June 2003

Miracle from Ireland

Dear Friends,

In Malawi as in other developing countries the process of giving birth can unaccountably go from a routine safe procedure to a life-threatening emergency. As our town of Mulanje is only 15 miles from the border with Mozambique, we often receive patients from our neighboring country. The border guards will always allow a hospital ambulance with an emergency case to pass the international border right away.

Three days ago an ambulance from Mozambique pulled up to our door with a mother in dire straits. It was her sixth pregnancy. The first five births had been normal. This time things had not gone well at all.

She was pale, weak, and frightened, accompanied only by her mother. The worst aspect of all was that she had no detectable blood pressure. Her abdomen was tender and her unborn child was dead. This scenario often means that the uterus has ruptured during a long labour where progress is not being made.

Unfortunately, the blood type of the mother was not compatible with the blood type of the daughter. Very fortunately, there was a unit of blood of the right type in our hospital blood bank. We gave intravenous fluids and the one unit of blood full blast into her veins as we prepared to go to the operating room.

During the operation a dead baby was removed from the abdominal cavity where it was found to have been pushed as the uterus ruptured. The tears to the uterus were repaired and a tubal ligation was done to ensure that this woman would not have a life-threatening pregnancy in the future.

Although her blood pressure had risen to an acceptable level after the blood transfusion and the fluids, by the end of the operation her pressure was once again zero. Our hearts were heavy as we looked at each other over surgical masks, trying to think of where we could get another unit of blood. A medical student from the United States present in the room volunteered to go to the blood bank to see if she could give blood. Unfortunately, her blood was of the wrong type.

As she emerged from the blood bank, she noticed that there were three visitors from Ireland who were being shown around our hospital. She asked if any of them would be willing to give a pint of blood for someone who really needed it. A woman who happened to be a general practitioner physician readily agreed to be tested. The blood was immediately obtained and transfused.

That fresh whole blood transfusion was the miracle of the day, the week, and the month for our patient. Thirty minutes after the blood had been received, our patient’s blood pressure had risen to a respectable 100/60 and golden urine began to flow in the tube that was placed in her bladder. This was a sign of a return to healthy function of a body severely stressed.

Now, three days later, she is sitting up in bed and telling us about her three surviving children in Mozambique. Her oldest child is a mother herself, the second child is 10, and the third child is 5.

Thanks to God and this miracle visit from Ireland we have hope that our patient will be returning to Mozambique in a week or two to rejoin her family.

Dr. Sue Makin
Mulanje Mission Hospital

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 48