Moses Lake Medical Team returns from sixth trip

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Medical Team has made six trips to Nigeria to provide free medical care since forming in 2008.

The group has treated tens of thousands of patients over the years in various parts of the country including Patigi, Lagos, Ibadan and most recently, Benin City.

Each trip differs in terms of where the team goes, how many patients they see and what types of treatment they provide, medical team vice-president Frances Irwin said.

"Every trip is a new experience, and every trip is significantly different," said Irwin, who has gone on all six trips.

But there is one thing each of the trips had in common, she said.

"We're not a faith-based group, but we know God has been with us on every single trip and has allowed miracles to happen," Irwin commented. "We've saved lives, and seen real miracles on these missions- big miracles and little miracles."

Irwin recalls a past mission where two plastic surgeons were able to perform 27 cleft lip and palate surgeries in a matter of days.

"Some of these were kids as old as 9, so the difference they made in those children's lives to be able to repair those and give those children a chance for a normal life, it's nothing short of a miracle," she said.

Irwin said she also remembers a handful of times when doctors were able to save a mother's life during complicated deliveries. In one instance, she recalls a mother who had three other young children.

"It's a miracle because they saved those children from having to live without their mother," Irwin said.

And she said the team's most recent trip, a two-week mission to Benin City in November, is proof that the small miracles are just as amazing as the big ones.

The 19-member team treated about 2,500 patients in two weeks. They performed 25 surgeries, filled more than 5,000 prescriptions and performed about 230 laboratory tests during the mission.

But the figures that brought the most joy to Irwin this time around were the number of prescription glasses that were dispensed. According to the team's mission report, about 750 prescription glasses and sunglasses were handed out.

"The ophthalmologist, who's from Wenatchee, does a full eye exam just like you and I would get at our eye doctor," said Irwin. "Then that person is given glasses with the closest prescription we have available."

She said for some patients, the glasses they get from the medical team is their first pair of glasses.

"We've had people who have never been able to see details like leaves on a tree see that detail for the first time," she said.

Pharmacist Lateef Olaniyan, one of the group's founders, said any improvement to a patient's life is considered a success.

"The goal is basically to just give back to the poor community and help people that are hopeless and who have no access to care," he said. "We want to improve their quality of life."

Olaniyan, who is originally from Nigeria, went back to the country in 2007 to participate in a pharmacist licensing program. While there, he met a fellow Nigerian practitioner from Houston and the two started discussing the differences between the health care systems in Nigeria and the United States.

"We decided to form an organization and see if we could help out a little," Olaniyan said. "I came back and started talking to healthcare providers and we formed the first team in 2008."

Olaniyan said the medical team would not have been able to make any of their six missions to Nigeria without the support of the Moses Lake community. Team members pay for their flights to Nigeria, but the organization relies on donations to purchase the medications and supplies they take with them, he said.

A number of Moses Lake service groups have also helped over the years, by donating eye glasses for example.

The medical team is currently preparing for their annual banquet in March, which is a major fundraiser for the group. Funds raised will help pay for medication and other supplies for the team's 2014 mission to Ibadan this April.

For more information about the banquet or the team's past missions, visit www.mlmtusa.org.