Bokote (1981)

Excerpt from draft of "Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story”

Drawing of Dr. Jerry Galloway by Olivia Grubbs (age 9)

In early April, 1981, I worked in the laboratory and taught the lab technicians about new tests and techniques. I also taught the dispensary nurses the basics of physical diagnosis to improve their skills. I then went on my first trip with the mission’s public health team. The team went to several Batwa villages every Wednesday and provided nutrition and health education.

In mid-April, I was in the Batwa village of Bokote and was asked to examine a nineteen-year-old boy who had been sick for six months and was afraid to go to the hospital. The boy was nothing but skin and bones due to tuberculosis. I talked him into coming to the hospital sanitarium. The boy had no one to bring him food, as his parents were dead, so I would often buy him food or bring him food from my pantry. The boy had only a pair of raggedy shorts and a tattered shirt, so I gave him a t-shirt and promised him that when he regained his strength in three to four months, I would give him a little work in the garden at the mission. After he was cured, the boy would be able to start his own garden and field.