A big sigh...

Things I  miss about Ship Life....

1-Every outing is an adventure!

The constant guessing game as to what way to look while crossing the road, the argument that you have to work your way through when "discussing" taxi fare prices. Being greeted via megaphone upon entry into the local market, and witnessing a man carry an Oven on his head while walking down the road. Oh yes and finding porcupines in the courtyard of a random shop that does wood carvings.... I never knew porcupines grew to be so big! As soon as you step off the gangway you know the outing will be an adventure, with the right attitude, and a smile you are guaranteed to return to the Ship with a story!

2-Have a deck to sit out on.

I deeply enjoy the evenings spent out on the deck watching the sun go down and ships returning and leaveing the port. Most recently we had the french Navy as our neigbor here on the dock, a few of us had a great tour of the ship and visited with their nurse and electrician on board. It was great seeing inside the ship and check out their engine room, sick bay, radar room, the bridge and sit in the chair that controls the Giant Gun! This morning I watched as they headed out to sea from my spot on Deck 8. Last week the rain arrived in full force, Sitting out under cover on the deck listening and smelling the rain felt like home, it was so lovely. Every night lightning can be seen over the ocean arching in dramacic bolts in the distance. It is here on the deck where we can gather to sing worship, find a spot to be silent and alone, or chat with friends in the late night hours.

3-Living with so many great friends.

I feel like this is the living in residence at university experience I missed out on. It is so great having a ship full of friends. There is never a shortage of friends to hang out with. Charades, movie nights, or nights out on the beach are just a nightly given when living with great friends. The friends that I have made here are from all over the world, we have all been called to come and serve here on Mercy Ships. the sense of community and having Christ woven into all of our lives has been a privilege. It is easy to have community here while we are experiencing life together, watching patients life being transformed and ours being moved and changed as we serve.

4-Pediatric Patients I will miss greatly.

Having a baby nestle into your arms, or a young boy ran at you to start a tickle fight is not a part of my day to day job back home. knowing that the surgeries  are going to make a world of difference for these children is so moving. A baby who arrives severely malnourished and has their Cleft lip repaired they are given a new future, one their mothers never dreamed possible. I will miss Jaka, dancing and giggling, i will miss Lamine, his monkey skills, running around Deck 7, climbing up our legs to get onto our backs, i will miss them all!

The Countdown Starts...

Ward B, Where I met my fellow nurses for the first time. Where I bonded and hugged and saw the joy in all the lovely VVF ladies, wet or dry it was a day to rejoice as they left Ward B to head home to their villages. Where we cleaned and prepared for all of our plastics cases and prayed over the ward that healing would be abundant, and it was. Where I saw the strength of those who have been neglected, tortured, and abused come back to life and raise their hands in Thanks to the Lord for where their journey has lead them and the healing that has taken place. It has been a place for growth professionally and spiritually over the last 4 months. This weeks marks the closing of the Hospital here on Board the Africa Mercy and my departure from the ship to return home to Canada.

Over the last few weeks as the hospital winds down we have been displaced to different areas of work. Scanning, shredding,  bleaching and scrubbing. This sums up the lists of tasks us Nurses have been working on over the last few weeks. Some nurses headed to the Out Patient tent. It is here where a team of nurses and Day Workers see patients for follow-up appointments, dressing changes and Physio. Once all the follow up care is complete they are officially discharged and their file is closed. This leads to a "Special Project" as it is titled. At times instead of working on the wards or in the tent, you are assigned to "Special Projects". Some days this consist of organizing, labeling and scanning the patient files, or sweeping out the entire Cargo Hold of the Africa Mercy ship.... after a couple hours of sweeping and sweating you could eat your dinner off the slightly rusty floor!



One of my cute Ward D patients!

  In addition to cleaning, us Ward B nurses have got to dance and play our way through the work day on the other 2 units. Over the last few weeks I have spent a few shifts on Ward D. If you have seen any documentaries or the 60 min feature of Mercy Ships, you have seen Dr. Garry Parker. He has been here serving with Mercy Ships for 26 years. He is the head of surgery and our Maxillofacial surgeon on board. Maxillofacial includes cleft lip and pallet surgeries, re-building of noses, and removal of facial tumors. There are so many amazing stories and patients that I have only had a brief opportunity to work with. Here is a Blog that I would love to invite you all to read and learn more about the wonderful patients on D ward. It is written by a friend and fellow nurse here on the ship.

http://annaaboardafricamercy.blogspot.com/2013/04/marietous-story.html?view=magazine#!/2013/04/marietous-story.html

Let me Introduce You to a Few of My Lovely Patients

Over the last two months the ship has done 80 plastic procedures. Some patients are here for only a week, others have stayed with us for the entire service and still remain on the ward. Through the course of this time there has been a select number of patients who have taken a hold of my heart and I will miss them greatly and carry their stories with me for years to come. Here are a few to share with you.

