BONUS - Soul-stirring Kilimanjaro Clinic (ft. Scott Ransom)

Thanks for tuning to Digital Voices Podcast, where we chat digital transformation challenges and opportunities across healthcare and life sciences. And now, your host, Ed Marx.

So we had summited Kilimanjaro, all of us, all 11 of us who started. We made it back down. But that's when the real adventure would begin. And so the people who had stayed back on our team had been preparing for days for the opening of the Open Arms Clinic, working with local tribal leaders and just getting all the final pieces of logistics done. They played such an important role in the overall success.

Yes.

And so the day before we open, we have this huge celebration. The Prime Minister is there from Tanzania. 17 of the 23 senators are there. Amazing feast and celebration and dancing and singing, and it was an amazing cultural experience. Then reality sets in the next day. So we're open for business, and the very first patient shows up. And with that, Scott, I'll let you tell the story because you are central— you and your wife Liz Elizabeth are central to that story.

Well, thank you. It was a great day. So we were teaching some furious caregivers how to do blood pressures and how to put people in the rooms. And it was my wife who grabbed me and said, Scott, there's somebody you need to see. And I walked over with her and this somebody was this obviously pregnant woman. So my wife is an ear, nose, and throat doctor. I am an obstetrician. And looked and kind of checked her out as much as I could, which was fairly public at this point. We put her into an examination room and my wife acted as my assistant. I checked her. The baby, the patient was completely dilated, meaning the baby was ready to come. But as we examined, the baby was very, very large and we knew that there was gonna be a challenge in having the baby come out, everything okay. The other thing is we could not detect if there was, the baby was alive or dead or whatever because We didn't have the equipment necessary in this little clinic, in the middle of nowhere clinic. This was a challenge. So we decided that we were gonna deliver that baby there. The baby had a bowel movement inside, which meant there was some kind of meconium fluid we could see on the membranes before we ruptured her membranes. And that is sometimes a real sign of distress. And we knew at the very minimum we're gonna have to clean the baby's mouth out. So we broke her membranes. We did every maneuver we could to get the baby out safely. Baby came out, and when the baby came out, it was structurally fine, no injuries or anything, but the Apgar scores would have been equivalent to 1 out of 10. That's not good. There was a little bit of a heart rate, but no tone, no color, no respirations, no anything. And with that, we had a neonatologist that happened to be with us as part of the team, Darryl.

Hi.

And Darryl started doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitations and chest compressions on this little itty-bitty baby. And we, we kind of tried to figure out how to support the baby, and it seemed like forever was going on. 5 minutes was going by and nothing really was going on with the baby, and 10 minutes again, just nothing. 15 minutes, and at this point I'm pretty worried. And somewhere just after 15 minutes, which seemed like an eternity, The baby started screaming bloody murder. It was music to all of our ears. There were villagers all around. Everybody generally knew what was happening, but they couldn't see what was happening in the exam room. So the good news is everything looked good with the baby. The baby looked very healthy despite all the things I just described, which was very scary. We took care of mom. Mom was fine. We kind of— everybody was there and we kind of let mom and baby rest together. And my wife and I just kind of supported the mom, and the 2 grandmas came in and they kind of supported and rubbed lotion on the baby's head. Everything was really kind of cute. So the whole day went like that. We kept checking on the baby and the mom, and everything was great. At the very end of the day, we asked through a translator what was she going to name her baby. Well, she looked at my wife Elizabeth, and she asked my wife what her name was. And she told her Elizabeth, and she said, I want to name my baby after you, Elizabeth. So we had a baby Elizabeth in the middle of nowhere in Tanzania, in the Maasai region of Tanzania. Baby Elizabeth was really named because my wife— well, I delivered the baby, and really Darryl, the neonatologist, saved the baby. She supported the pregnancy or the mom throughout her entire labor, which is very exciting. Obviously built a bond with the mom. So here we are now, 10 years later. Baby Elizabeth seems to be doing great, going to school well, a little bit bigger than normal for her, uh, her age compared to her peers, but she has had a spectacular childhood as far as we can tell. We've seen her a couple of times since she was born. And, um, anyway, so this has been one, one of the lifetime experiences.

Yeah, and what, what I always love about it is that Dr. Elizabeth Ransom, your wife Liz, she had the idea for the clinic 9 months prior to opening. And I, I don't know how the universe works, but I just think there was something, uh, very spiritual about the whole thing and how that all came about. And it was amazing. And, and from, you know, my perspective outside of the room, you know, it was, uh, Pretty chaotic because all the— you're right, the entire village, I mean, we were surrounded by thousands, all knew what was happening. And we were, we were all a little bit afraid, right? You know, they were still a little bit distrustful of us, like, who are you and why are you helping us? And, and, you know, are you here to help us? Are you here to do something else? And, and we have this very precarious situation where we're— Caring for someone in a very difficult circumstance. And so we were just praying, oh my gosh, please, we need a— we need a very positive outcome. And when we heard that baby screaming on the outside, uh, we all erupted as well in tears and in jubilation because of what you all were able to do. And even though we're digital voices, and that's really the theme of the podcast, there are times when, when digital isn't the— isn't the way. And this was certainly a time where you, Scott, and Liz, and Darryl, and the rest of the team really were very innovative in how you— taking the tools what you did have and how you helped bring that baby back to life, back to health. And everyone had this great outcome. And yeah, I've seen the pictures and baby Elizabeth— I guess we can't call her baby anymore, but she's doing well and the village is doing well. And the clinic still operates. Today. And that's what's, you know, extra gratifying is that the clinic is still there and really helping to take care of a lot of people. So, Scott, how did that, you know, how did that affect you and Liz? And, and you also had 2 of your 3 children with you who participated in the adventure of climbing, but also the adventure of the clinic. How did, how did that change you all as, as clinicians, as people, as family?

