Lifeline Malawi
Dr. Christopher & Heather Brooks save lives! This is a fact.
Chris is more than a medical doctor. Heather is more than a human being. They are modern day superheroes. The personification of the good in humanity.
Interestingly, Chris was also my family doctor when I was a boy. We haven't seen eachother in close to 20 years. The last time I saw him, he was treating me for an illness. If I recall I asked my Mom to take me to the doctor due to the inconvenience of a sore throat. Truth be told...I was probably smoking too many cigarettes at the time.
The exact details of our last conversation are fuzzy. I do remember Dr. Brooks saying this, "I'm moving my family to Malawi." To this day, I can't recall what else we discussed or if best wishes were exchanged.
However, there was something else of significance I remember vividly about that day.
This...wide grin that extended ear to ear on his face. His eyes twinkled with reflections of light and illumination as he spoke. The liveliness and zest that his voice echoed. The energy and zeal in his hand gestures as he confidently reclined in his office chair detailing his future plans. At the time I didn't have the maturity nor life experience to understand his excitement and passion. Years later, as I reflected on that day, I finally understood...he was fulfilling a lifelong dream.
Thank you Chris and Heather for leading by example. Thank you for believing!
Michael Popp
Dr. Christopher & Heather Brooks
Dr. Brooks...an inspirational man!
The year: 1998. Chris Brooks, a medical doctor from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, sold his practice and moved to Malawi with his wife, Heather, and 3 1/2 year old daughter, Chloe.
Upon seeing the great need for a medical presence in the community of Ngodzi, Chris began working in this rural district located 140 km southeast of the country's capital, Lilongwe.
Back in Canada, Lifeline Malawi was established as a registered charity.
Poverty, malnutrition and disease are common in the community. With the community situated near the lake, malaria is one of the biggest threats to life, along with other communicable diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), respiratory infections, childhood diseases, bilharzia and HIV/AIDS.
Malawi is characterized by a heavy burden of disease evidenced by high levels of child and adulthood mortality rates and high prevalence of diseases.
Lifeline Malawi’s goals continue to address the reduction of both child and maternal mortality, and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other life threatening diseases. Approximately 4,500-5,000 patients are treated each month.
