Did
you know that as a pregnant woman in Cambodia, you could be one of 472 women
out of 100,000 who die during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum and never be
able to watch your child grow up? This just blows my mind! This startling fact
was reported by the World Health Organization in 2010. This compares to 24
maternal deaths per 100,000 in the USA. (That is still too many mothers dying.)
The majority of births in Cambodia still occur at home, with only a small
number of births attended by a health professional. But even among the few
trained midwives, deficiencies exist – particularly in life-saving skills.
Tomorrow,
I will depart for Phnom Penh, Cambodia serving with Mission to the World (MTW)
and teach nursing and midwifery students how to prevent such a tragedy. Armed
with my tricks of the trade—red jello to mix with water to simulate blood and
baby dolls (etc) to teach newborn care, I should arrive in Cambodia late Friday
May 11th.
I
will proudly wear a “gator shirt” given to me by one of my favorite friends,
David Wayne, a pastor and alumni of University of Florida. My goal: dress to
impress…..as I will be with 5 members of the “Gator Nation,” Dr Karen Reed and
4 of her students.
Stay
tuned for the rest of the adventure…….
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