Questions of life and death Kabale, Uganda Wednesday 17th April 2002 Dear Friends How was your day today?  This was some of mine: This morning an old man died in front of me.  He was very sick, with blood pressure dropping fast. I was called to see him as he just stopped breathing, but there was still a weak, occasional heart beat.  I decided jointly with my colleagues not to resuscitate him - and he died peacefully as we stood there, praying for him and his family. A few minutes later I was called to admit a newborn baby.  He was ten hours old, born two months prematurely, and weighed only 1kg.  I admitted him, put a cannula in a vein as thin as a pencil line, and put him on oxygen amongst other things.  It remains to be seen if he will survive. Nevertheless, the contrast of the death and the new life all within 20 minutes made me think further: Nathaniel's previous childminder, Christine, has AIDS and is dying. Yesterday, we buried a delightful lady who roamed as a tramp, despite many offers of food and shelter.  Her favourite words were kutendereza - Praise the Lord! A friend’s wife is healthily eight months pregnant after a threatened miscarriage at three months and plans to deliver her baby at Rugarama Health Centre. Life and death.... What do you think about it?  Not so many people seem to die in England yet here, in Uganda, there are weekly, sometimes daily, funerals, and the life expectancy is about 46 years.  We have many patients coming to the Health Centre suffering with AIDS - one such regular, a 28-year-old woman patient, died on Sunday night. We have an eleven-year-old boy with AIDS who is in the terminal stages.  A baby died last week of a mother who has had eight children, only 2 of whom are living...these are just a few examples. Have a think, have a pray, and let me know! In Christ, Rachelle Sanderson Tom and Rachelle Sanderson,  Naomi, Bethany and Nathaniel.  You can write to us at PO Box 918, Kabale, Uganda, or email sanderson@africaonline.co.ug (but no attachments, please!) Our presence here is made possible by voluntary contributions to Mid Africa Ministry (CMS), 157 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UU.

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