The Fight Against Ebola

We reported previously that the main beneficiaries of our 2014 Grand Raffle would be those charities working in countries affected by Ebola.  The Raffle is now over, with the prize winners announced at Billericay's Christmas market, and funds have been distributed to the charities selected, of which the principal recipient was Medecins Sans Frontieres.

We recently received a letter of thanks from Benjamin, a British obstetrician currently working in Gondama Referral Centre, in Sierra Leone.

"Thank you very much to the members of Rotary Club of Billericay for your donation to Medecins Sans Frontieres; we are incredibly grateful." He wrote. "Ebola is not just a disease, it is a way of living and a state of mind. The initial symptoms are general and difficult to differentiate from, say, the common cold or a bout of food poisoning. It is in the later stages that patients begin bleeding and, in most cases, dying. In maternity this poses extra challenges: Ebola can present with miscarriage, bleeding, fever, stillbirth ... basically most women attending the unit will have some symptom that could be a sign of infection."

He went on to talk about the fear around Ebola, and went on to describe a recent case in which he was involved which illustrated how valuable are donations to this cause.  In summary, a desperate rush to save a life while at the same time ensuring that no other patients or medical staff were infected, or their care compromised.  He ended by saying that the local midwife had thanked him for saving the patient's life, but " didn't save her life. The MSF ambulance that brought her; the access to a team with the resources and capability to put a plan into action; the operating theatre; the blood donation service; the generator which kept the lights on - all of this and more would not exist without the donations given by you. Saving lives does not depend on one person; it is the product of a large machine made of many different parts that rely on one another to function.

So thank you - for the fact that I didn't have to watch a mother needlessly die. And thank you from the quiet midwife and all the women of Sierra Leone."

His letter describes the situation so well.  You can read it by clicking on the icon below.