I don’t get asked very often if I am a doctor, as a matter of fact, never at all. Although today, I was asked, “Am I a doctor”?, “No”. “Nurse?”, “No”. More of the roving photographer I am sure the midwife wondered what I was really doing. And that is what has been so exciting. GoDocGo has been to two hospitals to screen women for cervical cancer. I have been lucky enough to work and observe alongside a great team of doctors and other medical personnel. It has been so eye opening, in every sense of the word, to be a fly on the wall.

The word for mid-wife in French is Sage Femme and it accurately describes the women we have met at the clinics. While at the clinic, there is a real feeling of camaraderie and support that exists between the patients and the mid-wives. The patients seem truly grateful although sometimes nervous.

A perfect start to a smooth trip involved a pre-flight stop at Shake Shack in the Delta Terminal at JFK which was delicious! When we landed, we hit the ground running and went right to a new hospital, Region Medicale de Dakar, to do cervical cancer screenings and training on the equipment that GoDocGo brought over. There were over 20 women screened and two had precancerous legions on their cervix which the doctors were able to treat with thermo-abalation therapy. It was a success!! Over 35 midwives from the area took part in the training and the screenings. More tomorrow.

On Tuesday, November 5th, Dr. Maggie Carpenter and a team of volunteers from GoDocGo and Le Korsa will be heading to Senegal, Africa. I am one of the volunteers who will be on the trip. While I am there, I will keep you posted as to what the team is up to and my impressions as a first time visitor to Senegal.

For those of you who are not familiar with the work of GoDocGo, it is a non-governmental International medical organization that works to prevent cervical cancer around the world. Dr. Carpenter created GoDocGo in 2013 and then went on the first trip to Ethiopia in 2014. I have been on the Board of Directors since 2013.

We will land in Dakar on Wednesday morning, November 6th. Once we are there and I get connected with wifi, I will keep you up to date on our work and travels. In the meantime, I am going to brush up on my French and start packing my bags. A Tout a l’heure!!