Ben Cavilla’s Blog

Drawing to a Close

Needless to say our little excursion to the far reaches of Angola was an experience I will never forget and despite the horrifying images that are now burnt into my memory I would not trade it for the world.  It was a perfect mixture of adventure and medicine and a dream come true for an aspiring humanitarian like myself…. a truly amazing experience in every possible way and a perfect note on which to head home to Canada the next day.

As a final note, many of you have been following my stories intently and holding much hope for the patients I have been fighting for.  I thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and constant encouragement.  I am happy to report that by the time I returned to the hospital in Lubango Sunday morning our little girl with perforated intestines was up and walking about enjoying the sunshine with her family, and I was able to send my much  less humpty-dumpty looking patient with heart failure home with a promise to return next week for follow up with Dr. Foster.

Thus ends my experience on the great African continent.  It was truly amazing in every way.  Difficult at times but amazing.  I will never forget the people and patients that I encountered here…those I lost and those that survived to see another day.  I hope you all appreciated hearing about my experiences here and were able to get a picture of just how desperate the situation is for these people.  I know that I have certainly come to appreciate on a new level, all that I have back in Canada and how much we all can afford to spare.  And for those of you who likely are wondering…. I will undoubtedly be returning to Africa with the Flying Doctors of Canada at some point in the near future.

I miss you all and hope to see you soon,

Ben