Looking Back

As this season comes to a close, I enjoy looking back to reflect on all that has happened. In one week from today I will drive away from the ship not knowing if I will ever return. I will say goodbye to patients who will remain in the hospital for several more weeks, goodbye to the amazing dayworkers who have helped me to communicate with my patients and farewell to friends and coworkers who will continue on with the work.

It is amazing to think back on the many patients who have come aboard the Africa Mercy for surgery. Although my unit focuses on the same type of maxilla-facial surgeries throughout the entire field service in a country, the other wards change depending on the surgeon specialty from orthopedics, to VVF (Vesicovanginal Fistula Repair), to plastics. When I first arrived there were many children in casts, soon to be replaced by a room full of chattering ladies, and now many burn patients are here for plastics surgery.

As I prepare to leave in a few days I am reminded that things constantly change. This has been a consistent part of my experience here on the Africa Mercy with crew members and patients arriving and leaving every week. It is strange to no longer hear the female voices chattering or see the ladies walking together down the long corridor while singing. Many of their stories touched my life even in the few times that I floated to work on “B” Ward aka the VVF ladies (November-February).

 

The ladies enjoying some spontaneous singing!

 

 Although these ladies did not have the outwardly visible defects such as my patients, they still experienced rejection from people including their own families and husbands. These women’s stories are all similar with marrying in their teens or early twenties. Usually during their first pregnancy they had a long, complicated delivery which lasted several days. During the difficult birthing process these ladies developed a fistula so that they began to constantly leak urine. The saddest part of the story is that they gave birth to a stillborn child. So many of these ladies lost the dream of ever being able to have children, and many were rejected by their husbands and kicked out of the house. Some of these ladies lived for 5, 10, 15, even 25+ years suffering from the constant leaking of urine.



The ladies enjoying some sunshine during Deck 7 time.

 

It was beautiful to watch these ladies build community with one another as they shared the same room together with 20 women who shared the same story. Unfortunately I cannot report that the surgeries were successful for all of the women, but thankfully some of the ladies went home dry with a new opportunity to be accepted by their community and family. All of them left knowing that they were not alone in this experience.

Before the ladies went home, they would have a dress ceremony to honor the women. They received a new dress and everyone celebrated with singing and dancing on the wards. It is a beautiful sound to hear so many African voices harmonizing and singing together!

The ladies in their new dresses getting ready for the dress ceremony

Lots of dancing and singing during the dress ceremonies!

 

Although these ladies have gone home, new patients are arriving for the hope of a new opportunity. Currently the plastics surgeons are repairing burn contractures for patients who did not receive adequate medical care after being burned.

It really is amazing the work that is done here on the ship.

 

Nana was a very special lady who
always made me smile!