Health & Fitness
Africa's Beaumont
Connection
Local physicians give time to help African women with childbearing problems.
Ilene Wolff
Special to the Jewish News
from Sol Barer. Ingber may even recruit
his wife, Lori Barer Ingber, who has a
doctorate in public health.
Ingber has created a Web site about his
efforts, www.surgicalaid.org .
co!.
C
hildbirth — usually a time
of great excitement and joy
— leads to social isolation,
urinary incontinence and other health
problems for millions of African
women.
"They often undergo prolonged
labor, with no access to medical care
and a possible C-section," says Michael
Ingber, M.D., a sixth-year urology resi-
dent at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.
"As a result, the baby's head presses on
the mother's bladder and creates a hole
(fistula) that allows urine to leak out."
With a scarcity of doctors to patch
the bladder — and no money to pay
even if one were available — these
women are forced to deal with this
embarrassing problem on their own. In
some communities, it is believed that
sexually transmitted disease, adultery,
sorcery or evil spirits cause the fistulas.
The end result is that these women's
villages and families shun them. But
thanks to Ingber and his Beaumont col-
leagues, and the support of philanthro-
pists, efforts are under way to perform
surgery on these women and restore
them to normalcy.
Ingber, 31, of Royal Oak traveled to
Uganda in January. He made a similar
trip to Zambia last year. Each time he
worked in conditions very different
from those in the United States. The
Zambian hospital had one unit of blood
on hand that was stored in a residen-
tial-type refrigerator with questionable
temperature control. Surgeons regu-
larly use fishing line to close incisions
because suture material is unavail-
able. The operating rooms had open
Dr. Ingber goes over test results with patient Christian Aririquzo from Nigeria in the
Urology clinic at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. The patient's African ancestry is
a coincidence to the doctor's Africa work.
windows, electricity was sporadic and,
Team Effort
at times, there was no running water.
So far, Ingber and other foreign and
During one surgery, the lights went out
local doctors have been able to help
and Ingber had to call on his technical
about 100 women. He has helped train
expertise to finish by feel alone.
local African doctors in fistula repair
Due to the scarci-
as well. Beaumont
ty of doctors, Ingber
and drug companies
has been called
donated supplies
upon to perform C-
such as catheters
sections and gyne-
and sterile gloves
cologic surgery to
and medications
repair birth defects
— Michael Ingber, M.D. such as antibiotics.
during these medi-
The Ministrelli
cal missions. For
Program for
one surgery, which he had never done
Urologic Research and Education,
before, Ingber referred to a urology
funded by philanthropists J. Peter and
textbook stored on his PDA.
Florine (Hoffman) Ministrelli of West
During another surgery, Ingber threw Bloomfield, underwrote the Zambia
a bloody surgical drape on the floor, as
trip. Then Ingber's father-in-law, Sol
is the practice in this Barer, established the Dr. Michael Ingber
country. But hospital
Program for Urology Care through the
staff quickly scooped Beaumont Foundation to underwrite
it up, pronouncing it
future trips. Barer is CEO of Celgene
clean enough to use
Corp., a biopharmaceutical manufacturer
on the next patient.
in Summit, N.J.
Despite the shock-
Eventually, Ingber would like to expand
ing conditions,
the program to include general surgeons,
Ingber plans to
gynecologists, nurses and other medical
return to Africa once
personnel. His department chairman,
a year. "This some-
Kenneth Peters, M.D., and fifth-year resi-
thing I want to do
dent Scott Kalinowski, M.D., traveled to
These Ugandan women have had surgery to repair holes in
forever,"
he
says.
Mozambique in February with funding
their bladders resulting from childbirth.
"This is so mething I
want to do forever."
Family Ties
The Ingbers have two children, Hayden,
3, and Shayna, 2. Michael Ingber
attended Temple Israel while growing
up in West Bloomfield, and his family
now is associated with Temple Emanu-
El.
Michael's sister Stacy Chernett, 35,
of West Bloomfield says of her brother:
"He's such an amazing individual, he's
compassionate, caring and selfless?"
For example, the Ingbers chose to
adopt Shayna from her native Korea.
They've encouraged other family mem-
bers to consider adoption from foreign
countries as well. As a result, Lori
Ingber's sister is adopting two children
from Guatemala, and her other sister
plans to adopt as well. Chernett and
her husband, who have three children
under age 3, are considering it for the
future.
Ingber's volunteer efforts didn't start
with his trips to Africa. While a student
at the University of Michigan in 1998,
he helped establish a dance marathon
to raise money for children's rehabilita-
tion programs at Beaumont and the C.S.
Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor.
The program continues to this day, and
has raised more than $1.3 million for
both hospitals, according to Dr. Ingber.
"If it weren't for dance marathon, a
lot of our kids wouldn't have martial
arts, dance, swim or any of the other
"extras" that contribute to their therapy
and quality of life," says Therese Scarpace,
pediatric rehabilitation social worker at
the Beaumont Health Center.
❑
Ilene Wolff is on the marketing staff of Royal
Oak-based Beaumont Hospital.
For more information or to
contribute to the Dr. Michael
Ingber Program for Urology Care,
contact the Beaumont Foundation
at (248) 551-5330.
February 21 • 2008
A35