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 2nd 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.
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| 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.
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Pa French (middle) with Mr J.P. Amara, the nurse-anesthetist whom he worked with for many years. To the left Mrs. Amara.
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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.
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| 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.
With Mr. & Mrs. French at the Retirement Party.
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| Mrs. Fatmata Bangali (matron) presented Pa French with a plaque on behalf of the hospital. |
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| Dr. Baker with plaque presented on behalf of former missionaries. |
