A Father's Love

This sweet little girl's name is Aicha. She came to us terrified, scarred, and huddled under her papa's arm. She'd look at the doctors and nurses in fear every time we came close to her. Aicha was burned in a house fire just under a year ago. She lost her mother in that fire and most of their possessions as well. It's just her and her papa now, trying to heal and start over. She had burns all over her body when she came in and 2 of them were still open wounds and so sensitive. She came
back from surgery wrapped in bandages from her neck all the way down to her knees. Poor baby. Her frail little 4 year old body is getting stronger though. Each dressing change was an improvement from the one before, she began eating more, gaining weight slowly, and trusting us more and more.  After a few weeks she was riding her little toy car up to me every morning, she'd put our her hands and want to dance as soon as I turned the music on. She still cried out in fear each time we changed her bandages, or did exercises with her, but the rest of the day she became just like the other kids. Playful, smiling, happy.... And when her father looks at her, you can see the love in his eyes. He adores her, protects her and only wants the best for her.  Often seeing the two of them together makes me think of our heavenly father. It's such a beautiful image of how I imagine God looks at us sometimes. Complete adoration, love, wanting the best for his children even though sometimes that means exercises and wound care that's painful and scary.

Aicha is completely healed now and no longer needs dressing changes. She continues to come to the ship often for rehab though and I still get hugs and smiles from her and her daddy. She's one of the little miracles of this year.

On discharge from the hospital

Plastics Round One

Well, two and a half months sure did fly by since my last post! Sorry about that:/

We just finished a 7 week round of plastic surgeries last week and it was intense...but so good! This was my second time as the Plastic Surgery Team Leader and it was so nice knowing what to expect before it actually happened. I felt so much better prepared this year and it went really well.

My job started all the way back at screening day on August 28th. I sat in a small classroom at the screening site with our two plastic surgeons and hand therapist and for 10 hours we saw one potential patient after another. We had to decide if we could operate on them, would the surgery benefit them in the end (give them more mobility/better function, improve their appearance...), how long would their hospital stay be, etc. And then on September 2nd it happened - our doors to the hospital opened and the first surgeries were underway. It was exciting to see patients I had met at screening day come to the ward. I've said it before, but there's always a mix of excitement, anticipation and fear when patients first come onto the ship.

So, for the next 7 weeks we operated. By week 2, B ward was filled (20 patients), we started taking over half of A ward, and by week 3 there were plastics patients in A, B and C ward (and 1 in D because we didn't want them to feel left out;)) That's the intense part. Most specialties have 15-20 patients in the hospital at a time, they are quicker to send patients home so there's a steady turnover. Plastics patients take a long time to recover though, and need dressing changes every 2 days until healed. So, by week 3 there were 40+ patients in the hospital and it stayed that way until week 7. That's a lot of people to round on every day, write orders for, and change dressings! But, it also means more kids to play with, babies to hold and adults to share stories with. And we had an amazing team that helped get it all done every day!

In 7 weeks we did 95 surgeries and around 500 dressing changes. The average length of stay for a patient was 18 days with the longest being 56 days and counting. Congo is different from most of the West African countries we've been in. More people have jobs here and can't take months off to be in the hospital.  That's been a challenge with these long term patients. They've been so patient waiting for their wounds or their children's wounds to heal, but they also have jobs and families back home and it's a big sacrifice to leave those things and stay on the ship for so long. Each patient I've met in this 7 weeks has had a story to tell. A story about how they got burned, got a contracture, heard about Mercy Ships, left home in search for hope... and I thought I'd share some of those stories with you over the next few weeks so you can see who I've spent the last few month with. So stay tuned.

Sailing!!

In case any of you were wondering, 14 days of sailing with no land in sight is a LOOOONG time! I boarded the Africa Mercy in the Canary Islands and on July 27^th we said goodbye to Tenerife and our friends in Spain and started our journey across the Atlantic Ocean. It’s been an eventful sail, but we made it to the Congo and settled into our new dock space/home for the next 10 months. It feels great to be on solid ground and even better to be back in African.

