Joan, just three years old, arrived at St. Francis Hospital in Uganda where Dr. Lou Coda and Clare Coda were serving. Doctors at the government-run hospital where Joan was staying thought she had pneumonia, but couldn’t confirm without an x-ray machine. They could see that Joan wasn’t getting any better, so they sent her to St. Francis to see the Codas.

When she arrived, the Codas were worried that the pneumonia was too far along and Joan wouldn’t survive. They performed an x-ray and found that her entire lung was white; she had an infection and a large empyema. The Codas immediately put Joan on oxygen and put in three chest tubes.

The next day, the Codas cleaned her lungs and tested her blood oxygen levels. She was doing much, much better. Shortly after, she came off oxygen and was discharged.

Thanks to you, Joan was able to go home and play, like any young girl her age should.

Your support of Mission Doctors made it possible for Lou and Clare Coda to be there, caring for young Joan.

On behalf of Joan’s family and the thousands of other patients cared for by Mission Doctors around the world, thank you.

 

 

Elise Frederick