You ever had those times when you just had to sit back and smile in amazement because things worked out better than you ever expected? We’re doing that right now – just hardly able to believe how fortunate we are. It feels like Christmas came to Oriani early! Let me explain.

A long time ago, we had an ultrasound machine here at the clinic. She was gray and bulky and awkward and we called her Big Bertha. Bertha was a great machine, even though she was quite complicated and learning how to run her was kind of like flying the Space Shuttle. We learned the basics and made good use out of her. Then one day about a year ago, she died. Just quit. Wouldn’t turn on. We tried to contact some technicians in the States about repairing her but didn’t we weren’t able to get anywhere with that. We took her apart and examined her insides but we were unable to diagnose what her problem was. Eventually we had to admit that she was irreparably gone and we took her to the back and disposed of her. It was a sad day.

We continued on without Big Bertha, but often we would mention how nice it would be to have an ultrasound around here to be able to quick scan a patient. Maybe we had a pregnant woman and we were worried about baby positioning or placenta previa. Maybe a patient had a large abscess and we wanted to know if it had a drainable fluid collection. We made a few attempts to locate a replacement for Big Bertha, but new ones like her are far more expensive than our budget can handle. However, we started doing some research into an ultrasound machine called a Butterfly IQ+, and the more we read, the more we decided it would be perfect for our needs.

The Butterfly IQ+ is a small, handheld ultrasound probe that plugs right into a iPad or Android device. It is comparatively affordable and while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Big Bertha, it is perfectly designed for quick, bedside exams like we do here. The pricing of the model we wanted, together with the iPad to run it, is somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,500. Together with our American board of directors, we started looking for someone or some group that would be willing to raise some funds to make this possible.

It is Summer Vacation Bible School season in North America, and we were very fortunate to find several Bible Schools that were interested in sending money from their fundraising to help us buy the Butterfly IQ+. We didn’t know how much to expect, but we were going to be happy with any amount towards the total. Imagine our surprise and amazement when we received $8,700 USD, plenty to buy the ultrasound and iPad and have some left over!

We just have to stand in awe at the response and we wish everyone that helped raise funds could come see what your money is doing for these people!

We purchased the Butterfly IQ+ and it arrived last Friday. We had lots of fun setting it up and learning the basics!

The ultrasound probe and wireless charger in the case.

The new Butterfly IQ+ with the iPad and case.

The very first few days we were able to use our new ultrasound several times. We had a pregnant woman come to the house on Saturday with some vaginal bleeding, and we were concerned about placenta previa, a serious complication requiring immediate ambulance transfer to a hospital. However, in only a few minutes with the ultrasound, we were able to rule out placenta previa and direct her to go to a hospital on her own, as soon as it was convenient for her.

The second case we had was an older gentleman who had urinary retention due to prostate enlargement. After inserting a urinary catheter and draining his bladder, he was still in significant pain and we were concerned that the catheter was blocked and not draining properly. With the ultrasound, we were able to scan his bladder and confirm that there was no blockage and only a small amount of urine remained. Soon after, his pain resolved and he was able to go home.

The next day, we had a young lady in the clinic with a large area of swelling on her throat. With the ultrasound we were able to identify a cystic mass that definitely needs a biopsy to rule out thyroid cancer.

Needless to say, we are very excited to have this new ultrasound available and we want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to each Bible School that helped us with this purchase:

Lone Tree and Suncrest, Kansas
Arcadia, Florida
Faunsdale, Alabama
Okolona, Mississippi
Pinecrest, Georgia

May you be richly blessed!

Obviously, the funds that were sent were more than needed to buy the Butterfly. However, we have an ongoing list of items and equipment that we need here at the clinic, and now with these new funds we will finally be able to purchase a few of these. Some items we have been shopping for include a new adult scale, new infant scales to weigh babies, fingertip oxygen meters for after-hours calls when we’re not in the clinic, and a supply of infant formula for babies needing extra nutrition. Some of these items, like scales, can be found cheaply online but they don’t last long and are soon needing to be replaced. High-quality, medical grade scales can be several hundred dollars each, but fortunately with the funds we have now, we should be able to buy the medical grade versions.

The Seca 334 infant scale we are looking into.

Again, a huge thanks and a shout-out to the children and Bible School leaders that made this possible! It’s people like you that keep this clinic running. May God bless you.