“Healing for Body and Soul-Volunteer medical couples inspire greater self-reliance among American Samoans,” reads an article in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints news website.
It features two missionary couples who have been working at the LBJ Hospital and making a huge difference to the lives of their patients and people of the territory.
They are Dr John Edwards an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee replacement, his wife, Becky a licensed clinical social worker trained to assist those dealing with mental health issues, and a former member of the Utah state legislature, radiologist Dr Greg Patch and his wife Janene a registered nurse who assists the hospital in her specialty of labor, delivery and newborns.
They are the first LDS missionaries on assignment to the LBJ Hospital for 18 months.
Dr Edwards has set up the first ever knee replacement clinic in American Samoa. Since his arrival, more than 90 procedures have been done.
Before that, there had never been a knee replacement capability in American Samoa and patients needing this procedure had to be treated off-island.
With help from the Church and other foundations, and support from equipment manufacturers Zimmer and Arthrex, the orthopedic clinic has grown over the past 14 months and now has the ability to treat many complex medical conditions.
Talking about their experience at a recent seminar hosted by the LDS Church they shared the need for individuals to be responsible for their own health, and in that way, to become more self-reliant.
“This means we need to treat our bodies with respect, like a temple, and think carefully about what we eat and drink, getting proper exercise and our taking care of our mental outlook,” said Dr Edwards.
“We also need to think about our bodies like we do our cars: they need daily, weekly and yearly maintenance in order to be reliable and trouble-free. That means we need to move, and the more we move, the better we feel.”
Janene Patch talked about her work at the LBJ Hospital in caring for newborn babies.
“In my job, I see the miracle of new life happening every day and the unique bond that exists between babies and their mothers. But I also see the recent increase in teen pregnancy and the difficult road ahead for those young children who may grow up with only one parent.”
She emphasized the importance of parents teaching their children the principles found in the document: The Family: A Proclamation to the World. She also stressed the value of family’s regularly spending time together, such as holding what Latter-day Saints call “Family Home Evenings.”
Becky Edwards taught attendees about emotional resilience, giving examples of how to manage stress, anger, frustration, sadness and even loneliness.
She also talked about ways to increase emotional wellness by building up reserves of emotional strength to be better prepared for adversity.
Dr Patch reflected on his role in diagnosing injury with his equipment and making recommendations to the orthopedist. He was sad to say that many of the injuries he sees are the result of violence and reflected on ways to head-off violent behaviors through compassion and dialogue.
He strongly endorsed the principles of the book, “Eat Healthy and Be Active,” as did Dr Edwards.
Source: LDS Church Newsroom
