Dotse Update!!!

The last I updated you on Dotse’s situation was here. Since then a lot has happened!

Jake continued to get the run-around from the previous hospital (St. Josephs) that we were working with. As I noted in my last update, they had scheduled Dotse to be admitted on July 6th. However, Jake was just not getting a good feeling about that hospital. Each time Dotse was to be admitted and showed up, there continued to be ‘no available rooms’ unless we paid more and more money. Not only that, but they would not give us any sort of estimate on how much the actual surgery was going to cost. Something fishy was going on.

Well, as God would have it there was a different plan brewing. For the past year Jake has been communicating with a past family in his Kingdom Hoops program who had signed up for a foreign exchange program and got a young student from Ghana. In June Jake met up with the family and their host student at the gym so they could all meet and talk. As they were talking Jake was telling them Dotse’s story as he explained some of our missions work in Ghana. The host student, Kojo, ended up knowing about an orthopedic hospital in Ghana called FOCOS (Foundation for Orthopaedic And Complex Spine). Kojo had great things to say about the hospital and thought that Jake should check it out. Kojo’s host mother ended up contacting the hospital on Jake and Dotse’s behalf. There is a lot of reading below as I share the email communications, but I want to relay every detail so that you can experience the awesomeness of how God has weaved this all together!

June 28th, 2012

Dr. Boachie, I am writing for two reasons. First, my family wants to visit Ghana next summer. We have just recently hosted an exchange student from Accra, and already miss him dearly. We want to visit him in his homeland. We also want to help out in any capacity that we can. My husband, Scott, is a board certified orthpaedic surgeon, and has practiced for the last 20 years at Iowa Ortho in Des Moines, IA. Scott is fellowship trained in sports medicine. Our youngest child, Nathan is a premed major, and will be attending Luther College in Decorah, IA. I am just a mom, who would love to help in any capacity needed. Two summers ago we spent two weeks in the Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania area, and Scott and Nathan were able to help out at Selian Lutheran hospital in Arusha. We also spent time at Living Waters Childrens' Centre, and with the wonderful villagers of Ugweno where our home church has a sister congregation, Kifula Lutheran.

Second, and even more urgent, is a case that Jake Sullivan, founder of Kingdom Hoops in Ankeny, IA is passionately involved in. Jake has traveled to Ghana numerous times over the last several years, and after Kingdom Hoops helped build a medical facility, has met a young boy with a compound forearm fracture that has never been treated. Please see the blog I have attached that Jake has written on his Kingdom Hoops site. There is a picture and story of this young boy, who is still unattended for his medical emergency. http://team-sullivan.blogspot.com/search/label/Ghana%20Trip%20March%202012

I would love to hear back about our volunteer possibilities next summer. I would love to help out in any way that I could, from Iowa, to see this young boy in Ghana get medical attention.

Thank you,
Ruth Meyer

Just hours later, on the same day Ruth heard back from the doctor!

June 28th, 2012

Ruth. Thanks for your email and interest in volunteering in Ghana with FOCOS. You and your husband should complete a volunteer application on website and submit for review. Can you get the young man to visit the FOCOS clinic in Ghana for review. I will be there in August and can see him then. He can come for appointment. The clinic # is 302-215-900

Dr Boachie

Dotse’s initial appointment with this new hospital, FOCOS, then became scheduled for July 11. Here is the recap of the appointment that our in-country worker, ‘K’, emailed to us after the appointment was over that day:

July 12, 2012

Jake,

Sorry I couldn’t update you yesterday as promised. I was so tired as we arrived in Asikuma around 7:20 pm! Glory and honor to him, in whom we have strength for all good works. Amen!

As matter of fact, the LORD showed how and why we dropped in on the “Foundation for Orthopedics and Complex Spine” (FOCOS)! Victory ahead, Jake! We started the journey around 8:30 am and arrived in central Accra around 12:40 am. After having some foods, we then headed to another lorry park as directed, to grab a cab to the hospital. We had a quite difficult time finding the hospital and have to change cars several times.

At last, we were at the hospital and lady at the front desk made us sign some documents, pay GHC 100 and then gave us 1:30 pm as the time we would see the doctor. We headed the doctor’s (Joseph Ogyaadu’s) office at the set time and met him and another doc there. They saw Dotse’s previous x-rays, asked him some few questions, did some checking on his arm and the foot and then asked Dotse to go for a laboratory test and a newer x-ray. I accompany Dotse to all those places, as I have to be his translator all the time and I knew very well that it is my duty. We waited for almost two hours for the results, paid for, and sent them (both results) to our waiting doctors. After inspection doc Joseph took his time to explain everything to us, as I was translating them to Dotse. Joseph said wounds are now going, but Dotse is having a dead bone fallen inside the arm and that must be removed with surgery. He continued by saying that he is ready ANYTIME to do the surgery for Dotse and all he needs is to discuss the bills with you. I wanted to tell him that it is possible he and I discuss it for me to report to you later but…you know this is Ghana and things do go quite differently.

