Testing, Testing

Merry Christmas from Spain! 
Yes...I'm still here in Spain. 

Work goes on here in windy Tenerife to get the hospital ready for our return to Senegal, and the day we plan to sail grows nearer and nearer. Only about a month away now! Excitement is building, and the hospital is slowly but surely getting back to working order. Day crew have been hired by the team in Senegal, and many alumni will be rejoining us. COVID training & new protocols for safe hospital operation are being prepared and put into place. Supplies are being stocked up, and a few snazzy equipment upgrades installed. The past few months have been challenging at times, but I'm grateful for a lot of things. 

Our Emergency Medical Team after a weekly drill - featuring a snazzy new defibrillator.

We have a lot of measures in place to prevent COVID on the ship, including A LOT of regular screening for all crew. The whole world is certainly getting fatigue from restrictions and precautions, but what it means for us is that when a potential exposure or illness is reported, we have a well-oiled plan of action. There's a group of us who can pull together and test all the at risk individuals, set people up in quarantine cabins, people to deliver meals, and a courier to run PCR tests to the hospital if needed; all at a moment's notice. Fortunately, although there have been some scares, we've managed to keep the crew healthy & safe. I'm very grateful for that. 

Ward Manager Tam and I doing some spur-of-the-moment antigen tests.

Speaking of everyone's favourite disease...some of you may know I was planning to make a trip home over Christmas, buuuuut Omicron had other plans. I'll be taking a break still, just a few days to myself here on Tenerife. It was not an easy decision to make, and I was stewing on it for a good many weeks as I watched cases climb and restrictions returning. Ultimately, I think my dad's wisdom and insight helped me swallow the rather difficult pill. "You're there because you have a heart to serve in Senegal. You can't do that if you get stuck here." He was right, and I knew that in my heart, but I needed to hear it from someone else. There wouldn't have been enough buffer time before the sail if I happened to test positive and my return was delayed. I could have spent the whole trip being ultra-cautious, hardly seeing anyone, and probably could have pulled it off, but then it would have felt rather pointless. 

The day after that conversation, just before I started going ahead and cancelling my flights, I read this nugget of wisdom from Oswald Chambers:

"The great thing about faith in God is that it keeps a man undisturbed in the midst of disturbance." 

I can't say that I was 'undisturbed,' but did I feel a certain peace about it. I'm not sure now when I'll be able to have time to get home again; it could be quite a while. But this, apparently, was not the right time. When it happens, it will be. 

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My online course on tropical nursing is still ongoing, and a bit intense at times, but I am glad to have a friend here who is also enrolled. It's great to have a study buddy! It has also already come in handy as we are working through updating some of our clinical manuals. We've both had 'aha' moments, where something from the course clicked into place with our protocols & procedures in field service. After Christmas break, we will have a couple more weeks of training and then our exams. 

My study buddy had the whole room decorated on my birthday!

Christmas is always a big deal on the ship, and though it is hard to be away from home, there is certainly plenty to celebrate! 

Such an incredible Christmas spread was prepared by our galley & bakery team! Though our food this year has been incredible, this is not a daily occurrence!! 

I am so grateful that our fearless leader Beth was here to bring the Key of Sea (our acapella group) back to life. We had a huge group and were able to sing in the Christmas season with a number of fun numbers! Church and any kind of singing on the ship has to happen outdoors, and one good thing about the intense wind here is that there ain't much chance of anything floating around for long. 

It took a wide-angle lens to fit us all in the picture!

Here's a little taste of our Christmas Concert...I will say it wasn't our best performance ever (and blame the ripping winds for that one - awfully hard to hear each other over it!), but hopefully it brings a bit of Christmas cheer. 

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I can never say thank you enough to everyone who continues to walk with me through this journey. Mercy Ships is recognizing everyone who volunteers or supports a volunteer (if you're still reading this, you qualify!) through this neat little project called the 'Mercy Manifest.' Click here to add your face to a photo-mosaic of the people who make Mercy Ships' mission happen. This will eventually get printed and displayed on both the Africa Mercy and the new Global Mercy. 

