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The Cause and the Cure

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ETU headquarters, Kim, RN presiding

the throne room

it’s bigger than my hand

my domain in the ETU pharmacy

my climbing buddy, Tracy

the tappita hospital at dawn

mother a child in the pediatric ward. little one fell off a motorbike, but was ok after a few stitches

PACU, I think?

thought I’d stop for a quick scan

Dr. Kolee shows us the surgical ward and radiology departments.

some of their wards are actually not bad. Dr Kolee explained that this was because they were constructed by the Chinese after Taiwan built a hospital over the hill (now defunct). Notorious rivals, the Chinese decided to add a little extra flair, I guess?

it’s weird to see a hospital that is relatively empty. this is when the power goes off for four hours a day, to rest the generators

The Emergency Room

Dr. Kolee

the Liberian vegas

Dr Ravi glorying in his white elephant gift. it looked to be itself the product of a photoshop battle to see who could make the most unrealisiticly proportionate women

i carved this little guy out a soap bar for white elephant gift party. get it?

the critters grow large out here (rhino beetle)

late night culinary delight

mariah at work on a snapper

our tree, fashioned with ETU waste, balloons and love

we were sending this guy some really bad dust clouds. sorry buddy

the only way to travel

the Liberian preferred mode of transit

the market, before I got told to put my camera away. it’s totally packed

a fine mist of red dust at the marketplace

kids assume all Americans have cameras, and I didn’t disappoint them

giving a tour of the ETU to the community

building with way too many people, they literally took turns swinging the hammer

working hard with nary a powertool

the hospital linens out to dry

a jewel in Africa

I probably should have been paying attention.

when we first arrived in Tappita, they thought Americans love weenies for every meal. this is breakfast. we had to educate them

misty mornings are every morning here

hovering over the town of tappita

trying to catch the blade

i was so focused on taking pictures that they almost took off without me.

selfie with the doc, en route

the U.N bird

million-dollar smile, billion dollar guy

anyone?

this biggest airport in Monrovia

kids are pretty autonomous here, they just run around, but seem to be alright

i climbed a lookout post to see if I could give a better perspective of the ETU layout

it was really fun. everyone cheered and whooped loudly for everyone and took what could’ve been a drab affair to a ceremony with more excitement than a soccer match in Europe

the Cubans were loud and funny

graduation for the Ebola curriculum was well-attended by many people. a Cuban healthcare team, locals and even the Chinese military were there

my first try of the African dish fufu (Dr. Taty’s favorite). it was pretty meh

lunchtime during training

the doctor duo

there’s beautiful things everywhere you look, if you just slow down. which is easy because you have to walk everywhere

the incomplete Department of Defense building looms eerily in the background

goggles shimmering in the hot liberian sun

triage in-progress

a lady getting interviewed for triage. notice the two meter distance required at all times, and the tube for sending things to her

well done, Doctor

another PPE demo by Dr. Ventura

supply closet. most of the ETU is made up of these tents, but I can’t take my camera in, so that’s why you get boring pictures like this

boots drying in the hot liberia sun

gotta get the feet prayed on entry and exit

there’s no sign on the door, because when a man who looks like is the doorkeeper, it kinda takes care of itself

the ambulance exits the Monrovia MOD ETU after dropping off a suspect patient

gettin’ hosed (by 0.5% chlorine)

we visited a “ebola sub-committee” meeting that included MSF, the CDC, WHO and a ton of other players. it was crazy to see it all in motion

don’t forget it

getting close to two hours in the gear, no part of me was dry. in the back is dr. phil, the german army doctor. can’t make it up

this scenario involved a patient sprinting out of his room. ER instincts cannot be tamed however, and the blurry man is in a headlock. no lawsuits here!

tough work

team #1, leading the way

the doctor is in (PPE)

donning our gear

my group randomly wore these colors. how does this magic happen?

no reason for this one

hangin’ between classes

dr. ravi beckons us towards the light

they were good actors

the survivors role-played patient triage with us

class is never not about handwashing

taking our lashes like true soldiers

suit up

team sport

we were told to put hand sanitizer in the mask to keep it from fogging. but it also gets in your eyes…

nurse phyllis is already losing her mind. that’s ok ’cause she’s mental health, so she can just fix herself

gotta get the face seal right

we’re supposed to write our role on our fronts and backs. i wrote “doctor” on the front and “thinks she’s a doctor” on the back. shhh

we love the military so good

2 glove layers

starting to feel the burn

even doctors can get grilled

even I don’t read it that thoroughly

our physicians: dr. ventura from singapore, dr. ravi from D.C. and Dr Bambuta from Congo

dat education

just such great people

classes were held in the converted police academy. love the old-school…old school?

i’ll post a more detailed description of how it all works

a mock ETU they set up for us to walkthrough

handwashing class is a lot like kindergarten

back to school

hard work

checking the beach out after training day. got a flash at the perfect time

i think they’re dressed like that for the foreigners

the civil war really hit Liberia hard

locals love the camera

Liberian beach? Who knew?

“don’t pupu here”

Liberia isn’t afraid of color

this is how Dr. Taty looks when he’s on the phone with his wife.

breakfast ebola discussions

team (puzzle) building

Dr. Taty and John preparing lunch for the crew.

when the camera is on, all business

the handwashing stations placed in front of virtually every residence, business or otherwise. just strong pool water.

motorbikes are a common form of transit. good thing they put a helmet on that headlamp.

this construction worker was staring out of his window towards the horizon. really gripped me for some reason.

hotel from with the team.

the view from the hotel, downtown Liberia.

our luxurious quarters for the first week during training.

the baggage claim was pandamonium. Like Black Friday, but with much lower expectations.

the extreme humidity fogged my camera up. i got asked to stop photographing after this one.

first steps onto African soil.

many more people than I expected want to get into Liberia. This was encouraging.

obligatory window shot. this is somewhere between Brussels, Belgium and Dakar, Senegal.

just the essentials

the team lounging in Brussels at 3am

i forgot to be a British pop sensation

if your goals are to remain well-hydrated and urinate every four minutes, I strongly recommend Camelbak as an in-flight companion

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Published: December 17, 2014 (updated: January 11, 2015)

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