| At first,
he is overcome by the sheer desperation of their circumstances.
Many have never seen a doctor and most have no access to medical
care.
But each time he corrects a deformity, excises a tumor or
cures a tropical fever, elation takes over.
"A man came in with a hernia the
size of a watermelon," he said, describing a case last
summer that he fixed with a relatively simple operation. "An
hour later, I felt very happy for him because it's taken care
of for good. Now he can get a job, get a girlfriend, try to
live a normal life."
Popoola, 55, needed no reward or incentive
other than the huge smile of gratitude his patient gave him.
"I feel called upon to go back and try to help those
people who are less fortunate," he said. "I give
thanks that I make a comfortable living so that I can have
this opportunity."
For the past six years, Popoola and about a dozen other members
of the Assn. of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas have taken
their medical skills to their homeland, Africa's most populous
nation, to fight disease and ease ailments.
"We take a village at a time," Popoola said. In
a fortnight, working 14 hour days with donated equipment and
supplies, the team treats 3,000 to 4,000 patients. "People
line up literally for miles to see us," he said.
For 21 years, Popoola has devoted his
practice to helping people overcome obesity through bariatric
surgery, which decreases stomach size or by passes part of
the digestive tract to limit food intake.
He points out that his choice of specialty
is an irony but a beneficial one at that. "Obesity is
epidemic in the U.S., but in Nigeria, people can barely get
adequate nutrition," he said.
Treating obesity puts basic medical
needs into perspective. Our society's excesses allow me to
help people for whom good food is a scarcity."
Popoola, a Rolling Hills resident,
is chief surgeon at Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center
and medical director of a SurgiLite in Torrance Both specialize
in bariatric Surgery.
Born in the western village of Ilora,
Popoola speaks Yoruba, one of the nations dialects. His early
years were not as harsh as those of many around him. "I
was fortunate," he said. "My parents were schoolteachers
with a British education."
His father urged him to go to the United
States and become a doctor. Popoola emigrated in 1968, graduating
from the University of Oregon before getting his medical degree
at University of Illinois.
Though Popoola makes the trip to Nigeria
each year, most of the team rotates. They are joined by nurses
and Nigerian doctors, bringing the number of medical personnel
to about two dozen. Airfare and other expenses come out of
their own pockets. The Nigerian government provides food and
accommodations.
The team brings donated equipment and drugs to do their work
in a makeshift hospital. Electricity in the West African nation
is unreliable. Even with generators, doctors often have to
resort to using flashlights.
Running water is also a problem. "A
lot of times, we have to filter water in huge jars,"
Popoola said.
The medical tearm treats any and all
ailments. Most common are hernias, fibroid, tumors, tropical
illnesses, high blood pressure and goiter.The government publicizes
the teams arrival in advance and conducts a lottery for the
medical services, which are free.
"One woman had fibroid tumor that
we removed," Popoola said. "We weighed it, and it
was 14 pounds."
This year's medical mission was in
the area of Lagos city, but others have been in remote areas.
But no matter how much work is done,
there is always more to do. "That last day is always
the saddest," Popoola said, "when you see this long
line and you have to pack up and go."
11-28-2004
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