Hinsdale couple helps out in Kenya

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Dr. Kuhn Hong and his wife, Kim, spent three weeks in Kenya on a medical mission trip.

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Updated: February 22, 2012 12:13PM

Hinsdale residents Dr. Kuhn Honga, staff radiologist at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, and his wife, Kim, just returned from a three-week medical mission trip to Africa. This was the second visit to Tenwek Hospital, a teaching mission hospital located in the western part of rural area of Kenya. Honga went to the same place last year to find out the installation of CT scan was not completed. Therefore, he waited and planned the trip as soon as the CT was installed and started to scan the patients.

However, Hong had another idea in his mind when he planned this trip. He wanted to visit a Korean lady missionary, serving the Masai tribes for the last 13 years and their church has been supporting her mission. Hong started to collect medicine by purchasing and receiving donations from several organizations including Kingsway Charities, MAP International and Blessings International.

When the couple arrived at the mission compound near Mount Kilimanzaro, they faced tough accommodations. Although the missionaries drilled a well for getting much needed water, they did not have other luxurious facilities such as shower, comfortable beds nor toilet facility. They ate the meals just same as the Masai children living in orphanage, like corn porridge for breakfast, freshly milked cow milk mixed with chai (tea), and fried corn with beans for lunch and dinner. Kim Hong, being a diabetic patient herself with an insulin pump, had to be careful to make sure not developing hypoglycemic shock.

They opened the makeshift clinics at several Masai villages and treated more than 350 patients by themselves. They had many patients suffering from burn, malaria, tuberculosis, and other fungal infectious diseases. All the people came to see the couple appreciated to getting the precious medicine. Dr. Hong had chance to preach and personal tesimony at the Masai church on Sunday and prayed with them.

Then the couple left the mission compound heading to the hospital, where Hong started working at the radiology department. The CT was done on injured patients as emergency basis and many patients had bleeding inside of the brain requiring surgery as soon as he gave the diagnosis. The ultrasound department was also busy with more than 50 patients each day.

They also gave lectures to the interns, residents as well as visiting medical students including few from Korea. Kenyan doctors constantly came to discuss the cases before making decision such as contemplating surgery in patients with huge masses.