It is a deep chill here in Alaska. Just before Christmas this cold snap has come to the northern regions. The vehicles can fail to start and the homes are a concern if the heat source fails. It takes a special person to live in the north. It looks like the chill will stay around for a while.If you live here for more than 20 winters you are called a Sourdough. We might be called other names by people who think this is just crazy. The crazy thing...

Esther Scarborough, the medical director for IFC in Indonesia, will be in Los Angeles to speak at a fundraiser. Esther has already been to Singapore and Hong Kong. She is an inspiring speaker and advocate for the poor. Esther was invited by Rebecca Grossman of the Grossman Burn Foundation (GBF) to speak at her fundraiser on October 8.IFC has many partners and friends in L.A. This will be like a homecoming for Esther. She knows so many people...

The amazing technology of this day allows us to communicate with our leaders in Indonesia. We have a satellite phone for emergencies and outgoing calls. We also have a system called BGAN to send emails. It connects to a satellite and then sends the message. We are charged a flat rate and beyond the allowed minutes we are charged for each additional minute.I am writing about this because right now the BGAN is out of operation. It is being...

I am always looking for partners. I have met some amazing people over the last nine and a half years. I have been to the Australian outback to the frozen villages of Alaska. You can never judge a place by its size or location.I just go where the doors open. If they open in Pennsylvania–I will find a way to get there. I remember Gustavo and his family so well in Reading, Pennsylvania. What an awesome family. Then there is Greg the rancher...

The Kusuri Clinic and Medical Base is very remote. The Island of Halmahera is one of the approximate 17,000 islands in the nation of Indonesia. It is a very historic place also know as the Spice Islands. The Dutch, Portuguese and Japanese controlled these islands over the years. The islands are amazing and the rich volcanic soil and the tropical climate make is a rare growing environment. It is so beautiful and yet it is remote. The Kusuri base...

Elizabeth (Liz) Wood is a surgical nurse who has a huge heart. She organized a monumental effort to save the life a a child, Billy Ponto, who was very ill and faced certain death. Liz arranged for the doctors, hospital, housing and even raised the money to cover all the expenses. Liz is someone who sees a need and then just finds a way to gather resources and partnerships to meet the need.It was an honor to recognize Liz, for her heart and...

I am sure all of you have had issues with your computer. We have a satellite connection for email use at our medical base in Indonesia. It has periodic problems with connection but they usually get worked out. Recently the software and modems had to be changed. This is not a simple fix. You cannot just run to the Comp USA store and get what you need. There are no computer geeks with the needed parts just laying around. The problem had to...

Malaria is a serious disease. It is responsible for millions of deaths annually. The mosquito carries this disease that results in high fevers, sweating and no energy.The outbreak of malaria is seasonal. In the remote Northern Indonesian Island of Halmahera it is now malaria season. Nearly everyone on our base has had malaria–many have had it several times.We have been out of communication for about a week due to the shutdown of our...

I-phones, email, blogs, twitter, cell phones, texting and My Space are words and communication systems that we have come to use. These words were hardly known ten years ago. I am still not on My Space or twitter. I guess I am out of touch or just too tired to get on one more new system–by the time I am figuring it out, the train has already left the station with the next new thing to replace twitter or My Space. I will just be that much...

Indra the child who had the hole in his heart is now in Jakarta. He was scheduled for surgery but his condition was classified as unstable. He has some swelling in his lungs. His surgery has been set for two weeks from now. This will be a major surgery to fix the hole in his heart. Thanks to the generosity of some amazing people he is able to get this surgery to change his life. He is only four years old and has a lot in his future.Kate and...