Lisa Spellman was on cell phone in the front seat of a Jeep in Abuja, Nigeria.
Her fingers were crossed as she waited for the UNMC operator to transfer her call to the UNMC Vaccine and Safe Travel Clinic (VAST Clinic).
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Lisa Spellman helps fit a child with new glasses at a First Sight clinic in Nigeria during her mission trip last summer. While on the trip, Spellman was stricken with malaria, from which she recovered fully thanks to care from the UNMC VAST Clinic. |
Fortunately the call made it through.
“I need to see Dr. Alison Freifeld as soon as possible when I get back,” Spellman told the VAST Clinic receptionist who answered. “I have malaria.”
Urgent care
Spellman left Nigeria that night on a red eye back to Nebraska via Germany and Chicago. Less than 48 hours later, she was in Dr. Freifeld’s VAST Clinic office to get treated for the same strain of malaria that took the lives of three children in a village she had visited.
Before she left for Nigeria, Spellman went to a UNMC VAST Clinic to receive vaccinations and advice on how to stay healthy on her trip. She also was told to call the clinic should she get ill while in Nigeria.
“Even after waking up in a third-world clinic with an IV in my hand, I can honestly say I wasn’t scared or worried at all,” she said. “Prayer and the knowledge that I would be coming back to the United States and the doctors at UNMC comforted me and I felt incredibly lucky.”
Vital service on an international campus
The VAST Clinic aims to:
- Protect patients against diseases and ailments that may be encountered in travel;
- Provide medications to self-treat illnesses if they should happen; and
- Teach about wise food and beverage choices and how to handle jet lag, high-altitude treks and ocean-related exposures.
This is particularly valuable on campus where many staff and faculty travel internationally for their work.
“The service at the clinic is beyond compare,” said Spellman, who made a full recovery from her ailment thanks to the care she received at the clinic.