Week 3: Lessons from the Mountaintop and the Valley

Monkeys, Monkeys, and more Monkeys

Out of all the 3 weeks that I have been in Ghana so far, the third week was the most life-changing. I began my third week in the beautiful Volta Region of Ghana, located by the border of Togo. I, along with the participants in the Cape Coast program, joined the CFHI group in Accra for an excursion to Volta on Saturday. The Volta Region is known for its magnificent mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, and monkey sanctuaries. Just like typical tourists, we planned to visit

each site. We arrived at Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary on Saturday Morning. The Tafi Atome is home to the Mona Monkey, a species of monkey that is in steady decline in Ghana. The monkeys were so friendly and approachable. Some of the monkeys even jumped on members of my group. I never felt so captivated by an animal in my life. It has been a while since I visited a zoo. I will definitely return to the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary when I come back to Ghana. Once we all were satisfied with the monkeys, we left to go into town, purchased food, and went to our hostel.

Mount Afajdata: Battlefield of the Mind

At 8am on Sunday morning, we set out to hike Mount Afajdato (the highest mountain in Ghana with a height of 885 meters). I did not know what to expect on the hike since this was my first-time hiking. Being born and raised in Naples, Florida, mountains are foreign to me. My

unexperienced mind thought the hike would be easy; I was wrong. The hike up the mountain was one of the most mentally exhausting physical activities I have done in my life. I wanted to quit

because of fatigue and anxiety but I persisted. After two hours of hiking, I made it to the peak of the mountain. The view was indescribable.

Innumerable mountains surrounded us. In the valley below, I saw the town and where we began our journey. I learned from this first experience is that hiking is more of a mental test than of physical strength. Physically, I was able to make it but my fear of the unknown held me back from reaching the peak quicker. Even though it was difficult, the peak was worth the hard work. By overcoming my emotions, I can boast that I made it to the top of the highest mountain in Ghana.

The Treasure in the Valley

After hiking up Mountain Afajdato, we got lunch then proceeded to Wli Waterfalls. The Wli Waterfalls is the highest waterfall in West Africa. It consists of a high and low fall and attracts tourists from around the world. We proceeded to hike up Mount Wli in order to get the full experience of the waterfalls. Mount Wli was more difficult than Mount Afajdato. The ascent and descent were steep. There also was not a clear trail down the mountain. Due to dehydration and exhaustion, I found myself at a breaking point again, wanting to give up. However, my first experience at Mount Afajdato gave me the strength to push through the challenge. It was difficult, but the view was beautiful. At one point we got lost and couldn’t see the high falls due to time. The next objective became the lower falls. After a 2-hour hike down a steep trail, I made it to the waterfalls where I found the rest of the group enjoying themselves in the waters. I was sweaty, and exhausted, but the prize at the end was worth it.

From the mountains, I learned these two lessons

Keep your eyes on the prize.

The Hills and valleys of life are unavoidable but with persistence, the challenge can be overcome.

I found these lessons to carry over during the week. After a day of recovering in Accra, I went back to Cape Coast.

Same Scrubs, New Department

On Wednesday, I began my rotations in the Accident and Emergency Department at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Malaria and motor vehicle accidents are the two primary causes of admission into the emergency room. Malaria is an infection that causes life-threatening conditions such as swelling of the brain (cerebral malaria), edema, anemia, and organ failure. Malaria is spread through an infected Anopheles mosquito that carries the parasite which causes the disease. These mosquitoes are common in West Africa therefore, there is a high population at risk for Malaria. (From CDC) Good News! It is curable and most Ghanaians take medication for prevention and/or treatment. Motor vehicles accidents account for the number one cause of trauma in Ghana. The poor road conditions and the lack of respect for pedestrians and traffic laws result in multiple injuries daily. As my program coordinator said “We have laws but they don’t work”

High Hopes Despite Low Resources

The Cape Coast Teaching Hospital Emergency Department functions like ordinary emergency departments. People are triaged and sent to the appropriate department for treatment or admitted overnight. Like I mentioned in my last blog, the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital is filled with staff but lack essential resources. The emergency department lacks heart rate monitors and adequate efficient oxygen ventilators available for use. In addition, there is only one defibrillator for use in the rooms.

Taken From Wix.com

The Bystander in the Emergency Room

I was exposed to the true function of the emergency room when one of the patients, a 38-year-old male, went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, the nurse spotted when the man started to enter into shock and immediately called for CPR. At once a team of nurses and doctors came to resuscitate the man. After 35 minutes of chest compressions, the man was declared dead. I was overwhelmed with a sense of emotion at the time of the crisis. I felt useless. I could not assist the nurses and doctors because I did not have any clinical experience.

In addition, I was upset at the whole process. There wasn’t a leader directing the efforts to be made to save the man. There was a defibrillator present, but it was not used. Even though the use of one does not guarantee life, it increases the chance of resuscitation. I learned that it is not used frequently in the hospital, therefore it is not turned to as essential equipment within the first few minutes until it is too late. I viewed this as defeat on my part to an extent but also as a motivator.

Hope in the Valley

Once I get back in the states, I plan to get my CPR and Basic First Aid licenses. Regardless of what career path I will take in the future, these are two crucial life skills I want to have so I can be in a position to help when someone’s life is at risk. Even in the valley, I found encouragement to pursue a course of action. The emergency room was an eye-opening experience and I do not regret the experiences I’ve made, Week 3 was definitely life-changing.

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are my own.