Return to Nigeria: Part I
In the fall of 2013, Dr. Green and a few of his staff from Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Institute returned (or went for the first time!) to Nigeria to check up on their patients and train the medial community in Jos. In these two Q&A posts with Dr. Green, find out about the work conducted during the trip as well as the cultural differences his team encountered. Q: What have you been doing in Nigeria on most of your trips? A: We’ve been seeing potential patients whom we could bring to Florida for surgery; getting the lab established; setting up the Internet and teleconferences; often it’s basic administrative stuff like that. Q: You mentioned the lab. What is involved in setting up the lab? A: Well, the lab is going to be named for Dr. Jack Hough, of Oklahoma City, OK. He was the man responsible for my interest in ear surgery when I first started out. The lab will be named The Jack and Jodie Hough Lab, in Jos, Nigeria, in honor of Jack and his wife. Q: What are your goals for the work you are doing in Nigeria? A: My short-term goal is to teach doctors how to perform procedures. My long-term goals are much deeper: Share the gospel, proclaiming Christ’s name across the nation. Generate government interest in advancing its country’s medical communities. Help the local university develop audiology and speech pathology programs, and later a school of oral auditory education. Q: What are the interests of Nigeria’s medical community? A: Doctors are really interested in cochlear implants. It’s the only sensory apparatus that has the bionic fix to it. It’s been around for 40 years, so the potential of finally having it come to their country is intriguing to them. We’ll support the doctors remotely and by making periodic trips over there. Q: How do you support the doctors remotely? A: We had a Nigerian audiometrician visit our office, as seen in the video post. His name is Ben; he does the troubleshooting for the hearing aids and cochlear implants in Nigeria, working virtually with our audiologists at JHBI. Most of the problems are in the external port (the processor), and those can be worked through remotely.
5 Nigerians visit Jacksonville, FL
A visit to the United States gave these five Nigerians more than just a new cultural experience; it gave two of them their hearing. Watch the video below to find out more about their trip, and how the group is using their experience to help others back home.
Update on Samuel Ochenehi in Nigeria
Samuel Ochenehi has begun the next phase of his training and is now working in the pediatric surgical unit at the Jos Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. In this photo, Samuel is overseeing a little girl, who is a 22-day old neonate, born with a defect on her anterior abdominal wall. She is being managed as a case of Omphaloco. We are all so proud of Samuel and feel confident he will be excellent with the kids.
Dr. J. Douglas Green shares his knowledge and skill.
Dr. J. Douglas Green, Jr., founder of Hearing Help for Africa and owner of Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Institute in Jacksonville, Florida, is pictured here with Ben Babson, an audiology technician from the Jos University Teaching Hospital in Jos, Nigeria. Also pictured is Audu Modu who is an ENT Surgical Assistant from Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos plateau state, Jibrin, Nigeria. It is their hope that by learning skills under the supervision of Dr. Green, they can return to their country with knowledge that has never been utilized in Nigeria. Dr. Green plans to continue assisting them via email and video conferencing from the states.
Hadassah continues to improve
Before heading back to Nigeria. Hadassah is tested on final time at The Hearing Center, Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Institute, Jacksonville, FL. by Audiologist, Jacque Olson.
Young Nigerian Child has a successful Cochlear Implant!
Hadassah Alexander is a 3.5 year old female from Nigeria who was born with hearing, but following an illness shortly after birth, she became deaf. With no hearing, she has not learned to talk and no formal sign language was available. With the assistance of Dr. J. Douglas Green and the Hearing Help for Africa, Hadassah came to the United States and received a cochlear implant to the right ear on February 12, 2013. One week later, the implant was activated and Hadassah heard the sound of her mother, Maryam’s voice for the first time. Hadassah smiled and laughed, especially when hearing her foot steps on the tile floor. She was intrigued with noise toys and the sound of jingle bells.
Samuel send message back to Florida
A message from Samuel Ochenehi to Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Institute, Jacksonville, FL: “Using the CI and E-scope has greatly enhanced my effectiveness as a house officer in Juth. Many thanks to Dr. Green and Kelley for getting me the E-scope. To Allison, thanks for always being there despite the distance, you have always kept in touch. Warm regards to everyone at JHBI, I miss ya all tons!” ~Samuel
Update on Samuel Ochenehi from Jos, Nigeria
Samuel is examining a 43 year old retroviral disease patient who was admitted 8 days ago and is being managed for CCF secondary to DCM. He is examining her heart listening for heart sounds and murmur. She has a pan-systolic murmur grade II/IV. Photo provided by: Samuel Ochenehi, March 15, 2013. Samuel Ochenehi with a patient
UPDATE on Emmanuel Odido from Jos, Nigeria
Emmanuel Odido appears here in a class photo with some children at the Otona School, Jos, Nigeria. He reports that he is doing well, still trying to adjust with being in class with children that are so much younger than he him. He says that it’s hard to focus on the lessons because the other children are a lot younger and cause distractions for him. But he reports that his teacher, Moses, is a GREAT teacher and that she is also hearing impaired and wears hearing aids. As you can see, Emmanuel continues to wear his new cochlear implant and if you’ll notice the ear phones hanging from his neck, it shows that he’s also using it to enjoy the sounds of music through the implant!
Udate on Samuel Ochenehi, Nigeria
I couldn’t wait to share with you my story of my really eventful day today. I was given the opportunity to give my former hearing aid which I do not need any more thanks to Dr. Green and Jacksonville Hearing and Balance to a 13 year old boy today that has a mild to moderate hearing loss. The kid used to do very well in school but because of his hearing loss his performance has fallen, his mom could not afford to buy him a hearing aid. Now thanks to all of you at Jacksonville hearing and Balance showing me that it’s really good to be of help to other people who are not as privileged as some of us I have been able to help him and look forward to helping more kids here in Nigeria once I begin my Houseman ship. I shared with him some of the pictures from my time in Jacksonville with all of you . Many thanks again for the good example you have shown me. I learned so much while in Jacksonville and will continue to use it as much as possible. Dr. Green has really ignited a passion within me and for me he is my role model as a Doctor and someday I hope to do some of the amazing good works he is doing now. You all have touched my life in a way no one ever has. ~Samuel Ochenehi, December 12, 2012 Photo is Dr. J. Douglas Green and Samuel Ochenehi during his visit in Jacksonville, FL