Finding Flexible Fatmata at No. 54 Smart Lane...

This blog entry could have many a name....

Jungle Physio Detective Work Smoking guides
Search and Find The Wrong Mohammed
Fullah Meat Man Searching for meat and children
Flexible Fatmata No 54.....

read on for more....

A very flexible patient of mine had moved from one side of town to the other, so we went on a search to find her. The phone numbers we have for her mum were not working and we had little choice - we search and hopefully find, or we forget about them and maybe they drift off into the depths of untreated children with disabilities that are in Freetown.

We had an address so didn't think it would be too bad, normally you can just ask around a bit and find your treasure!!

So we drove to the area, which happens to be by the Special Courts where the war criminals are still being trialled, and as was so on that day, men often stand along the walls armed with guns, on the look out for anything unusual. We creep along the road looking for the right road, can't find it, obvioulsy no road name signs. We ask one old man for Smart Lane, he shows us the direction so we pass the armed soilders for the 3rd time, this time wondering if we could be looking anymore suspect. I was getting twitchey....dont know about them.

Then in the Landrover we ascend this steep hill of 'road' and keep going and keep going up and up. People kept directing us on until we cant go any further, so we turn, in the landrover, around a very tight steep corner, on sliding rocks, with kids running around, but we make it - phew, and start back down again! Slowly.

We pass one young man, looking a bit like he's hassle, smoking pot and being very bold and flirtacious, normally the kind one would avoid. He offers to help, and appears to know who / what we're trying to find!! We have no option than to park the car, and start walking with this man. Don't worry, Abu, my assisstant was with me!

So were walking and talking, and breathing in nice smelling smoke, as he leads us to what is called the 'White House'. Funny since this area is actually called New England! So ducking and diving washing lines and houses, jumping a few chickens and scrambling a few boulders, we come to the White House. It was in fact a house painted white, where they thought the family might be. It was indeed No. 54, but was not the family I wanted!

Instead they informed us there was another 54...up.

So up we climb, litereally using hands and feet (in flip flops I might add since the thieves stole my shoes from my house a few weeks back). This man, our guide seems to know everyone, and they were all being very helpful to him - but what I was unsure of was whether they were friends with him or actually scared of him. Either way, it was working for us.

We passed many children running and laughing, old men sat outside their homes, women cooking over steaming pots...we walked up for about 20mins discussing other disguishing info about this family. We collated that they were a Fullah (a tribe here) family, 2 children, the mum was a short, light skinned, large lady!! (that is no insult to them here), then found one man who thought that the dad was his boss, so he takes us there, but alas..they wrong Mohammed!!

So we keep climbing, and asking, climbing and asking...

We finally reach THE No. 54...where again, not the right mother and child. Of course, they are Lower No 54, but there is another 54, Upper 54 ....where the man sells meat.

Another fact gathered, the family's father sells meat. Now we're off in search of meat, hoping to find our child!!! Still with our drug smoking, cool walking, football player so we've found out by this stage.
Another 30 mins has gone by and we're still going - and in the upward direction in midday burning sun I might add.

Finally asking and asking for a meat selling fullah man, short light skinned large kumbra (mother), we find the real No. 54 Smart Lane! RESULT!!
Flexible Fatmata my patient who is very hypermobile and delayed in her development, seemed none the wiser to our efforts to find her, but her mum was happy, if somewhat a little surprised.

Our guide 'Bollah' sweetly stayed around for us while we treated Fatmata and then kindly took us on a "short cut" back to the car. He in fact turned out to be a lovely helpful and perservering man...someone who will serve as our contact and referral source for that community now!!

So all in a days work...hunting patients involves following drug smoking men to the White House, mountaineering, detective work, finding 3 No 54's all on the same road, that seemed to start and finish several times over, continued endurance (we were climbing and searching for over an housr before we reached) to the summit and many amusing conversations with many intersting people along the way.

And Flexible Fatmata was only our second patient that day!!