Fidel

Fidel is a patient who came to Mercy Ships with a Neurofibroma tumor covering the right side of his face. A neurofibroma is a benign tumour originating in nerve sheaths. The ones that we have seen during plastics have been large and debilitating. Fidel's if left untreated would have obstructed his air way and he would have died due to suffocation. He received his surgery on the 4th day of the plastics service back in the beginning of March. In that time he has a number of barriers along the road to healing. We have seen great improvement and discouraging setbacks. He is a funny patient who has a deep chuckle whenever you call his bluff while playing cards or who lets out a little chuckle when you are scolding a patient in the bed next to his. He has been on our ward the longest and  has seen many patients come and go. He is not the loudest of them all but will always great you with a crocked smile and a solid hand shake every morning, evening or night,

Amiatu 

When I admitted Amiatu I extended my hand to welcome her and she placed her melted fingers in my palm. She had burned her right hand while cooking 10 years earlier.That night, before her surgery, I was talking with her what to expect and we were walking the halls looking at the OR entry and recovery room. I asked if she was scared and she said yes. She is 24, and had a 6 year old daughter who was staying with her parents. She was use to the hand and has been covering it with a scarf while in public for over a decade.We talked about the hospital and the skilled surgeons, reassuring her I would be there the following day once she returned from the recovery room, and we prayed.

Her surgery went well and her fingers were straightened and wires were put in place to hold them in the proper position for healing. A skin graft was taken from her thigh and placed over her joints in her fingers and wrist to allow the joins to fully extend once again. Once she was discharged I visited her often at the Hope center (Our rehab off the ship) and after she was discharged i still ran into her on the streets of Conakry on my way out of the port as she came for her daily physio appointments. We love running into each other and Amiatu greats me with a big hug every time. I will miss her greatly when we close the ship down and Leave Guinea. I feel so blessed to have met her and spent time with her during her recovery.

Nana

Nana had a similar story but she younger at 19, and loves to joke around and play Janga! Just think, before her surgery many tasks were difficult due to her crippled hand. Now she is regaining her dexterity and can have the use of her hand returned to her! I love this photo of Nana using her hand, you can even see the wires in the photo

 

 

Ousmone 

Yesterday i had to say goodbye who is another one of those patients who i have loved through his recovery.. Ousmone was a 19 year old who hated to wear his splints! He obtained his burns when his family home caught fire two years ago by a forgotten candle. 3 family members died and he was severely burned at 17, leaving his body and arms down to his wrist severely burned and contratures at his bilateral axillas and elbows. After the fire he received minimal medical care, was lucky not to surcome to an infection and returned to the village where his Mother looked after him. Everything was next to impossible without the use of either arm. Bathing became a chore for his mother and as she was aging he was feeling guilty being a young man, unable to care for himself. He became depressed, did not attend school, and of course was unable to work.

I was there when we received him back from surgery. Over the course of his stay I was his nurse many times. He had splits that he wore to promote the new scar tissue to heal with his arms fully extended at the armpit and elbow. The list of exercises were extensive and he was a trooper! Over the weeks he was with us he was always up for joking around. playing cards and dancing.Once he was released to the Hope Center (our rehab off the ship) some nurses and I visited him often. One time he showed me a video on his phone of me dancing to some random African music he had on one afternoon! You never know who is filming you, even in Africa their camera phones are out at all times it seems!Yesterday I saw him in the outpatient tent after his final appointment. He told me he was off, back to the village to care for his mother who had spent the last two years caring for him. Ousmone was happy to be discharged, we played a few rounds of Cards and said our final good byes. Wishing one another the best in what ever is to come next. He was such a character.

And then there was 12....  

Here is our Nurse Team leader With the patient who we are
praying blood supply returns to his foot and graft site.



The patients on the ward now have been with us for extended length of time. We are just waiting for the last of the grafts sites to heal. Two of the patients returned to surgery on Monday for re-grafting. With only 2 weeks left of hospital time we are praying they take. One of the cases is needing a miracle and that is what we are Praying for. Tomorrow we are committing to 24 hours of prayer for all of the plastic patients, for grafts to finish healing, infection to leave the wounds, and wounds to dry up. Specifically we are also praying for one of the young men who went back to the OR on Monday. His graft has a lack of blood supply and this will not result in good news if it doesn't change soon. We are praying for the blood supply to return to his foot. I would encourage you to take time on Thursday May 9th and Pray with us here on Mercy Ships for our Plastics patietns as we participate in 24 hours of committed prayer.