Goodbyes

The cold morning air is a reminder that I will soon be leaving for Texas and then Sierra Leone. Last night I was surrounded by wonderful friends and family. This is where it began. The goodbyes have started, and it still comes as a shock. I’ve grown accustom to goodbyes in my life. I’ve moved to Maryland, Washington, and even Alberta Canada. This goodbye, however, feels different. This goodbye is for people who have proven they believe in me and support me. This goodbye means, I won’t see you for two years. This is a goodbye that means, I’m moving to Africa.

In my last few weeks at home, I will be running around trying to tie up all loose ends. It is time to start packing things I will be bringing to Africa. Also, packing what is staying into storage so that my parents don't have to deal with it. I wish I could grasp the situation fully. This journey that God has sent me on is so perfect it feels like a dream. I feel as though I am in a surreal state of mind where everything is moving at a slower pace. Regardless of how ready I am, this is really happening. I am really moving to Africa, and I am really going to be living on a hospital ship.

I wish I knew how to thank those who have blessed me. When you have been truly blessed, beyond your imagination, how can you possibly respond? I pray God’s many blessings on them, He is the only one that can reward them properly.

Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Thank you for all of your help everyone! Goodbyes are sad, but they are not final!

Departing for the Harvest

Matthew 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”'

You are invited to come join family, friends, and supporters in a sending off picnic for Nicole Pribbernow
Come join in celebration as she prepares to leave for West Africa.

Enjoy good food, good company, and updated information on the ministry of Mercy Ships and how God is moving in West Africa!

August 21, 2011 — 3:00 pm — Pribbernow Home

Please RSVP at nicole.pribbernow@mercyships.org, through Facebook

NEW Crewmates Donation Page!!

It is a very excited day – my new Donation’s Page is up and running! This new and improved site offers many more features that the previous page did not have. In this blog I will go through the list of features to explain my new page. 

1.       Donation Button: My previous webpage had some structural issue with giving a one-time gift. Now, one link will bring you to a secure page that offers both the options of one-time and recurring gifts. This should eliminate any of the previous issues.

2.       Fundraising Thermometer: At the right hand of the screen is a fundraising thermometer. This shows my donors how much of my funds have been given to me. My goal is $25,000 because I’m raising funds for my first 2 years of service. I am currently at 40% of my funds given. This site allows me to add donations that were not given via the website. In turn, you get a more accurate picture of where I stand financially. 

3.       Help Spread the Word: The section just below the thermometer allows family, friends, and supporters to easily share my donation page with people they know. You can link my page on facebook, twitter, and email. You can also advertise my page on your blog! These links are a great way to help spread the word about my mission and fundraising. 

4.       Blog: In the center column just below my story, there is a section for blog updates. These updates will give you the latest information about my fundraising and where I stand financially. If I have a need, this is where you can find out!

5.       Message Board: Most exciting of all, there is a message board. This is where you can stop by and leave me messages. Some have informed me, it can be difficult to leave messages on my blog (mightykaleo.blogspot.com). This is an easy way to send me messages. 

6.       Gadget on my Blog: Instead of trying to remember this webpage and my blog’s URL, I have a quick and easy link to this donation page in the left column of my blog: http://mightykaleo.blogspot.com. It is at this website I hope to have all of the information and links you may need.

Burkitt’s Lymphoma

In their 2011 Field Service to Sierra Leone, Mercy Ships helped re-establish a medical program at the local Ola During Children’s Hospital. Thanks to a partnership with medical company Baxter Healthcare, Mercy Ships is able to treat a group of young patients with a rare form of cancer called Burkitt’s lymphoma. This life-saving donation of cyclophosphamide – despite high demand (leading to limited supply) – is enough to treat up to 30 children. The drug is a type of chemotherapy that could dramatically change the course of these children’s lives.

This cancer typically targets young children between the ages of 7 and 11. It is a non-Hodgkin’s cancer of the lymphatic system, and it is identified by aggressive swelling of lymph glands, often abdominal, that grow into tumours. There is a higher risk of the disease when the patient is infected with viruses such as Epstein-Barr, Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1, HIV, hepatitis C or certain bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Due to the higher prevalence of these viruses and diseases in developing African nations, the occurrence of Burkitt’s lymphoma is more common there. In these cases, often facial tumours are generated from the jaw bone.

The occurrence of Burkitt’s lymphoma is concentrated geographically in Western Africa, north of the Equator. This is also a region of primary focus for Mercy Ships to serve through their floating hospital, the Africa Mercy, which provides life-changing medical care to West African countries.

The chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide, produces radical results in a short time frame, with a high success rate in children. So, after receipt of the donated medication from Baxter Healthcare, Mercy Ships established a partnership with Ola During Children’s Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Many of the country’s medical programs have not been sustained in the post-civil war period (the war lasted from 1991 – 2002). Chief Medic Dr. Baion will lead the Burkitt’s lymphoma program.

Mercy Ships worked with Dr. Baion to establish treatment protocols and now supplies the donated chemotherapy drug to the hospital. Additionally, Mercy Ships covers the cost of the patients’ transportation to and from the hospital, initial diagnosis, the administration of the medication, and medical assessments.
The Mercy Ships program literally saves the lives of children like eight-year-old Sorieba Bangura. He has a large swelling on the left side of his nose and cheek. Each time he and his mother arrive at the hospital, Sorieba is examined by Dr. Baion, and a blood sample is taken. Once the sample is cleared, the charge nurse gives Sorieba an IV containing an anti-nausea drug. The actual administration of the chemotherapy through the IV takes about fifteen minutes. The session concludes after Sorieba receives a saline drip for four hours.
The results are remarkable. For most children the facial swelling reduces by approximately 50% every three weeks. The children are tired, but usually there is an absence of major side effects. The eradication of the facial swelling and the cancerous cells occurs over a series of about 6-10 sessions.

Mercy Ships clearly recognizes the life-saving value of this drug donated by Baxter Healthcare. Dr. Baion is thrilled with the results, saying, “Through the Mercy Ships program, patients are coming all the time. Mercy Ships are taking care of patients transport, meals and medication. There is no default in the program so far because we are being catered for by Mercy Ships. In fact, we are seeing improvements in the patients all the time.”

Story by Claire Ross
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Liz Cantu