On Friday, February 6th and Saturday, February 7th, 2009, Robyn Bjork kicked off a series of Casino-based Celine Dion tribute shows, which started with the “Celine Divine” concert in her home town of Hayward, WI. The two hour show featured the best of Celine Dion’s music.
A portion of the proceeds of every concert event will go towards funding her medical mission to Ethiopia to eradicate a debilitating condition known as Podoconiosis. “The condition affects farmers and children who work in the volcanic soils of the mountainous region of Wolaitta,” explains Bjork. “Minerals in the soil enter through their feet and cause inflammation and damage to the lymphatic system. As the condition progresses, the afflicted person develops gross deformities of the legs, and open wounds with painful infections. The condition is disabling and the person is treated as an outcast from society, much like a leper.”
“For about seven years, I have prepared myself for this mission by becoming a specialist in wound care and lymphedema, in order to research and develop programs for the prevention, early intervention and treatment of the progressive stages of Podoconiosis”, states Bjork. “Both, skills which will be needed for this undertaking.”
“In 2002, there were 78,283 Podoconiosis patients in the Wolaitta Zone, 22% of which were between the ages of 6 and 20” states Bjork. “It is my goal to eradicate the problem. My plan is to take an initial team of specialists to Ethiopia in October of 2009 to gather preliminary information and collaborate with the 16 established clinics. We will need to think ‘out of the box’ and try to adapt our medical approach to the African culture. I will be accompanied by a photographer and filmmaker who will be creating a documentary of the project. I have a few specialists who have volunteered to come with me, but I need more. We will gather information, develop instructional programs, and then return to the clinics in 2010 to train the staff. I would love to invite my fellow WCC’s and Lymphedema Specialists to join me in this endeavor.”
Robyn is Wound Care Certified through the Wound Care Education Institute and a Certified Lymphedema Therapist. She is employed as a Wound Care Specialist at the Hayward Area Memorial Hospital Wound Healing Clinic and has lectured at WCEI’s Wild on Wounds national conference on wound care and lymphedema management. Robyn is no stranger to the stage or humanitarian efforts. Her travels have taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa, and proceeds for the sold out Celine shows last year were used to build an orphanage in Kenya, Africa.
You won’t want to miss this spotlighted WCC. See her at the Wild on Wounds National Conference September 10-12 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas.