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I hope that my next update will be about sailing! Until then, let me leave you with this verse, and a recap of the work Mercy Ships has done this past year. COVID may have stopped us from being able to carry out surgery on board our ships, but it did not stop our mission of strengthening health systems and improving surgical programs across Africa. 

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?”

Romans 8:15‭ MSG

Our Impact in 2021 from Mercy Ships on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. 

À la prochaine,
-D

A Change of Scenery

I am happy to report that the Africa Mercy has sailed out of the ASTICAN shipyard in Las Palmas! Don't get too excited though, we've only moved to the neighbouring island of Tenerife. We are back in almost the exact spot where we spent those 2 joyous months of quarantine/lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. That does mean that we are now technically - geographically - further away from Senegal. But in the grand scheme of things, we are closer to our return now than we have been since that all started. Real, tangible progress is happening to facilitate 'Senegal 2.0' - the second phase of our field service during which we will complete our planned surgeries, continue to support & train local professionals, and reconnect & follow-up with some of our previous patients. 

Speaking of training, take a minute to watch this update from an Ophthalmic surgeon from Togo. He is a shining example of the ripple effect that these partnerships can have. THIS is the most important outcome of the work that we do. Not the individual lives impacted (although each one is precious), but the exponential impact of equipping someone to serve and train others...who can in turn train even more! Emigration of skilled professionals away from low income countries is part of the reason that doctor-patient ratios there remain such a huge barrier to care. It is so heartwarming and encouraging to see someone who nearly followed that path, where he could have had a very comfortable life, but chose instead to stay and fight to better his own country.

Meanwhile, on the AFM...

I am still helping fill the Assistant Purser role for a little while longer before starting to shift towards Hospital prep. Preparation for the sail was a little stressful. Our sail day, however, was glorious weather and a much needed respite. I asked the Captain if we could just circle around for a few more days, but my request was, sadly, not approved. ;)

...our last sight in Gran Canaria!

Early start meant a beautiful sunrise...

Bye, bye, ASTICAN!

We still did *quite* a few circles to calibrate the compass. I'm sure some stomachs did not appreciate it.

We managed to squeeze in some worship on the bow - a Mercy Ships tradition!

The first (of many) Tenerife sunsets - just as the tug was nudging us in to port.

We have a few hurdles now here on a new island, but fortunately, in part because of high vaccination rates on the island (and within our crew), we have a fair bit of freedom to move around and explore - within a limited radius of the ship. Granadilla is a tiny, brand new port which is just beginning to be developed, so there is not a whole lot within walking distance except for construction sites, rocky desert and rocky shorelines. Which, to be honest, is fine by me. It's a nice change from the crowded streets of Las Palmas.

Lookin' pretty good in her shiny new paint job. As you can see...not much else around her!

Some veritably post-apocalyptic landscapes in the surrounding area.

So, here we will sit. And wait. A little while longer. 

Just a few more months.

Senegal is on the horizon! Next time I'll try to share some stories from our Advance team who are already there, preparing the way for us to return. 

Well, I'd better get back to my online course work for tonight. Learning about nearly every kind of wormy-parasite-type thing that can I could come across in my travels. What fun! Sorry for leaving you with that wonderful thought! ;D

 

À la prochaine. 

        -D

Back to the Starting Blocks

Well, I am finally back.

Back on the ship, but not back to Africa. And things are not exactly back to normal, either.

How it started (when I arrived)

How it's going (progress from the last week!)

She looks much more herself now. 

Right now the Africa Mercy is in drydock - pulled completely out of the water so that extensive repairs, upgrades and maintenance can be performed. There are, at last count, about 20 holes in the hull! That number has already gone down 50% from when I arrived, so progress is certainly being made. This work (plus more that will take place next year) should extend the life of the vessel by 15 years. 

It is a strange time to be here, and a little bit difficult to feel settled-in. Because many systems are offline and being worked on (including the all-important air conditioning), only essential crew are living on board, the rest in a hotel. We commute to the ship every day to work, go 'home' at night, and must wear PPE anytime we are outside. It's akin to working on an active construction site - there is constant hammering, grinding, welding, painting and sand-blasting. 

