Author and Missionary Dr. Byron Conner Imparts Some Advice to Anyone Planning to Take Part in Humanitarian Work

Humanitarian work is no easy feat, as what Dr. Byron Conner recalled when he went to Ethiopia in 1984 to help ease the crisis that agonized the people of that nation. Anything can happen to a humanitarian volunteer, especially an illness. That is why Dr. Conner shares a few pieces of advice to anyone pursuing humanitarian work in his memoir “The Face of Hunger: Reflections on a Famine in Ethiopia” (ReadersMagnet; 2018).
 
One of Dr. Conner’s advice is to be aware of the most significant threats to health and well-being. At that time, Ethiopia was a developing country and developing countries carry a wide array of infectious diseases like hepatitis, tuberculosis, malaria, parasitic infections, diseases transferred through vectors (coming from mosquitoes, flies, lice, and ticks) and bacterial infections that may cause severe diarrhea, pneumonia and skin infections. To avoid falling ill, one should observe prudence in consuming food and water and traveling by vehicle and by boat.
 
Unfortunately, Dr. Conner fell ill while he was doing famine relief in Makele, Ethiopia. He contracted hepatitis E, so the white part of his eyes turned yellow and experienced intense body aches and alternate fever and chills. Falling ill with hepatitis was an incurable disease and Dr. Conner felt he would die soon. With prayers from his fellow volunteers and his immune system fighting off the virus, he eventually recovered and the jaundice, along with other symptoms, vanished. It was a near-death experience for Dr. Conner and a worthwhile realization as well.
 
Dr. Conner would always remind that humanitarian volunteers are not invincible to any type of threat, let alone illness. So, one should not consider immune to getting sick or injured.
 
This is just one piece of advice and more will be revealed soon. Join Dr. Byron Conner at the 2019 Miami Book Fair International for the book signing on November 17-24, 2019. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet Dr. Conner at this days-long affair at the Miami Dade College Wolfson College!
 
"Get all needed immunizations, and take a full supply of all medications you must take with you.
Have a medical examination prior to travel and follow all suggested medical advice"
 
 
“The Face of Hunger: Reflections on a Famine in Ethiopia” is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
 
The Face of Hunger: Reflections on a Famine in Ethiopia
Author | Byron Conner, M.D.
Publisher | ReadersMagnet
Published Date | July 19, 2018
Genre | Biography and Autobiography
Paperback Price | $9.39
 
About the Author
 
Byron Conner, M.D. was born in Denver, Colorado and is the eldest of eleven children. He attended Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska from 1966 to 1968 for his pre-medical program. He took a break from school and served in the US Army from 1968 to 1970. From 1970 to 1972, he returned to Union College to finish his program in sociology and theology. He attended Loma Linda University School of Medicine from 1976 to 1979. After his residency, he served at the US Public Health Service for two years, which prepared him for missionary work.
 

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