A Story of Impact

In the beginning of June, a patient arrived at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic after having made the 30 mile walk to get there. The expecting mother made the trip after the Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) identified the unborn child as no longer living, and recommended that the baby be removed in the traditional way within the community. This process is in no way sanitary and involves untrained community members performing the procedure on the floor of a dirt hut. Such a procedure would absolutely jeopardize the life of the mother. Instead of going forward with the procedure, the mother made the decision to travel to the Duk Lost Boys Clinic. Once at the clinic, the mother was given an ultrasound, provided through the ODW partnership. Kuol, a South Sudaneese staff member who is one of the clinics midwifes and the ultrasound technician, performed the ultrasound for the patient and identified that the child was still living and healthy! He notified the ecstatic mother that her pregnancy was progressing as normal. This amazing news eliminated the need for the risky abortion, which saved the life of the child, and most likely the life of the mother as well.