Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist

Someone the other day asked where I had been on Substack. I said, ‘What do you mean?’ and then realized I left this post in my draft folder for 6 weeks. #facepalm. So, here we are mid-summer, and I’m finally pressing ‘publish’ on my summer plans. ha! Sorry about that, neighbors! And, because it’s bringing me so much joy, here’s a picture of flowers from the backyard. I decided to try roses this year and have become obsessed. Gorgeous! Ok, on to the post… .

I’m sitting outside on a gorgeous NC day on my bed swing (and covered in pollen). And thinking about how to hold onto hope today. My dogs love it just as much as I do, and here’s a picture from last year as proof. =) When the weather gets nice, you betcha I’m out here all the time. Well, even when the weather isn’t that nice, I’m out here with a blanket and a book. And, I’m really out here when the world feels hard.

Hi neighbors! So many of you have asked about traveling to Africa in the midst of the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC. It feels like a whole bunch of mental gymnastics to try to figure out that answer, doesn’t it! As someone who works in Central/East Africa, I totally get the confusion! To help, I worked on a decision tree to help you answer that question with a favorite-collabo-friend-star-epidemiologist, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, (also known as Your Local Epidemiologist).

As of May 18, 2026, 100 suspected deaths and 390+ cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). That’s an increase of 20 deaths and 140 cases in two days. Many of you know that I work in East Africa and have friends throughout the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Somaliland. If you’ve read my book, you’ve also heard me talk about the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2013-2016, medical missions, and equity.

Hi neighbors! I’m sure you all have seen the news of the Hantavirus situation on the cruise ship - and how rapidly the situation is evolving! I’ve seen lots of fear-mongering reports, reels, and stories coming from influencers and media. And, let me see if I can help shed some light on what’s really happening. The sky is not falling, friends. This is a scary outbreak, for sure, especially for those on the ship (and their families), and is being taken seriously.

Children are always disproportionately affected by war. An estimated 1 in 5 children globally live in conflict zones. And, the number of attacks on health facilities is increasing. So, if children get hurt due to war (or during a war just because they are kids and get hurt or sick at times), the ability to take care of them (and their families) is impacted if the doctors and hospitals are gone.

Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash Did I ever tell you about the time I found a love for hummingbirds? When I was growing up, my West Texas grandparents would take us camping to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Those were the ‘big mountains’ to those of us who grew up in the desert or flat-plains of Texas/New Mexico. (It would be years later before I went to Colorado and had to redefine what ‘big mountains’ meant. Ha!) But, Cloudcroft was magical to us grandkids. We explored and wandered and imagined.

A funeral ceremony for students and staff members of Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school on March 3. (Ircs / ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect) “The prophet Jeremiah spoke against prophets who were proclaiming “peace, peace, when there is no peace”. I keep thinking back to a few weeks ago when I was at the National Prayer Breakfast. I’ve had the hardest time figuring out how to write this post ever since Israel and the US bombed Iran.

Photo by Zach Lezniewicz on Unsplash O Lord, you gave us an example of what a neighboring table should look like. One of humility and of love. Of giving out our lives in the service of others rather than grasping for power over others. You showed us that you can multiply our meager portions of a few loaves and fish to feed a multitude of people. Our ‘this is all I have right now’ turns into abundance through you. It’s enough.

Welp, measles continues to climb. (boo! hiss!) Measles in the US is now ~1300 cases to date - and that’s only the confirmed cases. Because measles is so contagious (every person infected with measles can infect 10-12 others), that number is likely a LOT higher. To put this in perspective, let’s look at 2025. For ALL of 2025, there were 2,283 confirmed cases - total. Now in 2026, we are already nearly half of that, and it’s barely March.