Leaving Tenerife

My cabin (I have the top bunk)

 I knew coming back to the ship after being gone 7 weeks this summer would be different. It’s always difficult transitioning into something new. People come and go from the ship all the time and at the end of last outreach in Guinea, several of my close friends left the ship. So, coming back for me meant finding my place and group.  It’s always kindof cool to see what groups form at the beginning of a new outreach, connections that are made…. Being at sea for 2 weeks definitely sped up that process and created some great bonds with friends!

flying kites on the top deck

During the sail I did “a little” training. I completed BLS (Basic Life Support), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support).  All of you medical professionals out there can appreciate the amount of time and studying that went into that. I spent the first week of the sail either studying or sitting/rocking in a classroom.  One of my favorite things about sailing is that when dolphins or whales are spotted an announcement is made overhead and whether you’re on a break in the café, in a meeting, working, or in class everyone gets up and runs outside for the best view.  We might have had a few breaks for dolphin watching during that week ;) My brain has been stretched this sail and it feels great to learn and practice new skills.

Dolphins!

 One night, during a study session, a few of us started talking and at the end of the conversation, for various reasons, 3 of us decided to begin a 10 day detox diet based off the Daniel fast. What could we eat, you ask? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lots of water to drink.  We thought the sail would be a great time to do this since we wouldn’t have the temptation of restaurants and such. However, fresh produce doesn’t typically last 14 days and it wasn’t like we could go to the market and find healthy alternatives. So, for 9 days we ate salads, a large variety of fruits and vegetables, lots of almonds… On day 9 the ship ran out of lettuce and fresh fruit and that coupled with me being sick I had to call it quits.  I’m proud of our willpower and effort though. It amazed me how much of my satisfaction comes from eating good food.  The first several days weren’t too bad, but after that I lost my desire to even go into the dining room because I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat what I wanted. 

hammocks on deck 7

And I can’t talk about this sail without talking about crossing the line. Mariners have many traditions, but one of the bigger ones revolves around crossing the various lines that crisscross the globe. These are called “line-crossing ceremonies.” There’s a long list of them if you google it, but the biggest is crossing the equator (on a ship).  In the maritime world, someone who has yet to cross the equator is known as a Pollywog and then once they do they become a Shellback.  And when you cross the equator at the prime meridian you become what is known as a Royal Diamond Shellback (or an Emerald Shellback as the US Navy calls it).  It’s actually the rarest form of Shellback there is.  Kinda cool, huh?! So, Monday night we crossed the equator and prime meridian at 0.00 and 0.00 and in following mariner tradition, we had a “line-crossing ceremony” onboard the Africa Mercy. It wasn’t exactly the same, there was no hazing or anything like that, but it was fun. We played tug-o-war on the bow so that we could go “over” the line, we limbo’d and went “under” the line, and then we did a little “line” dancing ;) But that wasn’t quite enough for me and 2 of my friends (the same two that did the cleanse with me actually).  We decided we were going to get piercings to commemorate this special occasion. Two of us had our helix (top of the ear) pierced and the other had her nose pierced. We don’t have a piercing artist onboard (I guess that isn’t a big enough need on a hospital ship) so we recruited a few friends to do the job…and gathered some hospital supplies to improvise.  A few IV needles later and we had new jewelry J  It was a fun way to celebrate and definitely the highlight of my sail.

The limbo

Crossing the line

So, that brings us to the end of 13 days at sea. We docked in Congo yesterday and today I’m going to explore my home for the next year. 

Texas Summer

Well, the summer came and went so quickly I can hardly believe it. I spent 5 weeks in Texas catching up with friends and family and WOW I fit a lot into that time. A few weeks in Arlington, mission week in Tyler, 2 trips to Austin to visit Scott, poolside girl talk, brunches, dinners, running on real trails, dancing, fireworks and so much more. One of the biggest things I've learned living in Africa is that relationships are really what it's all about. Investing in people and just living life together. Possessions are temporary but people, they can leave a lasting imprint. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with everyone at home. It was truly refreshing for my soul. 

