Shanksteps #56 -Audrey
I wanted to give you an update on our patient Ngossa, so I copied the beginning of her story from a previous Shanksteps.
We have unfortunately just started into the meningitis season again, and it looks like it may be another epidemic. We have seen 7 cases so far in the past 2 weeks. The family of one young woman is convinced that she is sick because she is ready to get married. Let me explain. This young woman, Ngossa, until recently had many male suitors. She had 5 or 6 men who were competing for her hand in marriage. Now that she is marrying age (15) she has made her decision and chosen the one she wants to marry. Apparently all (or some) of the others were irate and put a spell on her (or paid the sorcerer to do so), which is why she is now sick. With this understanding, no amount of medications is going to solve the problem. (She remains in very serious condition. Please pray for her recovery.)
UPDATE:
At the time of the first writing, Ngossa was conscious, but unable to talk. She was not eating very much, was unable to walk, and only seemed to understand very simple directions. Almost immediately after sending out the story about her, she started having severe vomiting, a series of seizures and fell into a coma. I was very upset, and couldn’t understand why God would let this happen to her when we were praying for her sooooo much. (He is infinitely more wise than I∑) Most of her family left wailing that she was going to die; I was unfortunately thinking the same thing. (I found out later that her neighbor (a local “traditional healer”) told the family that they should take her out of the hospital because we were trying to kill her, and were only keeping her there to get money from the family. Fortunately the family did not act rashly and left here at the hospital several more days.) Obviously her family was very discouraged. They had already paid a huge amount on he
r bill, and now she was worse. At that point I started paying her bill myself to help out in hopes that the family would allow her to stay in the hospital. They agreed. We increased our daily prayers for her and her family. After two days, she came out of the coma, but again was unable to talk, walk, eat or understand what was being said to her. I was very discouraged, but at least she was out of the coma. About three days later, when I came in to make rounds, there was Ngossa, talking, walking, and washing her dishes outside the ward with the other women. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had thought she was going to die, and here she was, almost as if nothing had happened. We asked her if she recognized me, and she said, “No!” She was still a bit slow to respond to questions, but as far as I was concerned, I had just witnessed a miracle! After two days we let her go home. Several days later, I found out the rest of the story. When her family initially went home wail
ing after she was in the coma, they called the whole family together for her funeral. Family members from as far as Douala (3 days travel) away came to give condolences to the family. Weren’t they surprised when the day after they arrived, Ngossa came walking into the village as if nothing had happened? I believe that God wanted more than just the immediate family to witness this miracle. Now they could celebrate life together instead of death. Ngossa and her mother came back to see me last week, and I could find no problems whatsoever with her, mentally or physically. I still don’t know where she is spiritually, so please continue to pray for her. Her family however knows that they witnessed a miracle. Praise God!