Malaria and Snake Season

Someone recently commented "How soon until 2026?" A mere two months into 2025 and we certainly feel like we've had enough "adventure" to fill an entire year. 

This was going to just be a story of a valiant dog killing a nasty snake, but I felt I had to backtrack. 'Cause one story always reminds me of another and life is all connected like that.

In early February, I came down with malaria. I did the usual presumptive treatment at home with Coartem (a course of 3 days of pills) but by the last dose, nothing had changed. I still had a stubborn fever that maximum dose of Tylenol (paracetamol) would hardly budge, plus accompanying aches, chills, headache etc. Shannon had JUST had malaria as well and her fever only broke after the last dose of Coartem. There's usually a more brisk response, so I knew we were dealing with resistant malaria which has increasingly become more common.

Dwight took me to our friend's clinic (he's a doctor) in Chimoio and the malaria test (smear) was positive for Falciparum malaria. The nastiest strain and most common by far here. I was admitted for intravenous treatment with the current gold standard, Artesunate. The place was lovely and the care was good, but two days later the parasite count had hardly budged, my blood count had taken a knock, and fever only broke for brief periods then shot back up. The doctor was optimistic "In a few days, the malaria test will be clear. You need an extended course. We see this quite often."

Well, after three days and two nights away from home, I decided to go home and continue administering my own IV Artesunate. I am a nurse after all and have done it for others to reduce medical costs. We did reach out to our nurse and doctor friends in South Africa for their advice. 

A shot of my room to satisfy my worried daughter.

So off we went home with our stash of injectable meds. 

3 ampules for 1 dose intravenously once a day.
First mix liquid bicarb into the powder then dilute and inject, slowly.

I was also coughing quite a bit (common with malaria) but had a nebulizer and the needed meds which helped. But I was admittedly feeling pretty rough so with the encouragement from family and friends, decided to head to South Africa for medical follow up. 

It took us more than 12 hours to drive/fly to our destination in South Africa---exhausting for us both! We are forever grateful for our haven there; Roger and Katy's place complete with a vehicle that they graciously always make accessible to us. The Lord has placed many angels of mercy in our lives!

On arrival blood tests showed malaria was clear but liver enzymes were elevated, likely partly due to malaria, partly due to my reaction to Artesunate. A chest xray revealed I also had pneumonia so I was put on treatment for that! 

As things turned out, Ron and Barb Wayner (founders of Mercy Air) were in South Africa on a visit. They have been close friends for over 30 years so we had a few chances to get together with "the old gang"! 

I was still getting chills and muscle aches at this point but being together was priceless.
(John, Anne, Barb, Ron and us). 

Since my recovery extended into a 2 week stay down south, we joined Ron and Barb on a 3 day visit to Kruger Park. There are golden moments in life one must seize. This was one of those.

On about day 4 in South Africa and many days of feeling like garbage, on follow up appointment my Dr agreed I wasn't looking so great even though labs and vital signs were fine. So I got a Vitamin B infusion and a chocolate bar while Dwight carried on with our planned lunch date with friends. I did walk out feeling better and steadier on my feet.

We had booked to return to Moz in 2 weeks and by then my liver enzymes were trending remarkably well toward normal levels, so I had the "ok" to return. On malaria prophylaxis of course. I was still feeling a lot of fatigue so returned with the plan to still rest as much as possible and do low key work as I could tolerate. 

The day after we returned home, while I was having my needed daily rest in bed, I heard a huge commotion in the yard. Dwight was shouting to our dog, "Come Ruger! No...leave it! Come! etc" It didn't sound the normal case of Ruger being on the loose and not obeying, so I got up to see what was up. Turns out Ruger decided to take out a large Mozambique Spitting Cobra that was cruising through our yard (species confirmed by African Snakebite Institute). These snakes are nasty...first they spit venom with deadly accuracy into the eyes of any assailant, then as a last resort, will bite. Their venom causes local swelling, pain, tissue and organ damage and has some neurotoxic effects. 

Here's Ruger, immediately after executing his a-bit-too-daring deed, feeling the effects of a bite we didn't notice until the swelling started hours later. (Guess he could have used that bootcamp training.)

