Jenny, an eight-month-old baby girl, struggled to breath. Her mother had brought her to the clinic and her raspy cry was heart-breaking
to hear.
Jenny had severe pneumonia; the same condition that took baby Isaiah’s life just four months prior. Isaiah had come to one of our clinics a little worse than Jenny. Sadly, he had succumbed to this common disease.
The Papua New Guinea team pediatrician moved quickly to rehydrate Jenny and start her on antibiotics. The health center, however, didn’t have any oxygen. With her oxygen saturations at 79% (normal levels should be above 95%), Jenny was in desperate need of an outside oxygen source.
The clinic did have a generator for electricity and the m/v Pacific Link had an electric powered oxygen concentrator (EPOC) on board, which pulls oxygen from the air and converts it into pure oxygen.
The concentrator was given to YWAM Ships Kona last year by Samaritan Aviation. The EPOC has already saved several lives. It also doesn’t require heavy and dangerous oxygen tanks to be carried onboard.
After rushing to the ship to get the concentrator, Jenny was given oxygen. Still showing signs of distress, Jenny eventually settled as the oxygen stopped her raspy cry and she was able to sleep.
Left in the capable hands of local nurses, it was acknowledged that there was a possibility that Jenny might not make it through the night.
However the following morning, she was breathing comfortably in her mother’s arms.
The next day Jenny’s breathing was good and she was a happy chatty baby girl.
YWAM Ships Kona
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