Living His Story: Tribute to a Faithful Worker

Kind, dedicated, hard-working, available, faithful, talented, self-made…These are just some of the adjectives that you can use describe Mr. Joseph French, or, as we all know him, "Pa French". But most of all, I think you could say “Follower of Christ.” In fact, if you are trying to illustrate an ideal employee, you would start with someone like Pa French. It is impossible to say how much that he has meant to UBC hospital over the past 51 years, the number of years that he has worked here.

Pa French is slight of build, and with a bit of halting gait, and a bent over posture from years of bending over an operating table in the surgical theater, but he is truly one God’s mighty men here in Mattru. Pa French did not plan on being a surgical scrub technician. Born on Sherbro Island, his family moved to the city of Bo later where he attended school. After completing Form 2 (equivalent to the 2^nd year of high school), he attended a Bible School in Bo run by the United Methodist Church. After 3 years and graduation from there, he planned to be a teacher. But for some reason (I think we know why), he applied to the hospital for a job. After his interview with Dr. Pratt, he went on back to Sherbro Island, but after some time, he was called back and told that he had the job. Dr. Sylvester Pratt, a Sierra Leonean doctor, was the medical doctor when Pa French started, and Ms. Blodgett was the administrator of the hospital. Dr. Pratt saw the importance of having good nurses, and so taught Pa French and the other fresh nurses a 2 year course while they were working. They learned Anatomy and Physiology, nursing theory, and practical side of nursing, such as making beds, etc. He started as an aide where he was responsible to wash dirty diapers in the Pediatric ward, or washing bedpans in the medical ward, or cleaning latrines. Not very glamorous, but a job nevertheless. At some point, he took the Government Nursing Exam, and passed and got his license. He then moved to the medical ward where he was responsible for handing out medications and floor duty. After about 5 years, he was moved to the operating room, and he has been there ever since. He was taught the use of all the surgical instruments, how to sterilize instruments, and how to set up for surgery. In time, he assumed the charge of the operating room, and acquired a vast knowledge of surgery. After Dr. Pratt, then came a young Dr. Ron Baker, and then Dr. Dan Metzger, and Dr. Richard Toupin (all missionaries from the US from the 1970s until the early 1990s). When the new doctors arrived on the scene, he was a reassuring presence in the operating room and kept them out of trouble. This was the heyday for UBC Mattru Hospital, when people would come from all over Sierra Leone and even Liberia and Guinea for the treatment at Mattru. And Pa French was a big part of that time.

The Operating Theater where Pa French served for many years. It just got a new operating table.

However, war clouds were on the horizon. The initial part of the Rebel war was not in the Bonthe District where Mattru lies, but it soon spread to this area. So, by 1995, the war had come so close that Pa French escaped to Sherbro Island and worked at the Government Hospital for a while. This was the time that the Rebel army took over the UBC Mattru Hospital and used it as an army base for a number of years. Pa French knew that if he was around, he would be conscripted to become part of the Rebel army to treat their wounded, and so for 7 years, he was on the Island or in Freetown.

In 2002, at the conclusion of the war, Pa French came back to the ruined hospital, and worked with Doctors without Borders, and helped in getting the scattered staff back together. The times since then have been a struggle at times, and there have been times where there has been no doctor at UBC Hospital. In those circumstances where the patient was going to die, Pa French often was the only thing standing between a sick patient and death. And so over the years, he has done plenty of surgery alone, although knowing Pa French, that was not something that he sought or desired. He preferred to work in the background, but UBC Hospital is grateful for all the many years of help that he gave.

Pa French (middle) with Mr J.P. Amara, the nurse-anesthetist whom he worked with for many years. To the left Mrs. Amara.

When we moved here 2 years ago, Pa French was a steadying influence to me as someone who has had little surgical experience in the past 30 years. Without him here, it would have made a very difficult entry, since the surgeon had left right before we arrived. I will always be deeply grateful for his great help in the operating room for these 2 years that we had together.

Jon and Pa French performing a C-Section together.

When he decided to retire this year, we decided to have a sending away party when the American medical team was here. Some of the doctors that played a huge part in the past were here to celebrate with Pa French, notably Dr. Ron Baker, and Dr. and Mrs. Dan and Elaine Metzger. It was a time of celebration, of words of honor, and remembrance of one of the most influential people in the history of UBC Mattru Hospital.