Alone in Paradise

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You are never more alone than when you have trouble or pain, and none of your loved ones are there to share and comfort you. At such a time, even a kind stranger is welcome relief.

I've been trying not to dwell on the negative, the violent, the tragic aspects of life in PNG. But that side of things exists, and I can't ignore it. This story has a bright side, too.

Amban was walking by herself along the road when she was attacked. I didn't get the whole story, but I heard something about the family of one of the other wives. I'm pretty sure that it was a man who wielded the bush knife. It was a very sharp knife. It's hard to cut all the way through an arm with a single stroke. We see lots of attempts to do just that, but only occasionally do we see a complete amputation.

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The attackers left her there, bleeding, crying and in awful pain there alone by the road. In PNG culture there is no real obligation to help people from outside your own tribe, but it happens all the time. Someone saw the attack, waited until the attackers were gone, and then went to Amban's aid. They wrapped the bleeding stump tightly in whatever cloth they could find. They wrapped up the severed arm and brought it along, no doubt hoping that we could sew it back on. Unfortunately, reimplantation is well beyond our technical limitations.

The good Samaritans drove Amban to Nazarene Hospital, helped her into the ER, and then went back to find and inform her family. I gave her pain medicine and antibiotics. Dr. Salim Wahab, volunteer surgeon, took her to the operating room, cleaned up the damaged tissue and closed the skin. She's now recovering in surgical ward.

I don't post many blood and gore photos (I sure could if I wanted to!) but here is Amban as we first met her. I'll make it very small here. If you are brave and interested, you can click on this image and see a larger one.

Because you give and pray, we are here to help people like Amban. If Nazarene Hospital were not at Kudjip, what would have happened to her? Would the strangers have been willing to drive her all the way to the government hospital? Would a surgeon have been available to operate on her on a Saturday afternoon? Would the doctor have prayed with her? We don't know, and because you are faithful, people like Amban don't have to find out.

Photos
1 Sunset in Madang. We don't have many palm trees in the Highlands.
2 Kids from Kudjip station playing at the river. Don't worry, responsible adults are nearby.

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