We rinsed his eyes immediately but his cheek only swelled 3 hours later. So that confirmed he'd been bitten. Until he swelled, we wondered how he'd managed not to get bitten. Obviously he didn't. Snakes are faster than most dogs. 

Here's Ruger's victim who made the poor life choice that day of venturing through our yard:

When Ruger was done snapping its neck and shaking it, he wanted to bring it onto the veranda. Dwight and Mario stopped him and made sure the snake was dead. 

1.2+ meters long

The last thing I felt I needed was a sick dog to deal with! There was no antivenin on hand at the nearest clinic that may have sold us some, so with guidance from our friend who is a Brazilian vet, we monitored and managed his symptoms at home. His first few days were rough, he quit eating and drinking so we gave Normal Saline subcutaneously each day. It takes time to flush all the toxins out of the body. It's a good thing he's a huge dog.

We are now on day 6 post snake bite and though he's lethargic, it looks like he may pull through. Yesterday he wanted to walk with us (we made it super short) and he ate.

Oh, and I should add that last night, Belle got into our compost heap and ate some used coffee grounds, raw green beans, lettuce and goodness knows what else. Turns out coffee grounds are toxic to dogs, worse than chocolate. Thankfully what had gone down didn't stay down but we gave her some activated charcoal mixed with water anyway. If you ever want to experience the messiest job ever, try giving a dog activated charcoal. Black liquid ends up down their throat but everywhere else they drool and shake too!

Ruger and Belle (our other Boerboel) on "their" veranda. She also got spat in one eye but was more cautious during the attack and stayed by the snake's tail so wasn't bitten.

 

I feel like I rounded a bit of a corner yesterday and got more wind in my sails after my malaria/pneumonia/drug reaction whammy. Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. It's good to have a bit more energy and feel more normal again, and just in time for the weekend. It's a beautiful day and I'm doing the best to savour the moments--in between nursing Mr. Snakebite that is.

Uncertain Times, in God's Hands

We must have looked like the Beverly Hillbillies when we first arrived in Maputo in 1993. We had packed all our earthly belongings, including one German Shepherd dog, into 2 pick-ups plus two small hauling trailers. Dwight’s parents, Arthur and Gladys Lagore, helped us every step of the way despite having serious reservations about our move to Mozambique--a country that had been embroiled in civil war for over 20 years.

1993...moving to Maputo

The trip from Umtata, Transkei (South Africa), to Maputo, Mozambique, took several days. We departed against the backdrop of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, of which Transkei was still a part in most respects. 

We first arrived to serve in South Africa in 1987 during a state of emergency, but by 1993 that had been lifted. 

During our five years in Transkei, South Africa, we had grown somewhat accustomed to political unrest. There was a bloodless coup in December of 1987, the area was known for allegedly housing terrorist training camps, anti-white graffiti in town “kill a white a day” was commonplace, and gunfire rang out in the dark many a night. Our first set date to move was postponed by a week because of unrest following the murder of Chris Hani, former leader of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Chief of Staff of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). So, we had an extra week living with the senior Lagore’s before our eventual departure to Mozambique. 

We decided to leave on our big move at 4:00 a.m., under cloak of darkness, due to increasing incidents of whites being shot on a nearby stretch of highway. We had barely made it through the dangerous stretch when our pick up’s oil line to the alternator burst and we were forced to stop for repairs at a service station. 

After several hours of waiting idly we continued our trip. Our travel group consisted of Dwight’s parents in their mid 60’s, us in our early 30’s, our kids 4 and 6, and our dog who was rather sedated at the time on recommendation of the vet. 

 I feel I should take a moment to tell you about our dog. We bought him as a pup shortly after our place had been burgled in 1988. He was a pure-bred German Shepherd (named Apollo by the breeders). Our thought was he would provide us with some security in what was an insecure environment. German Shepherds were good guard dogs, or so we were told. He turned out to be a lovely dog who loved people. All people. Anyone and everyone. He was not discriminatory, suspicious, or wary of strangers in any way. We thought his “fight” would emerge as he grew, but no. He did a lot of tail wagging but precious little barking. Thankfully he was a big black dog, so he was perceived to be a threat. So, when we moved from one insecure environment (Transkei) to another one (post-war Mozambique), we felt we should take him as part of our security system. 

