Off to Africa!: Donations and Triage

We just got back from donating our first batch of medical supplies to the hospital! The doctors and nurses couldn’t have been more grateful as they watched us disperse a variety of drugs, tools, and other medical equipment to the wards. This whole operation would not have been possible without the amazing support of friends and family back home, so THANK YOU! We are currently sorting out another list of supplies in preparation for another, bigger order for tomorrow. I’ll keep everyone updated on that as well!

Donations to gen med

Also, a big thanks to our fellow med student, Sophie Phalen, for leaving us with funds to donate four mattresses to fruitful orphanage. The local orphanage was founded by Isaac, a kind-hearted young man who became an orphan years ago when both of his parents passed away. Isaac certainly understands the meaning of helping others after he was left on the streets to care for his two younger siblings before an orphanage took him in. Now, Isaac is 32 (as of yesterday!) and has been sponsored to open an orphanage of his own. However, funds are lacking and the poor children are forced to sleep on dirt floors and are limited to one cup of porridge per day. The kids were ecstatic when we arrived with 4 mattresses strapped to the roof of Richard’s minivan. The look of excitement on their little faces was priceless! Yet another thing we take for granted in the western world

Yayyyy!!!!

hahah girl in front cracks me up!

Jumping on the new mattress =)

Last night, Ben, Grace, and I went to see what excitement we could find in Casualty. And excitement we found! But not the enthusiastic, eager excitement like the kids at the orphanage, more like the eye-opening, heart-pumping, adrenaline rush kind of excitement. We arrived around 7:30pm to find a guy with a busted head, a typical case in casualty. Ben told Grace and me that we could be the surgeons and he would be our assistant. Oh great, put the two pre-meds in charge and let the 5^th year med student assist, ha! Ben taught me how to properly numb the wound with Lidocaine, and except for a few random squirts into the air, I think it went alright ;) Then, Grace and I tag-teamed the suturing (more like Ben took over for us after failing multiple times). But, with Ben’s agreeance, we can blame it on the dull needle that had to be replaced after all. Just as we finished the last stitch, Triage met Casualty. One after one, a flood of bloody patients were frantically carried into the room. They had just been in a bad Dolladolla accident (one of those crazy city buses). A man with a fractured skull, a woman with all of the flesh torn from the back of her hand exposing bones and ligaments, a little boy with deep cuts on his face, one dead in the car, and about 6 others badly injured. With little emergency medical training, I stood there, somewhat numbed looking towards Ben for assistance. Ben ordered me to take vitals on all patients. I did as told, and then made sure the youngest boy stayed conscious while his mom hysterically cried in the neighboring bed. I assured Mom her son would be okay. I could hear hospital sirens going off outside as I sat with the little boy. Minutes later, doctors and nurses from all wards of the hospital came to assist with the emergency, forming an incredibly efficient medical team…something I hadn’t exactly seen a lot of at the hospital up to this point. Just as two surgeons were called in to perform emergency surgeries, our driver called to let us know he was outside. I hated to walk from a situation like that but there wasn't much more we could do. As I lay in bed last night with images of the accident victims flashing through my mind, I couldn't help but to reflect on what had just happened. I wish I could have provided more medical assistance. But then I thought about the little boy and his mom. Who would have been there to make sure the boy was responsive? Who would have been there to comfort Mom and other relatives at the hospital? I think that sometimes a meaningful touch can be just as helpful. It sure was a crazy night in Casualty, a preview of the emotions I will face while working in medicine, and an experience I certainly won’t forget. (P.S. Mom- Rest assured, I will not be taking another Dolladolla while I'm here)

On a happier note, the four of us spent our weekend at Neema Baby House (an orphanage well-funded by churches in the US) and The Snake Park. A little bit of juxtaposition, LOL! The babies were adorable, as always! And besides a bazillion snakes at the snake park, we saw other rescued animals like baboons and owls, got a Masai cultural tour, and even got to ride on camels! Cool!