Letters to the Editor: DOGE cuts

I may have this backwards but... one of my sons left for Peace Corps after graduating from U of Iowa.

After his tours in East African locations, I finally quit asking when he’d come home because it was clear that he WAS “home.” He had fallen in love with Africa’s peoples and gained a great sense of mission and fulfillment through his experiences. He loved his “work” because he could see results. 

When he applied to Peace Corps for an “after year three commitment,” he was told that he would have to go into admin. Which didn’t interest him. He wanted to be on the ground, hands on.

So he took a position with USAID. USAID is more than a “program” or a line item in the federal budget.

USAID is a people program that brings hope and improved living to millions of families around the globe. USAID counters attempts by Russia and China to win “hearts and minds.” 

I have seen the difference Dan has made. In our first visit to Swaziland, Dan took us to one of the rural areas in which he had worked. We walked  and met a resident who was polite until Dan introduced us as “my parents.” Immediately, the gentleman's face was transformed by a huge grin, an offering of the traditional Swazi handshake and an invitation to tea. 

In another experience, Dan took us for a Jeep hours-long ride on a bumpy road (barely visible in some areas), before we arrived to meet his Swazi family. The family of six adults and numerous children welcomed us enthusiastically (except for the infant in arms who was terrified by my white face). The elder son announced (through Dan’s translation) that  his abode was ours so long as we were with him. That night, this young man “ground slept” by the fire to keep warm.

When the elder hosted us for their “honorary” prepared dinner of a roasted chicken, Dan looked directly at my hungry face and cautioned, “Mom, be sparing. This chicken will feed the rest of the family when we are through.”

The Peace Corps faces Trump’s budget irresponsible slashes. Russia and China are celebrating.

Sue B. Mullins, Former Republican state representative from Corwith

Rural medicine

I read with great interest the column by Art Cullen describing his recent medical adventure. It hit close to home because back in the early 1970s my paternal grandfather died from an undiagnosed abdominal aortic aneurysm, yes, the kind that they discover AFTER you're gone. Some 30 years later, my father suffered a stroke and after recovering, needed to pass a physical. During that exam, Dr. Dave Crippin detected a large abdominal aortic aneurysm and immediately arranged for the lifesaving surgery needed.

Our family's recent encounter with medical issues actually started on Feb. 13, so it coincided somewhat with Art’s experience. I posted the following on Facebook on Feb. 17.

“Without going into great detail, I want to give some context to the request I’ll make at the end of this post. Thursday morning, a situation arose that, on Friday, found us in the Loring Hospital (Sac City) ER. Some blood tests and a CT scan determined that Tom would need to undergo a colonoscopy to figure out the best way forward. Colonoscopy. Not a big deal, right? People have scheduled colonoscopies all the time, yes? True, but this was NOT a scheduled procedure AND it was a Friday. Loring Hospital only has surgeons available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they started calling nearby facilities. The requests made to BVRMC (Storm Lake) and Fort Dodge’s Trinity Regional were both declined. Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines had a bed but would not be able to do a procedure until Monday. Availability of a bed and timely help was then found at Methodist West but by the time Tom took off in the ambulance the location had been changed to Methodist South in downtown Des Moines. Following prep on Friday night, an abbreviated procedure done in the morning snipped and clipped a polyp but he will require a full scope in the near future. So what's the takeaway? The nearby, smaller regional hospitals turned us away because of the BLOOD SHORTAGE. If Tom had required blood (he didn’t), these facilities did not feel they had an adequate/appropriate supply. So... all this to say: When the blood drives come around, PLEASE, if you are able, DONATE BLOOD! It takes less than an hour and can potentially save lives. Thanks for reading to the end; aren’t you glad I left out the details? You’re welcome!”

So there it is. While blood was not needed in either procedure (got the followup done last Thursday), the fact remains that there IS a blood shortage and eligible donors need to step up.

My next donation is scheduled on Friday, March 14. Please consider donating: you have no idea how many lives could be saved.

Marty Olsen, Newell