Dernier Jour

Today was our last day at the hospital.  Our weeks here flew by so quickly.  It is surprising how familiar the layout of buildings and rooms feels when just 4 weeks ago it all seemed a maze of activity.

Now, I look at Salle 1 (Room 1) and images of the many children who have stayed in the pediatric "ICU" come to mind.  It is considered the ICU because it is the room closest (literally adjacent) to the nurses' station.  The sickest patients stay here so they can receive quick attention if they begin to decline.

As my gaze continues around the quad which forms the inpatient pediatric unit, I remember the patients and families who have lived in these rooms, hoping and praying for healing.  We took time yesterday and today to visit each Salle and give a small gift to every patient.  For the older kids we gave toy cars or stuffed animals and for the younger kids (especially the babies) we gave clothing (mostly items Gracie has out grown which we brought along for this specific purpose).  Our words were few as we handed these items to either the child or the child's mother:  Alla ka du biya (God bless you).

      

In the midst of our goodbyes to patients and hospital staff, we continued to work.  More interesting cases present on a daily basis.  We have seen a couple of toddlers come in unable to swallow after ingesting lye (which is caustic to the esophagus and can cause scarring).  In both cases we were able to dilate the esophagus and the children began drinking again.  A young boy came in with intusseption (intestines "telescope" inside itself) -- the classic sausage shaped mass in the abdomen was readily apparent on exam.  Dean assisted Dan with surgery; a segment of dead bowel had to be removed and then the healthy sections of bowel were rejoined (right hemicolectomy with illeocolic anastomosis).

There are more stories to tell.  Each involves a precious child, designed by God.  We hope to share more of these with you upon our return.

Today was also Gracie's last day with Marte, the nanny who has kept her every morning (and many afternoons) while Dean and I worked at the hospital.  Gracie enjoyed her time with this sweet Christian young woman.  We were very thankful to have her help.

A couple days ago we toured a place nearby where they make mud-cloth.  This is a traditional method of using mud to dye cloth -- you can see an couple examples of the patterns they make.  Sometimes they use stensils to create repetitive designs.

Our departure is bittersweet.  We have come to love the people here, and we truly enjoy working at the hospital.  God has confirmed that He has designed us for practicing medicine in an international setting. We look forward to God showing us the specifics of with whom and where over the next months.  Thank you for joining us on our journey.  Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.

DD&G

P.S.  An unexpected power outage prevented us from posting this Friday post until Saturday morning.  Ah, but God is gracious and the power did return in time for fans to help us sleep!