I am here to fill holes in the staffing schedule, which means I'll be bouncing around for a while before getting back to hospital projects. I'm starting out back at the reception desk, where we're temporarily sporting these lovely banana-yellow polos. 

Me & friend/crew nurse Susy - with our extra PPE as we navigate the shipyard.

Reception may sound like a rather hum-drum job, but on the AFM it can be stressful at times, as it's a critical part of the safety & emergency response systems. Looking back at my posts from last year when I joined reception, I guess I never explained what goes on! The reception desk is manned 24/7 - emergency calls come to our desk, and we monitor the fire detection system. We are essentially the switchboard, the emergency dispatch, and the record-keepers for the Purser. What is a Purser, you ask? 

Not this guy.

Glad you asked, since, as it turns out, I will also be filling in as Acting Assistant Purser for a couple of months. The Purser is responsible for a number of things: the ship's Articles (a contract between the captain and all crew under the laws of our flag state of Malta), facilitating the immigration process for all crew (both those flying in and out, and those on board when we sail in or out of a country), and, in essence, knowing where all crew are at all times in case of an emergency. 

Eventually, I'm going to be transitioning into gradual hospital start-up projects; a handful of nurses are here and another good friend will be joining us in November. I'm also using this down time for some professional development that has sat on the backburner for a while: next week I'm starting an online diploma program on nursing in tropical settings which I'm quite looking forward too. It'll be a good challenge doing something academic again - dust off the ol' essay-writing skills - and hopefully help to keep my nurse brain firing on all cylinders! 

Chugging along

That's a lot of updates from me, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other exciting Mercy Ships news. Our new (big) baby sister ship, the Global Mercy, has made its way halfway across the globe from the shipyard in China towards Belgium, where it will get the final bells & whistles it needs to be both a functional vessel and a functional hospital. She's quite the sight to behold, and I can't wait to see her in person sometime next year! For now, enjoy these views from the Suez Canal passage. The Senegalese & Egyptian governments collaborated to accommodate the crossing completely free of charge. Check it out!

There's also some very exciting work happening back in Africa on several fronts! 

In Senegal, our Medical Capacity Building teams have worked to organize more palliative care training - taught by graduates of our earlier programs! The course was at full capacity, and among the students were Cardiologists, Oncology nurses, and even an Imam. 

Palliative Care training participants

Also in Senegal, we are working to facilitate surgery for over 100 patients on our waiting list through our local hospital partners. Health infrastructure & nutrition programs are ongoing, and our advance team on the ground is beginning to work out all the fine details required to bring the ship back in to port. The country just weathered out their biggest wave of COVID yet, and accelerated vaccination programs are still desperately needed. Only 7% of the population is fully vaccinated. Global supply is a major hindrance to the efforts to control this disease, and it is frustrating to see so much talk being talked but so little walk being walked on this point. The wealthy countries of the world had to get their lion's share of the pie before sharing the crumbs with anyone else. 

Senegal daily new COVID cases

Bloomberg Covid Vaccine Global Distribution

As discouraging as the world's response is, it is still reassuring that overall case numbers have not climbed out of control in most of Africa, and though some hospitals are stretched, most are coping with these occasional spikes. This article does a good job detailing some of the whys, hows, and exceptions to these trends in Africa. 

Sorry if I got a little bit preachy there. I have strong feelings. 

Back to some good news: Mercy Ships was able to provide local hospitals in Liberia with portable oxygen concentrators - a crucial backup when conventional oxygen supplies are running low. Also in Liberia, Dr. Doug, an EENT surgeon, has been providing free surgeries and mentoring 3 local surgeons at one of the hospitals in Monrovia. 

Dr. Doug receiving his Liberian license to practice!

Doug and his wife Darcey were part of my On Boarding class, and were desperately eager to return after the ship was delayed once more. A way was made for that to happen!

