireless internet access. That is the tough part.
I am here at Augusta Victoria Hospital which has been run by the Lutheran World Foundation since 1950 (although the building is older) and provides medical services for Palestinians that are unavailable in the West Bank and Gaza. Kidney dialysis, cancer treatment, etc.
Tomorrow I will dress up as "Stardust" and visit children who come from very far 3 times a week to have the necessary dialysis they need to live.
I met some volunteers today that work for EAPPI which is Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine- one lady from the UK and one from Norway. They go on buses early in the morning to get doctors, nurses and children coming the hospital each day. Their presence as Internationals seems to help somewhat with passing through checkpoints as they travel to Jerusalem from the West Bank.
It is beautiful weather here and the guesthouse here at Augusta Victoria is quite wonderful- I highly recommend it if you visit Jerusalem. It is located on the Mount of Olives high above the city and they have a lovely courtyard garden and the property is surrounded by olive groves.
I promise to write more interesting stories as I go. I just wanted to get something posted for now.
Thanks for reading! Blessings & Peace, Dana
But, I should figure it out! I'll eventually get the hang of it.
I finally have found some wireless internet access. That is the tough part.
I am here at Augusta Victoria Hospital which has been run by the Lutheran World Foundation since 1950 (although the building is older) and provides medical services for Palestinians that are unavailable in the West Bank and Gaza. Kidney dialysis, cancer treatment, etc.
Tomorrow I will dress up as "Stardust" and visit children who come from very far 3 times a week to have the necessary dialysis they need to live.
I met some volunteers today that work for EAPPI which is Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine- one lady from the UK and one from Norway. They go on buses early in the morning to get doctors, nurses and children coming the hospital each day. Their presence as Internationals seems to help somewhat with passing through checkpoints as they travel to Jerusalem from the West Bank.
It is beautiful weather here and the guesthouse here at Augusta Victoria is quite wonderful- I highly recommend it if you visit Jerusalem. It is located on the Mount of Olives high above the city and they have a lovely courtyard garden and the property is surrounded by olive groves.
I promise to write more interesting stories as I go. I just wanted to get something posted for now.
Thanks for reading! Blessings & Peace, Dana
Take my Picture!
The children in the Old City are so cute. You see them running around everywhere and if they see you with a camera, they want you to take their picture. It amazes me how much freedom they have in their part of the world. You will see very small children walking alone or with a slightly older brother or sister. Unfortunately, we have lost that in our culture and our children are not safe in our streets.
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