You know, this was really a divine intervention. You know, I think as Ed highlighted, you know, 9 months before we invented the idea of a clinic, my wife really initiated that idea. And 9 months later, about the same amount of time a baby would've been conceived to deliver, we had baby Elizabeth. That, that's divine. It's remarkable. How could that possibly be? This is probably the singularly most transformative experience I personally have ever had in my life. My 2 kids, the younger 2 kids at the time, they were 13 and 15. They both climbed Kilimanjaro with us. They thought that was the highlight. Frankly, we all thought that was the highlight. And then there was this clinic, and then there was this mom and baby. And, you know, they obviously didn't take part of the delivery, but they knew what was going on, and they knew the energy that was going on, and they certainly saw the baby afterwards that was not there when they went into the exam room. And this is a memory that they have continued to reflect on for the last decade. And just another mention, you know, the Maasai people are poor. They're nomadic. They've been around for thousands of years. They are the happiest people I've ever met. You know, these were people that had nothing. You know, they, they, they had some goats and they had some cows, and that was really how they survived. And these were yet the happiest people I've ever met. I mean, I've worked with rich people and poor people and all kinds of people in my life, but this was the happiest group. And I think that really kind of taught me an awful lot, that, you know, happiness is kind of within you. It's not external. It's not what you buy or a new car or whatever. It's what's within you. And these people just truly taught me that. And that's the reason we do go back every so often. I plan on going back again next year to see baby Elizabeth in that clinic. And the other thing, that clinic that started as a one-room building, and we certainly took care of a few hundred people when we were there, is now a few different buildings. We have a nurse there all the time, a doctor there all the time, a separate building that's now an obstetrical building, plus the clinic. And now this clinic over 10 years has supported thousands, many, many thousands of people's lives and healthcare needs. So this has been just a life-changing, remarkable experience.

Yeah, all those points really resonate with me and bring back the chills as I think back through those times. And it is just one of those things where all of us can make a difference. This wasn't really the point of the podcast for sure, but all of us can make a difference just by doing something. And Sometimes it may not be as dramatic. It may not lead to something, you know, gigantic, but even one life changed, and that's all we wanted to do. We had no idea it would continue on for 10 plus years and all the growth that you mentioned, Scott. But it's just a couple people who are willing to, you know, do something, share their skills, share their expertise, help other people. And like you said, we learned more. from them than we imparted to them. Just the fact, you know, you, you had the same observation that, that my family did as well who went, and that is it's not about materialistic things that bring happiness or, or joy, but, uh, it's, it's really just life. And we'll never forget that and, you know, always have fond memories and, and certainly had a great time and bonding with you and Liz and your kids. It was kind of fun interacting with some of them now that they're in their 20s. And yeah, it's just great all around. So we just, you know, really encourage people wherever you can, do a little extra, try to help other people because you never know the lives that you might impact, lives that you might save. Scott, as we conclude, you know, we talked a lot reminiscing about that experience. And certainly Open Arms Clinic and all things digital. Is there anything else, you know, that may have come to mind as we, as we sort of wrap up about the experience that, you know, is top of mind?

This was proof positive that, you know, living your life to its fullest matters. And we thought climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was the be-all. And we developed this clinic and that was exciting. And Ed and Liz and a bunch of other folks helped contribute to make that reality happen. We truly at the time didn't expect what was gonna happen, what the life, the lives that were gonna be changed, most importantly our own, I guess, maybe not most importantly, but certainly our own were changed for permanent, permanently. And I think as, you know, I go through my travels in life, I try to think about that. What are those small things that we do that actually can have pretty profound both meaning to ourselves but also impact on the world. And, you know, this is still— after the last decade has gone by, this is still the most profound experience that's happened in my 58 years. But it's still— I still look for that next thing. And there's been a lot of incremental other things that have come along that maybe not quite as exciting, certainly have had some impact. just because we've kind of framed it that way. And we wanted to really see what else we could do in addition to, you know, going on a scuba diving adventure, you know, going on a trip. What other things could we do to pair those experiences that might help the lives of others? So it's been great.

Yeah, you're spot on. Such great advice and things that we all should aspire to to do in our daily lives and our other sort of adventures. So Scott, thanks so much for being our guest. It was great reconnecting and just rethinking about what happened and how it changed us and the fact that it still continues and you all are still able to go back and contribute. It's just such an awesome thing. So maybe in 20 years, you know, maybe the next time we'll have baby Elizabeth as our guest, and she could tell the story from, from her perspective. But thanks again, and that will wrap us for this pod, and we look forward to talking to you again.

Great, thank you.

Hi, this is John Lynn from the Healthcare IT Today podcast. If you like the latest rumors, insights, and happenings in healthcare IT, you'll enjoy hearing my colleague Colin Hung and myself debate and share the latest happenings from the world of healthcare Find the latest episodes or dig into our archive at healthcareittoday.com, or search for Healthcare IT Today on your favorite podcast application or YouTube. When it comes to healthcare technology, we love this stuff, and we can't wait to have you join in on the discussion of everything health IT.

Thank you for listening to Digital Voices Podcast with Ed Marx. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe on your preferred streaming service and leave a rating and And most importantly, thanks again for listening.

Thank you.