Posted on: February 8th, 2012 by Clarke 6 Comments

Our last day in Wa is a light one.  Another 7:30am breakfast and an hour drive outside of town to our first two stops of the day.  We drop off Dr. Rémi and Dr. Scott at the St. Francis Girls Senior High School with Suzanne.  Dr. Robert decides to let someone else have a chance at the podium, so Dr. Scott takes over the job of teaching the meaning of chiropractic and why we’re here in Africa.  To say it mildly, he hits the ball out of the park.

Dr. Scott teaches the crowd

Dr. Scott's rapt crowd

A fire on the other side of the compounds stone wall fills the air with a smoky haze.  The weather today is a little cooler, and as the pictures show, the air is dusty and smoky.  The high school girls hide and giggle around the doorways of their classrooms, nervous and embarrassed.  Who can blame them with two such fine looking doctors!

Smokey haze over the village

Dr. Robert, Dr. Rolly, Denise and Melissa leave the first group and make their way to the St. Joseph’s Hospital down the road.  Hospitals are always hard, but when giving, it’s always best to meet the needs of those who need you most.  The heartbreak felt by our group here is tangible.  The faded yellow walls and stained ceilings from too many rainy seasons without repair reveal how poor these people are.  Home-made crutches litter the wing because the hospital cannot afford manufactured pairs.  We enter the Physiotherapy building, set up and welcome all who desire care.  Here both Denise and Melissa have a go at the educating portion as wave upon wave of afflicted approach. Denise, a doula and midwife back in Canada, has the pleasure of addressing a group of midwife nurses and is touched by the opportunity to share her passion.  The head nurse tells us about the previous department head that had a stroke 6 years ago.  Still her friend, she asks us to visit her on our way home.  After we finish up, we return to the school, pick up the first group and make our way to her home.  Dr. Robert and Dr. Rolly disappear into the house and adjust her in her wheelchair.  She cries tears of appreciation as we return home.

Child at the hospital

Adjustments at the hospital

Ghana hospital

Dr. Rolly adjusts the previous Head Nurse

Our last night in Wa is filled with entertainment.  Brother Bosco has organized traditional music and dancing which carries us with rhythm into the night.