In the past several months, I have operated on three six-month old babies for intussusception. Intussusception occurs when the bowel telescopes into itself and cannot exit back out again.
Removing a 7kg Ovarian Tumor
A large mass in a patient’s abdomen ends up being a 7kg ovarian tumor.
Animal Names in Mampruli Medical Terminology
Goat, Bird, Turtle, Bats, Centipedes – What do they all have in common? Each is the name of sickness in Mampruli. Learn about the fascinating etymology of these medical terms in the language of the Mamprusi of northern Ghana.
“Dr. Haun” by Dr. Melinda Roney
Dr. Melinda Roney, a recent volunteer at BMC, wrote a blog post about a day she spent working with Heidi. In it she details some of the specific medical cases they worked on together and has some very nice things to say about Heidi’s way of working and sharing her faith.
Syndactyly Repair with Dr. Taylor
When plastic surgeon Dr. Taylor comes to BMC as a Samaritan’s Purse medical volunteer, he is always met with interesting cases and puzzles to solve. This young girl was born with syndactyly of both hands. Sometimes, syndactyly only affects two fingers or toes that are fused together. This little one, however, had fusion of all […]
Fasciotomy to Save a Limb with Compartment Syndrome
In December, I operated on a little girl’s forearm. She had developed compartment syndrome after falling and injuring her arm. The child’s family assumed she had broken her arm and brought her to the bonesetter who wrapped the arm tightly. After 2 days, it became apparent that the child’s arm was severely injured and she was […]
Visiting Nagboo Patient
Recently, I was able to visit one of my patients in his home, to greet his wife and new baby boy and to pray with them. Over a year ago, I had to amputate his lower leg. He had been shot by armed robbers. The tibia and fibula were shattered and the blood supply to […]
Situs Inversus Totalis
While operating I realize my patient’s internal organs are the mirror image of what is the norm and her heart is on the right side.
The Christian Ministry of Healing Where Medicine Is Magic
Heidi contributed an article to IMB.org about the challenges of navigating traditional African religion and superstitions when providing Christ-centered medical care.