These things just don't happen at home...

Three things that just don't happen at home:

1. Taking patients (and their tube feeds) out to a ship deck for a break in their day,

2. Volcano's interupting the scheduled surgery slate

3. Nurses transfusing their own blood into a patient.

Coming to the ship can be a big stretch for most patients. Many of them living a few hours north of Lome have never seen the ocean...or a ship. Some children have never seen 'yovos' (white people). It's a big step of faith, walking up the gangway, and placing their trust in us to meet their need with no idea of the outcome. And like most small towns and villages rumors seem to creep their way in ...'the white people eat you on the ship'. 'They set curses on you and you/your child will die.' Unfortunately these fears can be reality for them.

Shift change 2-3pm...time to take patients up to Deck 7. The hospital does not have any windows so we try to take the patients up for some fresh air and a change of scenery. Tube feeds come up too :) We play games, kids ride around on the tricycle's, and often there's a breakout into singing/worship.

Piggy back rides back down to the hospital from Deck 7 to Deck 3.

Some of the nurses and translators

One little girl I took care of. She had a palatoplasty (repairing a hole in the roof of her mouth). The first few hours post op are always tough for them...it's a rough surgery & first few hours post-op. But the next shift..cute as a button and cuddly. Her Mother was so kind and gave me a gift when they left. Amazing people!

Karin RN, with one of our maxillo facial patients.
As community is so important in Africa our wards are open with beds quite close together. This closeness is therapeutic for the patients as they see others with similiar disfigurements to relate to. Often patients who are post op will show new patients their picture before their surgery and can reassure them. Many times theses patients have been disowned/abandoned by their communities as they were viewed as being cursed.

Two girls who both had ortho surgeries. They were so funny and kept the ward in laughter. As they were from further out of town, they were with us for a few weeks and we enjoyed having them.

One of our little 6 yr old ortho patients who ended up having a skin graft and is still with us. She is so cute and definitely brings a smile to my face each time I see her - so precious!

Ali, one of our assistant ward supervisors with one of our little boys. He was always smiling...can't get cuter!

A little 6 year old girl with large growths -so sad to see. Her father, who is staying with her, is an amazing man who's deep love for her can be seen in his actions dispite her disfigurements. As her tumor is so large she needs to put soft food through the corner of her mouth to receive nutrition. We are awaiting results of biopsies sent to see if the tumor is operable. Please pray for her and her family.

Volcano in Iceland

With the volcano happening in iceland, our orthopedic surgeon was unable to fly out and our plastics surgeon unable to fly in, so patients from the wait list were called in for one more week of orthopedic surgery. We are now are in our plastics block of surgeries. The majority of the plastic surgeries so far include repair/release of burn contractures and skin grafts. After burns (kids falling into fires, hot water, etc), the skin loses it’s elasticity and the scar tissue forms making the hand/foot, etc impossible to move (flex/extend). I'm interested to see how the wounds heal and the skin grafts take!

Blood transfusions

Blood transfusions are a unique procedure on the ship. Each crew member willing can be tested for their blood type and are called when their blood type is needed for a patient. The crew member then donates their blood and often personally delivers their blood to the ward or OR. The other day they were short of donors for a specific blood type needed for the next day's surgeries. An overhead page was put out on the ship looking for a specific blood type for surgeries the next day. Needless to say they got the blood type they needed and the surgery did not need to be cancelled.

Micah, one of our ward nurses, donated blood before one of his shifts only to find out when coming on shift he was assigned to this patient. So he transfused his own blood into the patient...things that never happen at home :)