Worthy of Applause

Plastic surgeries have ended and we are down to 14 remaining patients on B ward. These are patients that haven't quite healed and are still receiving daily dressing changes.  Two of them are going back to surgery this week to be re-grafted and/or debrided under sedation, but most will heal over the next few weeks and go home just in time for the ship to leave. I can hardly believe time has gone by so quickly. We only have 2 weeks left of surgery in the hospital and the remaining surgeries are mostly small. Cleft lips, hernias....

One of our writers shared a story with me the other day that I'd like to share with you. Jaka is one of our plastics patients and her story will without a doubt touch your hearts as it has mine.

There is a universal principle of childhood physics that we all remember well: the joy of spinning in circles. Perhaps it was spinning while locking hands with a playmate, in a teacup at Disney World, dancing in pirouettes, or simply turning in place - it was a thrill to send our surroundings into a kaleidoscopic blue. This was followed by a dizzy fit of giggles - at least until our internal compasses caught up, and the world came back into focus. Do you remember? 

Four years ago, a little girl named Jaka was spinning around in circles with some other children while her mother was at the market. Around and around, arms out, chin up, her face full of smiles. Tragically, when Jaka lost her balance, she plummeted into her aunt's cooking fire. Jaka landed in the burning coals on her left side with her arm up. The pot of boiling water her aunt had prepared for rice spilled over the little girl's shoulders, arms and back. 

Fanta, Jaka's mother, ran home from the market and took her daughter to the local hospital in Conakry. In order to be seen by doctors, the hospital required a payment of 1.5 million Guinea Francs at the gate - just over $200. The family could not afford admission. Fanta returned home with Jaka, unable to ease her daughter's agony. For the next eight months, Jaka laid on her little stomach, tethered to the ground by unimaginable pain. Each day, her mother fanned her, trying to offer Jaka whatever relief she could from the inescapable African heat. 

As Jaka's burns healed without medical care or rehabilitation, her left shoulder and arm contracted. Jaka's skin began to grow back in such a way that her arm became stuck to her side from her armpit to elbow. Fanta feared that Jaka would lose the ability to move her arm. Still unable to afford any medical treatment, Fanta tried to treat the problem herself. 

Fanta forced Jaka's arm away from her side three times, trying to prevent the contracture. Fanta described each attempt, saying that she and Jaka both cried themselves to exhaustion.  On the fourth try, Jaka begged her mother to stop because the pain was so unbearable. "If you try to pull it open again, I  will die. The pain will kill me,"Jaka said to her mother. With that, Fanta resigned herself to allowing Jaka's arm to heal on its own, stuck to her side. 

Today, 9-year-old Jaka is a patient on the Africa Mercy hospital ship, recovering from a free plastic surgery that released her arm and grafted skin. Deep burn marks cover her entire upper body - her head, neck, shoulders, back and arms - but no one notices because they are entranced by the little girl's adorable gap-toothed smile. 

Sweeping, washing and fighting - these are the activities Jaka says she will get to do with her restored arm. Laundry might not be appealing to many, but participating in household chores is a normalcy Jaka has never known. "I am so happy," Jaka says. "When I go home, I will work all the time because I  can." (Fanta admits she is glad for this enthusiasm.) Free of her deformity, Jaka will also now be able to go to school for the first time. 

As for fighting, Jaka is one of ten children, and she happens to be very ticklish. With her new arm, she will be able to hold her own the next time she is picked on by one of her older brothers or sisters. She was ashamed to go among her siblings and friends when her arm was stuck to her side because they would tease her. "Now they will see me and say, 'Jaka has become well!'" she declares. Then they will invite her to sit with them and watch the cars go by their house. 