 But back to our moving story. We drove all the way to Johannesburg that first day and overnighted with friends. The next morning, we set out to buy some items we would need to set up house in Maputo—a fridge and dining table set. The dining table set we decided on that was the right price, and that would fit on the trailer, was a white plastic one. It would serve the purpose until we could replace it with a proper wooden set. (That “until” turned out to be a 20-year time span!) We then purchased a fridge and grocery supplies. We had very little carrying space for our new items, so I had the amazing idea to pack whatever I could inside the fridge itself for the journey. Among the items I put inside was a refill package of fabric softener called “Sta-soft”. My scent of choice was “Spring Fresh”. 

And so, we set off, east-bound for the Mozambique border and Maputo. To say that trip was overwhelming is an understatement. The border was chaotic, the highways marked by the presence of tired ex-combatants since the recent signing of the peace accord, and the vestiges of war were everywhere.

Bullet pocked walls from the war

Early post war days with heavy UN presence

Some relics remained in place for a very long time as you can tell by Russell's age here (photo c. 2004)

Maputo itself was the most dilapidated city I had ever been in. Streetlights didn’t work, sewage ran in the streets, and rats scurried between heaps of garbage piled wherever each neighborhood deemed the most convenient spot. To create space for more refuse, these heaps were often set alite to burn and smolder for days and weeks on end. This lent an acrid and unforgettable smell to the air. 

It was well after dark when we finally arrived at our rental house. The neighborhood looked sketchy, but that was true of the entire city. Neighborhood kids sat on the wall of the property and watched closely as we opened the rickety gate to drive in. The gate’s hinges were broken so closing the gate again was a matter of propping them, so they leaned together “just so”. We then lashed them together with rope in hopes our dog wouldn’t easily find his way out. We noticed that most of our neighbors had guards for protection from the criminal element; some even armed with AK47’s. Us? We had Apollo… 

As we drove toward the house, our headlights sent cockroaches running back into the gray water/septic tank in the back yard that they’d emerged from. We stepped out, carefully, opened the house and started unpacking our things. I plugged in the new fridge and first removed everything, including the Sta-soft, that didn’t need refrigeration. 

The fragrance of “Spring Fresh Sta-soft” filled the air; a welcome one in the moment because it made that strange place feel more like a home. Little did I know that scent would linger in the fridge for as long as the fridge survived. The smell itself is pleasant enough, but a fridge is a weird place for that type of a scent. And thus, both the smell of burning garbage and Spring Fresh Sta-soft were etched in my smell memory.

During the first week, while Dwight’s parents were with us, his mom would say worriedly, “Oh my, I can hardly bring myself to leave our kids and grandchildren in this place!” We assured her we would be fine. When you’re still young, you have such strong convictions and feel quite invincible. Things tend to change as you get older. 

(Image from later that year when we visited Transkei)

Fast forward to the current day. Much development has happened in our 30+ years here but politically things have always smouldered. Unrest and discontent have often raised their heads, especially around election time, and 2024 elections proved no different. In fact, the current political climate and dynamics are as charged as we have ever experienced. We have go-bags ready in the event we feel the need to evacuate to a safe place, but thankfully so far this has not been necessary. 

The protests since the October elections have seriously disrupted life and security for the entire country. Last week, when things were more peaceful than they had been in a while, we made the hour-long trip to town for supplies. I scanned the shelves for items I should stock up on, not knowing when it would be safe to be on the roads again. 

Lack of supplies due to protests and road blocks at border with South Africa

I haven’t used Sta-soft since forever, but my eyes locked on the shelf holding Sta-soft Spring Fresh refillable pouches. My hand instinctively picked one up and I lifted it to my nose. The smell brought back a flood of memories and mixed emotions. So much has changed since 1993! To say life has been etched by tumultuous and uncertain times is an understatement, but we are still here and our only prayer is that peace can once again return so that the people we came to serve can know a better and more prosperous 2025.

Yesterday's visit by 3 of the many who have come through SAM Ministries' sponsorship program. (Left to right: Dwight, Paulina (Industrial Electrician), Nezi (Welder/Turner&Fitter), Gervasion (Pharmacy tech grad now in 1st year studying medicine.)

Pray with us for Mozambique's youth, and for their tomorrow. We know the Lord has good plans for them!