Last weekend we took a trip to visit our friends at Toby. As per our previous experiences, we were met on the spot by the illest person on site at the moment. This is always a bit confusing because due to our own language and cultural barriers we are by far the last ones to know that the person we are conversing with is ill. The last two times this has occurred it is after our lengthy and tangental conversation that I realized the man before us had chains either on his hands or feet. This means he’s ill. Why chains? Chains are a way that the Toby staff or fellow family members use to restrain a patient that they see as a danger to himself or others. They are used temporarily when needed. In this man’s case he was in a full blown manic episode. He has Bipolar Disorder however his caretakers have very little to no clinical knowledge about this disorder. What they do know are the signs of it: he hasn’t slept in days, he won’t stop talking and pacing, he thoughts far exceed reality, etc. Since the opportunity presented itself we were able to assist his family and Toby staff with education and understanding about the cycles of Bipolar Disorder and to help sort out various medications they had on hand but did not know how to effectively administer.
Our purpose of this visit was to teach about health and hand out trees. Not just any tree, the miracle tree that we have been raving about. The church filled with men, women and children and Jonathan gave a presentation. Then we opened up the trunk of the car as people gathered eagerly to receive their tree. I heard people walking away shouting, “vitamins, vitamins” as they proudly walked home with their new Moringa tree. It was a joyous occasional for all.
