Sacred Heart
Hospital,
Obudu,
Nigeria.
Sun 1st May, 1955
Mrs. N. Timoney,
2 Dollymount Grove,
Clontarf,
Dublin,
Ireland.
My dearest Mammy,
I'm back in Obudu since Wednesday last
& feeling fit T.G. I spent Mon.
night & Tues. in Ogoja with the Freemans.
Vera keeps very well out here.
I've been back at work since & am getting on fine T.G. Sr. Patrick is away on holidays now &
when she comes back we are going to start negotiations to try & get this
made a recognized training hospital for midwives. Afikpo has been recognized since the end of
last year, December or January, I think it was, but they have a beautiful
maternity block & the delay in recognition was because they did not have
the right number of cases – the people don't like coming into hospital for
maternity in that part of the country.
Up here they seem keen on it & we had enough cases last year to fit
the bill. We have to get our nurse's
houses finished first though & get the old mat-roofed shanties they're in,
knocked down before we get inspected.
I have a big relic of St. Gerard
Clement Alphonsus that Br. Step. sent me so I'll use it here & bring back
your little one. Sister Patrick said
she'll have a shrine made in the hall of the new maternity D.V. whenever that
will be built – at present “money no dey again” for building! Sister Doctor Luke has not gone back to Anua
yet but will shortly if she sees I'm fit enough to carry on! By the way you did not tell me the result of
Noreen's xray – Please let me know the report on it next time. How is she feeling now? Tell her not to worry about it anyhow as
that's the worst she can do – none of these chest palavers? is serious nowadays
in that there is a treatment for them all now as well as rest & they're
nothing to worry about at all. Even out
here where a big no. of our cases are chest ones from pneumonia to anything
else, the results are pretty good with very little facilities & bad food.
Just this morning teacher's wife (she's a teacher too) returned from Enugu (160 or so miles one way!) with an xray. She was dying here in January & has been in hospital here since then – I was very pleased with her xray but it's a terrible nuisance for them to have a round trip of 320 miles to get xrayed! I think Sister Brigid & Mother Joseph will be going home next month D.V. I will try & get Noreen's bag home then. It's a small sized one – snake - as usual the finishing isn't so hot, but a least it's genuine! It's very quiet this morning. We have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every 1st Sunday & the Sisters & Fathers recollect – no talking. One Sister stays on for the hospital. They are off retreat at 6pm. I think there's a welcome back party for me tonight as there's a big turkey “a bush fowl” in the fridge & pears & peaches in jelly – for trifle no doubt, & ice cream & it's all very hush-hush – Oh yes! & Sr. Luke said she saw them counting the cutlery – Sr. Felicitas said to that, that she always takes an inventory at the end of the month! but it looks very suspicious. The fridge's are run on kerosene in case you're wondering. I'm sure you find the fridge a great boon.
I had 2 letters from Brian. He's okay there I'd say – they're usually well housed etc. if they're in a College teaching. The set up & description of the house seems to be very like here. No more room. Write soon again.
Lots of love to all,
Emily
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