There is more going on on the continent, but I think if I go on, I might bore you! Suffice to say, although the ship isn't back just yet, folks are working hard to support our partners across Africa through this strange season. For myself, for now, I'm sittin' here sweating, answering phones, collating passports, & reporting alarms...looking forward to floating again, but much more to the day we sail back into the sandy streets of Dakar.

Thanks for reading, and for walking this road with me.

À la prochaine,
                         -D

An Unexpected Journey

Nearly 6 years ago, when I first set foot on the Africa Mercy in Madagascar, I saw this model in a display case outside the crew bank:

The name on the bow was 'Atlantic Mercy;' she was to be the largest civilian hospital ship in the world, and the first purpose-built by Mercy Ships to better serve our host nations. 

Since that day, when all that existed of her were draft blueprints and scale models, much has changed. 

The organization has been steadily evolving towards more capacity building & training-focused programs. 

The entire world has gone through a drastic reset. 

The ship's name even changed. She's now the soon-to-be-commissioned, 'Global Mercy.'

The GLM showing off her maneuverability during recent sea trials.

It has taken a tremendous amount of effort to get to this point, and it has always been a highlight for me seeing the behind-the-scenes sneak peaks of the construction process. It's so exciting to see the final delivery quickly approaching! Having passed her sea trials (to certify her sea-worthiness), she will soon be on her way to Europe for the final 'equipping' stage, before her service will begin in Africa. 

Here's a look into what went on during the sea trials:

In the meantime...COVID-19 has continued to throw wrenches into our expectations and plans. The good ol' AFM has been delayed again in returning to Africa, and instead will be going into drydock in Las Palmas for a partial refit that will extend its operational lifetime by ~15 years. That means that I will be 'drydocked' in Canada for a little while longer. This lovely, warm, spring weather will hopefully add a few years to my lifetime, too!

I think it's important to mention that, while the ship has not yet returned to Africa, we do have crew on the ground working in various capacities and countries to help deliver training, PPE and other supplies, and strengthen healthcare systems. Here's a little example of that from head Anesthesiologist, Dr. Sarah:

I am still in discussion with my manager regarding exactly when I'll be heading over again, but it will be...sometime in the next 2-6 months. I think. 

'Redeeming the time' has become my mantra in this unexpected intermission. I expected to be, right now, right in the middle of another field service on the AFM in Liberia. Instead, I feel like I've been playing a game of 'wait and see' for the last 12 months. Waiting, hoping, praying for the right timing to safely return to Africa. Piecing together a plan to bide me over, a few months or weeks at a time.

I had been working for a while at a small community hospital, but more recently joined the Canadian Red Cross to support the domestic COVID-19 response. This is only an intermittent, reservist position, but has been a perfect stop gap to fill more stretches of time if and when they arise. With the CRC, I had the great privilege to participate in Operation Remote Immunity - the outstanding effort (spearheaded by Ornge) to vaccinate all eligible residents of remote, indigenous northern Ontario communities. 

A great team of physicians, nurses, NPs and coordinators (all fully vaxxed - I should add)

I had a little break from the Red Cross to attend On Boarding - a Mercy Ships training program at the International Support Centre in Texas! But again, thanks to COVID, my attendance was purely virtual. On Boarding helps prepare long-term crew for the pressures of close-quarters living, a cross-cultural work environment, and a multi-denominational faith community. It was a great experience, and although I haven't yet been able to meet most of them in person, I definitely feel like I have a whole new group of friends - or rather - a new 'ship family.'

Onboarding Class of Covid April 2021

Immediately following this time of learning, reflecting & re-focusing, I was deployed to a border crossing site in Sarnia, where I am now facilitating the COVID self-testing process for land travellers. 

The Bluewater Bridge Dream Team

I'm looking forward to a little bit of a break at the end of the month when this deployment wraps up, but also working out decisions for some other training I may need to complete before getting back to my floating home. 

Until then, as we anticipate a return to global travel, and the deployment of the Global Mercy, I'll leave you with some words on the concept of 'ubuntu' - something which came up repeatedly during On Boarding. 

Wakanda Forever

À la prochaine,
        - D

The Even More MVP

This is a very overdue post. 

