MSF Blogs From the Field

“If you are looking for fairness, you are on the wrong planet!”

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Date: 26/07/2008

1965, St. Wilibrord’s School, Chateauguay, Quebec “But it’s not fair,” I said to my grade 3 teacher Mrs. Ducey. I can’t even remember what my 8-year-old self was complaining about. Though I will always remember the response. “If you are looking for fairness,” she said, sounding uncharacteristically...

Living Conditions and the Expat Compound in Pictures

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Date: 25/07/2008

"Do you like camping?" my recruiter in Toronto asked me. At the time I did not understand the reason for the question, but now, 7 months later, I totally get it. In many respects, this mission is like a nine month camping trip!I have been told that the living conditions in Lankien, and in other MSF missions in southern Sudan, are...

Cancer

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Date: 24/07/2008

"Tell him that I think he has cancer," I say to the paramedic who is acting as my translator. He looks at me blankly. "It's when a cell.....ahh...is out of control," I fumble around for the words that will bridge the language and knowledge gap between us. The conversation eventually ends with confusion all around.As far as I...

Vacuum Extraction

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Date: 23/07/2008

July 1984 — About 3 degrees south of the Arctic Circle "Do you want the vacuum, doctor?" the small Inuit nurse asks, really more of a suggestion than a question. "Uhh, the vacuum?" I say, hesitating. "Yah....OK, sure". It was the kind of exchange that occurs when a kindly experienced nurse meets a young...

Final Blog Entry

From a blog by: Kevin Barlow, Nurse

Date: 23/07/2008

A special thanks to Ken Tong, and Inma Vazquez who supported my controversial blog activity about a very sensitive environment. As the last view days of my Darfur stint approached, I became equally discouraged as I was excited to get back to Canadian life. The situation in Darfur seemed to have fallen several steps backward from when I arrived in...

Final Blog Entry

From a blog by: Kevin Barlow, Nurse

Date: 23/07/2008

A special thanks to Ken Tong, and Inma Vazquez who supported my controversial blog activity about a very sensitive environment. As the last view days of my Darfur stint approached, I became equally discouraged as I was excited to get back to Canadian life. The situation in Darfur seemed to have fallen several steps backward from when I arrived in...

Under African Skies

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Date: 22/07/2008

The rainy season has brought some spectacular sky gazing: frothy cumulus clouds, black thunderheads, beautiful sunsets. Leanna, our multi-talented logistician administrator, suggested that Paul Simon had it right. I would tend to agree. Joseph's face was black as night The pale yellow moon shone in his eyes His path was marked By the stars in the...

The Baby in Tukul #3

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Date: 21/07/2008

Tukul 3 is uncharacteristically quiet and cool. There is only one tiny patient here, lying on a wooden bed under a mosquito net. She is all of 5 days old. The baby’s mother divides her attention between her sick newborn and her older child who plays quietly in the corner of the tukul. The baby is unable to breast feed. Her tiny fists are...

Latest blog entries

“If you are looking for fairness, you are on the wrong planet!”

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Living Conditions and the Expat Compound in Pictures

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Cancer

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Vacuum Extraction

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

Final Blog Entry

From a blog by: Kevin Barlow, Nurse

Final Blog Entry

From a blog by: Kevin Barlow, Nurse

Under African Skies

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

The Baby in Tukul #3

From a blog by: Dr. Lauralee Morris

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