I am ALIVE!!!!! I SURVIVED!!!!!

 Last Wednesday I was at work, calmly finishing the blood pressures and weights of our pregnant mothers at the ANC (antenatal clinic).
I had just gone into the room where we measure fundal heights and fetal heart rates when I received a call from a friend who is a teacher who is not from Ezo, "Doctor, just so you do not become alarmed, all the children ran away from the school. We are expecting trouble this morning. If you can't get home go to the church."
Boy was that an understatement!!!!!
When I walked out of that office the hospital was deserted. How can 50 pregnant women run away so fast??
Then a midwife came to me and told me we need to go immediately to the CMMB compound because there is going to be trouble today between the soldiers who are from one tribe and the "rebels" who are from another tribe.
As we were walking away from the hospital, gunfire started.
We could not get home as our CMMB compound is past the Army Barracks.
So I suggested we run to the church. In the opposite direction.
The roads are deserted and the 6 of us CMMB staff went to the church.
The Catholic Priest and Deacon welcomed us and then the gunfire and RPGs (huge guns that make alot of noise) started to go off so we went to the bush to hide.
Among the ants, mosquitos and insects laying on the ground. Covered in the leaves, branches and trees.
Then after a few hours of war, the noise stopped and we were able to go back to the Parish Home.
A old woman was brought with a gunshot wound in her hip. They wanted me to help her. She had an entrance and exit wound and "only" soft tissue was injured.
She was in the right place (hiding in the bush) at the wrong time, a soldier was shooting and she was hit with a stray bullet.
So I cleaned the wound and dressed it and bathed her dirty body and we hid her in the priest's veranda.
The Catholic priest Fr. Jacinto and the Deacon Vairi were so kind. They gave us tea, hot chocolate, milk (great treat here) and food. The also had the altar boys boil hot water for us to bath.
Then the war started again.
Back to the bush.
That is where we stayed for 2 nights and 3 days. Then a guard from the abandoned U.N. compound came to get us to bring us to the UN compound in Ezo (abandoned because there was never trouble in Ezo).
That was a tension filled walk as the rebels were every where but left us alone and we were fearing meeting any of the soldiers who would be angry that the guard was walking us to the compound. At least that was what I was told.
We arrived at the ABANDONED UN compound and we had no water or food but shelter. So some little woman from another NGO (non-governmental organization) called World Vision left the compound alone and went to her home and retrieved food!!! How freaking brave!!!!
Then the next day Friday, a UN convoy with tanks and soldiers with huge guns came to rescue us.
They were surprised we did not have our passports or luggage. We tried to explain that we were at work when this started. They were very understanding and helped us so much.
God bless the U.N. people who rescued us.
The streets in Ezo were abandoned.
Except for the soldiers who were all out with guns. The rebels were all out with guns.
They were kind enough to allow the entire convoy to pass by our different NGO compounds.
Then.......
We left Ezo.
All the humanitarian workers in the area.
So now Ezo has NO ONE to help any one.
Then in the UN convoy from Ezo to Yambio (a 4-5 hour drive) they felt it was dangerous to continue so we stopped for the night and slept in the bush again.
Finally on the weekend we arrived in Yambio.
Our luggage was confiscated by the Security Police in Yambio thinking that we were helping the rebels.
How ridiculous!!!
Of course the soldiers and the rebels are our patients. All their wives, sisters, mothers, daughters are my patients.
I know them all.
I love them and serve them all.
War is so senseless.
Everyone in Ezo is hiding in the bush.
The 2 pregnant women who have transverse babies that had scheduled Cesarean Sections this week will eventually go into labor and eventually their babies will die and then they will die.
All the HIV patients who CMMB gives advanced treatment to will get sick.
The many women who suffer from Gynecologic illness and who were scheduled for surgery will bleed until very anemic and eventually die.
The many women who we follow for possible ectopic pregnancy and need surgery will die.
War is costly.
War is horrible.
Today Wednesday a week later, I finally received my laptop from the jail. They realized we did not help the rebels. Whatever....
This morning I called my friend the Deacon and he is still with Father Jacinto hiding in the bush. This morning many bombs and RP Gs went off.
A delegation from the government and leaders was going to Ezo to discuss peace and cease fire but with the intense fighting they turned back and did not reach Ezo.
My beautiful Ezo is destroyed.
My beautiful patients are hiding in the bush.
My beautiful mothers are suffering.
My heart is broken.
The only positive learning experience is now I know which leaves to use to wipe for number one and which to use to wipe for number two.
Also I know the perfect distance to squat; not to low as to have sticks and leaves poke you as you relieve yourself and not to high as to then soil yourself.
Please pray for my Ezo and my patients.