From her hospital bed, Jaka is all giggles - she can hardly contain her excitement for her now-bright future of playing, going to school and watching cars. But Jaka's favorite part about her restorative surgery and rehabilitation is even simpler than that: "Clapping!" she exclaims. With her arm free, Jaka can finally clap with both hands. 

Now there's a happy ending worthy of applause. 

Written by Catherine Clarke Murphy

Well, we've just started week 5 out of 6 weeks of plastic surgeries here in Guinea. I can't believe time is moving so quickly. We've performed 59 surgeries so far with only a few infections. Amen to that!!!  God is definitely at work in this place and has put together an amazing group of surgeons and nurses and day workers to make the best plastics team. I just want to share one of the many success stories I've been able to witness these past few weeks.

Fanta is 20 years old and when she was younger she got her ears pierced as most girls do. She got an infection from her piercing and ended up with keloids across her neck from ear to ear. A keloid is a growth of extra scar tissue where the skin has healed after an injury. The keloids grew quickly and soon she was unable to turn her head from side to side. We found her at one of our screenings and although we don't normally do this type of surgery everyone agreed she should be an exception. With a simple operation we were able to remove her keloids. With the operation alone though, she stands a 50%-100% chance of the keloids growing back (which is why we don't normally do this surgery). So, in a few weeks she'll receive corticosteroid injections to prevent the keloid return along with scar massages. Fanta is doing great right now and staying at our Hope Center in town awaiting her injections. I got to visit her over the weekend and she was all smiles!

Fanta after surgery

Before surgery

Plastic Surgery

It's plastics time on the Africa Mercy!!! Up until now I've been working as a charge nurse on the wards part time and as the ward nurse educator part time. I've been orienting new nurses to the hospital and facilitating hospital in-services weekly among other things. But now it's time for my role to change. I'm the plastic surgery ward team leader which means I oversee all of the plastic surgery patients in the hospital, the plastics nurses, dressing team and work closely with the surgeons and physio to make sure our patients do well after surgery. I worked as a nurse on the plastics team in Sierra Leone and again in Togo, but this is my first time in a leadership position.

Plastic surgeries began Tuesday and we now have 9 patients on the ward post operative. This has been a slow and somewhat intro week as we only had one of our surgeons here. Tomorrow morning is our BIG plastics screening with our whole team and we are expecting between 50 and 80 patients to show up. After that we will have 5 more weeks of surgery. I am so excited to be leading such a great team and would ask you each to pray as we screen potential patients tomorrow and schedule the rest of our surgical slots. More to come in the following weeks.

                         

               

Reflections

Twelve months. 365 days. Hard to believe I've been living on this big white hospital ship for that long. A year ago this week I worked my last shift at Cook Children's hospital, packed up my apartment, and with a great step of faith set out on the journey of a lifetime.

So much has happened yet time has passed quickly. I've lived in Togo, Texas, Ghana, the Canary Islands and Guinea. I've been through 2 big screening days with Mercy Ships and several small ones, watched surgeries, changed dressings and loved on patients like crazy! I've flown more hours then I'd like to count, I've sailed the bluest seas, hiked the greenest mountains, swam in breathtaking waterfalls, sun bathed on beautiful beaches, witnessed extreme poverty, met beautiful people, experienced miracles, and made life long friends. I've laughed, loved, cried, rejoiced, been stretched, challenged, filled up and poured out more times than I can count.

And God has been at the center of it all. I have prayed time and again, waiting in expectation of what God will do...and he continues to provide. This has been a year of great highs and low lows but I can say in confidence this is where I'm suppose to be for this time. A.W. Tozer writes, "There is no greater quest than the pursuit of God." I don't know where the next year will take me, but I am excited! I can't step into the future or relive the past, so I will live today. And what a great day it is!

Psalm 143:8   "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

Isaiah 42:5-7  "This is what God the Lord says - the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."