What I noticed is that, unlike St Joseph hospital with its Dr.Rahmans, people in FOCOS are just different!!! All their stuffs are well organized, they are friendly, hardworking and mostly they waste no time! Joseph says he himself might email you for the bills and then when there is agreement, he will set a date that would be communicated to me, whether by him or you, to bring Dotse back for the surgery. Thus, this is the financial account of the journey:

1.)-Transportation from Asikuma-Central Accra-FOCOS-Central Accra-Asikuma=GHC 38
2.)-Registration and consultation=GHC 100
3.)-Laboratory test=GHC 27
4.)-x-ray=GHC 50
5.)-food=GHC 10
TOTAL=GHC 225

NB: All payment receipts except the transportation fares are received and kept down for you. Thus Jake, be expecting a mail from Doctor Joseph, featuring the bill for his surgery with the date for his surgery. Otherwise, you can also mail him, asking him to tell you about how our meeting him was. Warmest regards to all and please let me know your thoughts, views and comments soon.

~‘K’~

And ‘K’ took these pictures for us! It makes me giggle that he was allowed in the area where they viewed the x-rays!

Obviously you can tell from ‘K’s recap that this hospital was much more professional and ethical! HOOORAY! Just a few days later ‘K’ received the invoice from FOCOS for the impending surgery costs and all other costs associated with Dotse’s care, x-rays, etc. I don’t think we’ve ever been more excited to get an invoice before! Getting this meant PROGRESS and we finally had an idea of what this surgery was going to cost!

From: ‘K’
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 10:31 AM
Subject: Fw:: Medical Bill

Jake, just got this e-mail right now from FOCOS hospital. Hope you're all doing fine:D.
Regards to all,
‘K’.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN -
RE: AGBAVITOR DOTSE, 20YRS
Diagnosis: Multi Focal Chronic Osteomyelitis
Procedure: Sequestretomy of Right Ulnar and Left Tibia

The above named patient was examined by Dr. Joseph Ogyaadu for a complaint of painful right forearm and left leg. At the conclusion of the examination, Dr. Ogyaadu discussed his findings regarding risks and benefits of the recommended surgery. A pre-determined cost associated with the doctor’s planned procedures including professional fees, Hospital charges (Ward, Feeding, Medication, X-ray, Labs. and Physiotherapy), Theater, Recovery Room, Medicals are as follows:

CPT CODES
24147: Sequestretomy of Right Ulnar and Left Tibia (Partial Excision)
00630: Anesthesia Ward, Feeding, Theater, Recovery Room, Medicals, X-rays, Medications, Laboratory Tests etc.
Total = $ 3,500USD

Please be advised that the CPT codes and the fee provided above are an estimate. During the course of surgery, if it becomes apparent that it would be advantageous to the patient to use a different procedure(s), such change(s) would be made and the patient billed accordingly. This fee includes six months, orthopaedic outpatient follow-up care at the FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital. (Follow-up X-ray, Physiotherapy and Laboratory tests are not included in this amount)

So, at this point it was about 10 days before Jake’s departure to Ghana. His goal was to get this money raised before he left so that he could hand-carry the funds with him on his trip and pay FOCOS hospital in person. A family from our church had already donated $600 towards Dotse’s surgery costs. Jake and I matched their gift with $600 of our own, so Jake had $2300 left to raise in just 10 days. The night that he got the invoice he immediately sent out a letter to all of his Kingdom Hoops families and other personal contacts. I think he sent the email out around 10pm. By the next morning when he woke up the money was raised via verbal pledges!!!!!! The next week the money ROLLED in via the mail box and hand deliveries in person. Once again, God showed up and provided!

Earlier this week on Wednesday, August 1st, Jake’s first stop before he went to see our girls was to go to FOCOS hospital and pay for Dotse’s surgery. This morning Dotse had more surgery prep appointments which Jake got to attend with him. Dotse had the last of his blood work done, a few other lab tests, and they took some additional x-rays. He also had to get an ECG test done. Some pictures:

Jake and Dotse arriving at FOCOS hospital this morning...

FOCOS hospital...

'K' and Dotse in waiting room....

Dotse getting his ECG...

On this coming Monday, August 6th, Dotse has his last surgery prep appointment which is with the anesthesiologist. Then they will schedule the surgery date! PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!!!!!!!!