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2010 TEHAMA COUNTYMEDICAL GUIDE 17 Local doctor lending his expertise in Africa By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer All kinds of med- ical equipment is on its way to Africa and when it arrives in Liberia, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Director. of Surgery Leon Randall will be there to meet it. “My goal is to be there when its time to unpack the containers and to help train them to use the equip- ment,” Randall said. The three-and-a- half containers with about $350,000 worth of equipment, which is being shipped by Firestone Tires, will leave the United States on May 23. They should arrive in Liberia on June 23 where they will be about an hours trans- port from their final destination at Duside Going to Liberia in January was an interesting experi- ence, he said. “We were pretty nervous because Liberia has had civil war for 14 years,” Randall said. “It’s a country without infra- structure. The hospi- tal was bombed out in 2006 and has been rebuilt, but it only has two operating rooms with bare bones equipment.” Seeing pictures of the hospital after it was bombed was like looking at photos from World War II, he said. Courtesy photo St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Director of Surgery Leon Randall and his brother, Lynn Randall pose for a picture during a January 2010 trip to Duside Hospital on the Firestone Plantation in Liberia. Hospital on the Firestone Plantation in Liberia, Randall said. “I want to help where I can,” Randall said. “It’s a small effort, but it’s been a huge blessing for me and my family.” Randall went on a trip to Duside Hospital in January with his brother Lynn Randall through Children’s Surgery International and the impact has been far reaching, he said. “It sparked something in me,” Randall said. “Going over there and being a part of the culture for a while — my heart was touched by it. The Lord wants us to be doing things at certain times and lines things up.” Randall said he tried 25 years ago to help with the surplus by sending medical equipment to Russia, however, he later found out the supplies ended up on the black market. One thing that makes this try different is the fact that he knows the people who are receiving the equipment have already promised that anything they can’t use will be given to other area hospitals. “It was really cool was being able to connect directly with someone on the other side,” Randall said. “I know it will go where it’s needed.” Equipment shipped includes a variety of items such as ekg machines, bedside monitors and even a brand new infant incuba- tor. Clothes were also sent from items donated by Randall’s chil- dren and other people from the community for the orphanage on the plantation. The team, with four physicians three of whom are also sur- geons, took two days to set up at the hospi- tal and spent the next four-and-a-half days doing 143 surgeries. The team arrived on a Friday and by Saturday there were 150 kids waiting to be screened by two college-age volunteers who helped screen, set up charts and take before photos. People traveled from several different countries with some walking from as far away as Sierra Leone and Ghana to be seen, Randall said. “They were so glad to see us,” Randall said. “No one com- plained and everyone smiled. We didn’t see anyone upset because we weren’t going fast enough.” One of the children Randall remembers well was a boy named Joseph who had a tumor on his jaw. One of the team’s surgeons was able to take a bone out of Joseph’s leg and reconstruct the boy’s jaw, he said. “It was amazing,” Randall said. “He had a tumor in his jaw and he could hardly talk. Joe looked like a different person (after surgery).” Something else Randall remembers well was the fact that the Firestone president helped at the clinic while the team was there. “The trip really changed my perspective,” Randall said. “One of the first things I told my wife was we have too much stuff.” In addition to his trip in July, Randall is also planning to take another trip to Liberia next year with Children’s Surgery International. The trip is set to leave on Jan. 11, 2011, he said. For more information on Children’s Surgery International or to see pictures of Randall’s first trip visit the organization’s Web site: www.childrenssurgeryintl.org.

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