Our speaker for this night was Lion Lindsay Briggs  here is a high-light of her speech

The imagination can provide us with a tremendous sense of freedom! We can imagine wonderful things, exciting places and remarkable people. On the other hand, we can also imagine the dark side of humanity –

          • Imagine having access to a qualified medical professional only once a year.

          • Imagine combating daily, unbearable pain because no medical facilities are available.

          • Imagine having a belief that the local “witch doctor’ can cure everything with a few magic words.

You might think it would be difficult, or impossible, to imagine these scenarios. Unfortunately, these scenarios are not imagined – they are real in Nigeria.

The Mercy Foundation, Inc., an Indianapolis based non-profit organization, recently completed its 6th medical mission to Uromi, Nigeria from August 15-August 26, 2007. There were 13 US volunteers on the trip, 9 of them from Indianapolis. The Foundation team was able to partner with a local non-profit medical mission team to serve over 5,000 patients in 5 days. The two teams worked together to perform 55 general surgeries, 26 eye surgeries, dispense prescriptions to 2,086 patients, dispense 800 pairs of glasses, treat 186 dental patients, and counsel and test 540 people for HIV.

The Mercy Foundation was founded in 2001 by local physician, Dr. Mercy Obeime. Dr. Obeime, a first-generation African-American who was born in Nigeria, started the Foundation as a way to provide medical care to underserved Nigerians and reduce premature deaths in this population. She also realized the importance of changing the mindset of the local residents on the importance of prevention and the truth about medical fantasies. The Foundation’s mission is to “restore hope through healthcare services and education.”

Ben Davis Lion Club member Lindsay Briggs was the mission coordinator for this year’s trip and worked with Dr. Obeime to plan all aspects of the mission, including securing and transporting over $700,000 worth of medical supplies and medicines. Ms. Briggs is a 1998 graduate of Ben Davis High School and has lived in the Wayne Township community for most of her life. She first met Dr. Obeime while working on her Master of Public Health degree at IUPUI in 2004, and they have been close friends ever since. This was her second trip to Nigeria with Dr. Obeime and she plans on volunteering many more times in the future. Seeing desperation turn into joy is worth the personal cost that it takes to make the yearly trip. Many of her fellow Ben Davis Lions personally contributed to Ms. Briggs so that she could afford to take the trip this year, and she was happy to share stories and pictures from the trip at the most recent Lion’s Club meeting.

In order to maximize their services, the Foundation relies heavily on volunteers. The Foundation is in need of volunteers from all walks of life to help with different aspects of the mission. Medical personnel is always an asset on a mission so the Foundation can increase the number of patients treated, however, non-medical personnel are always useful as well whether it’s a simple job of transporting patients to other parts of the clinic, helping with crowd control and clinic flow, or helping out in the pharmacy with non-clinical tasks.

Although volunteers donate their time and expertise, there are other expenses that must be covered including the cost of procuring and shipping all of the medical supplies, medicines, and educational materials. The Foundation works hard to raise money throughout the year in order to raise the necessary funds for these direct patient care items.

If you are interested in learning more about the Foundation, how you can volunteer your services, or if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation please contact Lindsay Briggs at 317-442-2662 or lindsaybriggs@yahoo.com.