Kenyan nurse visits Moses Lake

Organization accepts donations

MOSES LAKE - Pamela Were is enjoying Moses Lake, but she knows she cannot stay.

Waiting at home in Kenya's western town of Eldoret is a program she helped organize for cancer patients.

"Staying here means the death of the program because it is just coming up," Were said.

Were, a registered nurse, visited cousin Millie Mulamba and her husband Haron Mulamba, of Moses Lake, for six weeks after presenting at a Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer conference in Texas. She headed home last week.

"From what I've seen, it's a quiet place, a place full of peace," Were said of Moses Lake.

Haron Mulamba is therapy program manager at SunDance Rehabilitation, and Millie Mulamba is a nurse at LakeRidge Special Care Center.

"Up to 2004 we had a hospital (in Eldoret) which was taking care of patients (with) all conditions, but nobody was focusing on cancer," Were said. "We just sat and thought that at least something can be done for cancer patients and because of that we felt we needed to start a clinic for cancer patients. The reason why was because we don't have a particular cancer hospital, so patients who have cancer are just admitted like any other patient."

Care is not as specialized in the area as it should be, Were said. In addition, cancer medication is not readily available at hospitals like other medications might be.

The country's priorities are HIV and AIDS, and Malaria, Were said.

Organizers sought space from a local hospice to start the clinic.

"Because they have a big building and they're not utilizing it well, so we requested for them to give us one room where we can use as a clinic," she said.

Initially, the clinic was unable to provide patients with treatment. But a drug store stepped in and agreed to provide medication to two children who had cancer. The store saw the condition of the two children who took the medication improve and increased support.

"This drug store increased the assistance to five, then to 10, and as of now they're supporting the treatment of 20 children with cancer," Were said.

Were said the number of patients in need of assistance is overwhelming.

"There are many adults who do not even have a single support for cancer treatment," she said.

The organization is looking at numbers of people it can help, and cancer treatment for one adult can help five children.

Now, the program operates out of Academic Model for prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS, or AMPATH Centre. The center is at Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital. The center supports cancer treatment for patients who have HIV, but not those without the virus.

More than 3,000 cancer patients are being served through the oncology program, 1,200 of whom are HIV positive.

Were noted AMPATH did not previously offer specialized care for patients who developed cancer during their HIV/AIDS treatment.

"So they kind of incorporated our management in there so that we could be able to take care of the HIV-infected cancer patients," she said.

Patients can travel to Eldoret for treatment, and in addition the hospital provides outreach treatment by traveling to outlying areas.

A goal Were has for the future is to offer radiation treatment. Chemotherapy is currently offered. Getting radiation therapy requires a trip to Nairobi, approximately 200 miles away on a rough road, she said.

"First they have to afford it financially, two they have to book and the backlog is very long - someone can go like now and be given an appointment for December, so in the waiting period people die in between," Were said. "And even when they're admitted they're not able to pay for the treatment."

Sometimes the machine to treat patients will break down because it is handling a patient load beyond capacity, she added.

Support is also needed for children in the country so they can attend school, Were and Haron Mulamba said.

Haron Mulamba said $20 stretches a long way in helping a Kenyan family.

Donations can be mailed to Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital, AMPATH Centre, P.O. Box 3-30100, Eldoret, Kenya. Were said she can refer donors to local facilities to donate to directly, including churches, the pharmacy and schools.

Were can be contacted at aki_otieno2@yahoo.co.uk