It is a story which first came to light at the end of 2019, but I've held off writing until I felt I could give it the time it deserved. 

It is a story about a servant heart. 

Willing and Able

Osman was a soft-spoken young man from Sierra Leone, who joined the ship as day crew during the its 2011 field service there. He chose to continue serving as a volunteer, staying aboard as a plumber/engine rating, and completing training to be an Able Seaman.

"I like to use my hands to work to glorify God's kingdom." -Osman

Osman served in AFM engineering for the next 8 years, and he found ways to serve far above and beyond his day-to-day responsibilities. In Madagascar, recognizing the mobility challenges so many physically disabled people faced, he started salvaging old bikes to make hand-pedaled wheelchairs - built to handle the rough terrain of the run-down city infrastructure. He found individuals on the street who could benefit from these, and gave freely of his own time and effort to give them an independence which was otherwise impossible. Over the years, he would recruit other willing hands to help him in this work. 

A happy recipient of one of Osman's spiffy chairs

I didn't know Osman well, but can certainly say I was always glad to see him come hustling down the hall. It was usually because the hospital ceiling was raining again (as it does from time-to-time), or a drain overflowing; never a nice reason to wake someone at 3 AM. Every time he would arrive with a smile and quickly attend to the problem. His job was far from glamorous, but he seemed to find joy in every bit of it. 

Tested in the Flames

At the age of 13, Osman was nearly killed in a fire. With severe burns to his legs and arms, it was miraculous that he survived, after many months in hospital. The burns, however, left him covered in scars which pulled tighter and tighter over his joints. Without proper rehabilitation, he was soon barely able to walk, and was told by his doctors that amputation was the only solution. He would recall leaving the hospital feeling hopeless, pushing away his family and friends. During this period, a friend suggested he read the book of Job. Finding a kindred spirit in Job's suffering, he was led to a hope & faith which would get him through this difficult time. 

2 years after his accident, news reached his family of the AFM's precursor, the Anastasis, arriving in Freetown. He would be admitted and operated on by Dr. Tertius Venter, a long-serving veteran of Mercy Ships. This surgery fully restored his mobility - allowing him to walk freely, return to school, graduate, and learn a trade.

A Familiar Face

Over a decade later, Dr. Tertius was onboard for another reconstructive surgery block. He passed Osman - unassumingly going about his duties - and did a double-take. He thought this crew member looked oddly familiar; and after a brief chat, discovered that this was the little Osman he had operated on back in 2001. For all the time Osman had been serving, few if any of his colleagues knew of his long past connection with Mercy Ships. He was quietly giving back, and in supporting the operation of the ship, helped so many others to overcome obstacles and suffering like his own. After this chance reunion, Osman & Tertius would become close friends.

Osman & Dr. Tertius in Cameroon (2017)

The Race Set Before Us

I sat in the weekly community meeting on the AFM, in late 2019, and heard the request for prayer for a crew member who was receiving treatment for cancer in South Africa. I'm sorry to admit it took a bit of social network snooping to remind myself who he was: the oft-called-in-the-wee-hours-of-the-morning plumber. Apparently, as a long-delayed complication from his burns, the cancer hit hard and fast, and Osman very quickly required an amputation. Dr. Tertius, whose primary practice is in Cape Town, helped facilitate his transfer there, and consulted in his care. 

Calls went out for volunteers to help continue his wheelchair project in his absence. A collection from the crew allowed Osman's sister to travel from Sierra Leone to be with him, and Mercy Ships chaplains supported him through this time, as well. The cancer, unfortunately, spread beyond the amputated area.

In November 2019, Osman passed peacefully in the night. 

Though our only interactions were like ships passing in the night, hearing Osman's story left a powerful impact on my heart. He overcame so much, he gave so much, and he did it with such a spirit of humility and grace that I can only aspire to. 

"I was so happy to come with my skills and serve my brothers and sisters who also need medical help in the ship...I did not have money to donate to the ship, but I gave myself as a instrument to the to the lord so that others may also have their healing through Mercy Ships."

              - Osman Kamara (1986-2019)