Sunday, August 7, 2011

I’ve been trying to get to the hospital in the afternoons to just chat with patients and be of help there if Jacklyn or Esther need help, but so far they are doing most of the nursing work. It’s a different feeling for me, but I’m also realizing I get to see a different side of Passe Catabois spending so much time with the kids doing Camp.

Yesterday, though, I followed Esther around doing afternoon rounds and I was hit with the severity of several patients. One, 11 year old boy, Asnel, just in so much pain and discomfort. Most likely in an acute stage of Tb, so I’m praying the meds they started him on this week will begin to work in his body. The suffering on his face though, strikes the heart deep… and a new patient, a two year old boy with Kwashiorkor malnutrition. He’s swollen up to his arms and has open sores all over his skin. It doesn’t look good but he is drinking the malnutrition milk, so I’m also praying the milk takes in his body and he can start to heal. These are the most difficult situations for the heart to take here for me, but somehow I’m glad to be amongst them.

So… ‘ti poze’ today before we start week two of camp tomorrow. This week will be ages 9 to 11. Still trying to stay cool somehow (not likely) and avoid the tarantulas (I’m thankful to Leah who is willing to kill the ones who make their way into our bathroom overnight) and joke-it-up with all the kids around.