MVPs Pt 5

Banna's eyes are full of joy. 

The first time I met her, she was walking in to the ward with one of our chaplains, and though she wore a mask she clearly carried a broad smile underneath! She entered, greeting each nurse, day crew and patient. I was holding paperwork in my hand, anxious to get it signed, but did my best to patiently respect this custom. 

Let me back up a minute. Banna's name first came up in discussion with a patient's brother. This patient, a teenage girl, needed surgery to remove a large lipoma - a fatty tissue tumor - on the back of her leg. Anyone under 18 has to come to the ship with a caregiver. Usually a close family member, this person takes responsibility for medical decisions for the patient, as well as helping with their daily needs. This girl's older brother came with her as her caregiver, however, once on the ship, he told us he had to leave for an interview at the end of the week. Back in their hometown. 15 hours away.

Now, this put us in a bit of a sticky situation. The girl's recovery would take at least 3-4 days in hospital, with outpatients follow up for a week or two after that. She needed someone who could stay with her 24/7. We asked, "Is there any family here in Dakar who could come help?" 

Yes, a sister, but she was too busy with work.

"Is there any way you can delay the interview?"

No, he would lose the job if he didn't go. 

"Can any other family member come to stay with your sister?"

Yes, but they wouldn't be able to arrive until the weekend, and then they would still need to quarantine for a week. 

The surgeons who could do this surgery would only be here until the end of the week. We couldn't delay, or the surgery wouldn't happen. 

A lot of prayer had already been answered for this patient. She required a CT before we could proceed with surgery, to determine if the tumor was even operable. Our scanner, a bit past its prime, decided to throw a bit of a hissy fit that day and not function. Our biomedical technicians worked through the entire day trying to get it functional again, and we worked on a contingency plan to transport the patient to a local hospital where the scan could be done. 

Her surgery was delayed by a day because of this, but in the end we did manage to kick the old beast into gear and get the pictures we needed. The surgeons reviewed them and decided it was safe to proceed with surgery. 

That just left us with this caregiver conundrum. 

The patient's brother had mentioned a name - someone who was at the Hope Center who they trusted -  who might be able to step in to help. 

Her name is Banna. 

We were discussing all of this with our preoperative team, and they immediately said, "That isn't going to work - she's a pre-op patient."

Slated to have hernia surgery the next week, it would have required Banna to wait until this patient was home, or until another caregiver arrived to take over, before she could have her own surgery. What's more - Banna hadn't been seen by the surgeons yet. We weren't even sure if she could have surgery. She might stay all this extra time to support another patient and then end up not being able to have surgery with us at all.

A Silver Lining

The same Friday all of this deliberation was taking place, I got an email about a surgeon's departure date. My coworker nudged me, "I guess you knew about that already?" 

I did a double take on the departure date. 

It was today's date. 

This was the surgeon who had just arrived; who was just supposed to be starting surgery Monday. Who would have been doing Banna's surgery. A family emergency had come up, and no one could fault them for leaving, but it sure came as a rough blow.

This meant about 30 patients had to be rescheduled for later in the field service. There was no backup surgeon who could fill his place. 

It did mean one good thing though: Banna would be able to fill this need. She happily agreed without hesitation to fill in as a caregiver; understanding that there was still no guarantee she could get surgery herself. We were, fortunately, able to secure a tentative surgical space for her just 1 week later, when the next surgeon arrived. 

Another family member was able to come eventually, and Banna had her hernia repaired without complication. Her smile before and after surgery was the same - even if she was in a little bit of pain. 

I hope I've managed to express even a little bit how bold and beautiful the culture of community is in this part of the world. How a complete stranger will step in, giving a week of their life so that someone can have their own life transformed. The sense of 'Niofar' (we're together, we are one). Every day I learn a little bit more how valuable that perspective is, and how much further I have to grow in it. 

My amazing team of nurses & day crew from around the world. I'm hiding behind PPE in the back row.

From the land of hospitality and dust...

À la prochaine,

        -D