07 Sep Update on Mamei Simbo
On Monday, September 6, Billy Simbo, bishop of Sierra Leone Conference, sent the following update about his wife, Mamei. Her situation was previously reported on September 1.
Today marks one week since we brought Mamei to the hospital by ambulance. She had been in bed for over four days without being able to get up or move due to excessive pain in her knees and all over her body.
In the ER, various blood tests and scans revealed infection in the port that had been inserted for the administration of the chemotherapy drug and also infection in her right knee. The next day she had surgery to clean up the knee infection. She had a drain put in to clean out the infection and antibiotics were applied directly to the surface. The doctors determined that the same bacteria that infected the port had traveled to the knee. So she has been on antibiotics and all kinds of other medications. The immense side pains she was experiencing were the result of kidney stones, which have now passed, eliminating that pain.
Today things got a little more complicated. The in-house doctors noticed irregular sounds in Mamei’s heart. We were transferred from the oncology unit to the Coronary Care Unit, which is an intensive care unit for monitoring. An updated ultrasound found inflammation around the heart and leakage around one of the valves, probably caused by the same bacterial infection. They ordered a procedure requiring anesthesia and the insertion of a tube down the throat to get a clearer picture of the heart.
Thank God that though the infection and inflammation was confirmed around the one valve, the infection had not spread all over the heart. They will continue treating with antibiotics and other medications, and hope that no surgery will be required. Mamei is now resting quietly and still hooked up to monitors. We don’t know how long they will keep her in this particular unit.
We have completed one week in the hospital, I say we because I have been sleeping on a folding bed next to her. But with this unit and all the monitoring, I am planning to go home tonight and sleep on a real bed for a change!
We should have an idea after a couple more days as to what plans we should make for rehab. I will make a final decision on whether to change my departure date for Sierra Leone some time this week based upon the whole heart issue.
Please pray for the following:
- The clearing of the infection around the heart.
- For Mamei to regain her appetite. She eats very little even with us standing over her and urging her to eat. She needs the nutrition to back up the medications.
- The strength to endure pain, thereby allowing the nurses and staff to help her with her mobility. The longer she stays down, the more difficult her recovery will be. The initial surgery on her knee was over one year ago and she was still walking with a cane or walker before this new onset of infection.
- For the family as we make arrangements and organize things for Mamei’s aftercare once she is discharged from the hospital and or rehab facility.
- My plans as I seek to complete our assignment in Sierra Leone on schedule. I am scheduled to attend a conference in Ghana September 19-24, and I am teaching two classes at The Evangelical College of Theology (TECT). Classes start next week and they have asked me to be the main speaker for Spiritual Emphasis week which starts in the middle of October.
Cards for Mamei can be sent to:
Mamei Simbo
1822 Erlens Rd.
Elkins Park, PA 19027
Kathy Buck has joined the Huntington University faculty as Instructor of Nursing. Her nursing career has taken her to Tulsa, Okla., and to three cities in Indiana–Muncie, Peru, and Fort Wayne. Her experience includes a number of years in intensive care, along with orthopedics, home health care, hospice, and cardiac rehab. She holds undergraduate degrees from Anderson and Indiana Wesleyan universities in Indiana, and a master’s degree in Nursing Education from Indiana Wesleyan.
Dr. Melanie Ross has been hired as Assistant Professor of Worship Leadership. Ross comes to Huntington University having previously taught undergraduate courses in theology at the University of Notre Dame. Ross holds a doctorate in Liturgical Studies from the Notre Dame. She earned a Master of Arts in Religion at Yale Divinity School and Yale Institute of Sacred Music in 2004.
Phillip Hall has come aboard the Huntington University faculty as Director of the Digital Media Arts Program and Assistant Professor of Digital Media Arts. He brings a wealth of experience in animation.
After 24 years as part of the Huntington University community, Steve and Twyla Lee have relocated to Colorado Springs. They are now professors in the Focus Leadership Institute. Their actual title is “Senior Fellows for Marriage and Family Life Studies.”
Tanner Babb, Instructor of Psychology (undergraduate and graduate levels). Babb spent three years as a child and adolescent case manager and as a marriage and family therapist with the Bowen Center in Huntington, Ind. After earning a Psychology degree from Huntington University, he went on to obtain a Master’s in Education, with a focus in marriage and family therapy, from Indiana University. He is currently finishing his dissertation for his PhD in counselor education and supervision at the University of Toledo. Babb is also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate.
Rev. Rick Leone, Assistant Professor of Social Work. Leone has worked in a variety of places, accumulating an interesting resume:
Dr. Laura Gerig, part-time Instructor in Psychology. Gerig will teach half-time in the psychology department. She has previously taught psychology at Taylor University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Taylor University, and a master’s degree and a PhD in school psychology from Ball State University. Her doctorate specialized in neuropsychology. Her areas of interest are child development and psychological assessment.