THE
SWINGING BRIDGE MESSIAH COLLEGE//THE PULSE
VOL. 94//ED. 2//SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Welcome Back From Your Friendly SGA! [page 5]
Another Kind of
Summer Hero
[page 8]
Strength Crew’s Weightroom Opinion [page 10]
Photo provided by Keane McCullum
Where Passion Meets Vocation By Nicholas Tay FEATURES EDITOR
Senior Keane McCullum shares experiences and thoughts of a summer working and serving in Zambia
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“I started my experience with a threeweek long May term course to Macha, Zambia with Dr. [Larry] Mylin and [Phil] Thuma. Afterwards, I continued on as a lab scientist as the Macha Research Trust (MRT) researching malaria drug resistance in Macha, Nchelenge (both in Zambia) and Mutasa, Zimbabwe. I also shadowed in the adjoining BIC Macha Mission Hospital, getting medical experience and being in a missions environment.”
“Malaria affects millions of people worldwide and especially plagues developing nations. The disease is constantly evolving; it’s becoming resistant to the drugs that we throw at it and the mosquitoes carrying the parasites have adapted to our insecticide use. It’s devastating to communities, especially to children, which in turn adversely affects economies and social progress. If society or an individual is battling an infectious disease, the resources spent in fighting it makes it a lot harder to pull yourself out of poverty that you’re stuck in.”
McCullum appreciates the richness of relationships in Zambia, a feature he believes is very often lost in developed nations. “The notion that we have an overabundance of resources sounds clichéd, because almost every college students either has their Africa or South America experience, but I would also say that we neglect so much that is very close to us. For example, I was struck by the material poverty in Zambia, but the people there continued to bless with their generosity. I was also struck by the intentionality of relationships in Zambia, especially the way they pursued family and community relationships. I feel that’s something we lose by being so rich and developed. We tend to forget the things that are closest to us.”
hile many college students spend their summers working in internships or at a local institution near home, Keane McCullum, a senior biochemistry major with plans to enter medical school after Messiah, spent his entire summer in Zambia.
McCullum notes the importance of doing malaria research, especially in a developing nation such as Zambia.
often in the United States. It was challenging to witness the struggles the doctors had. It let me see difficult situations that I would never want to be in.”
Photo provided by Keane McCullum McCullum states that his motivating factor for doing malaria research in Zambia stems from a desire to understand the effectiveness of collaboration between research and medical outreach. “The research done at Macha has helped control the number of malaria cases. They managed to bring down malaria case numbers from over a 1000 to about 50 or less cases a year. I was highly interested in learning how a laboratory and public health initiative could work effectively to combat such a devastating disease.” McCullum also notes that the hours spent doing research and shadowing
doctors was long, but he feels that the time spent has been insightful, especially regarding the state of healthcare in a developing nation such as Zambia. “I spent about 40-60 hours in the lab working on malaria research with American, Chinese and Zambian lab scientists. I was also able to shadow Dr. Thuma throughout the hospital and get a feel for a mission hospital’s daily operations. It was interesting to see how the hospital managed with its financial constraints, especially since a lot of its funding comes from a relatively poor government. They don’t have the money to spend on elaborate medical treatments that we take for granted so
McCullum believes that his Zambian experience has left him with a desire to bless others, especially after interacting with individuals who lived their lives with Christ-like sacrifice and intentionality. “We’ve been blessed with so much and I believe we have a responsibility to better others’ lives. I was able to interact with scientists, doctors, sociologists and missionaries who were genuinely seeking Christ and pouring all they had into the lives of the Zambian people. I was able to see so much sacrifice and I realized that I take so much for granted in the United States.” McCullum would also like to thank the generous Paul and Elaine Wengert Endowment for Humanitarian Service for funding his Zambian summer research experience.