I am learning that I need to post shorter ones more frequently. When I save too much information it makes the posts too long and harder to write. So hopefully I will get caught up this week and then get on a better schedule. 🙂
Monday the 18th we had a huge screening event at a stadium. I really don’t know how many people were there, but probably over 1,000. The lines were very long and people were waiting for hours. Mercy Ships provides very specific surgeries and medical procedures, so there were many people who had to be turned away. There were pre-screeners allowing people with potential problems we could offer help with into the line. Unfortunately there are many conditions that we are not equipped to provide help for, but people often think they can come for basic medical problems. So once they got past the initial screening, they were screened for maxillo-facial, orthopedic, plastic, VVF (fistulas caused by prolonged labor in women), and some general surgeries.
I was helping the team screen for orthopedic surgeries. I mainly helped with the paper work because this was my first screening and ortho is not my strength. But, I was able to get in there and offer some opinions/input on some patients, especially those with hand problems. The screeners were basically the physical therapist from the ship and an internal medicine doctor. So needless to say, we are all amateurs when it comes to orthopedic surgery, so that made things difficult. At the same time, there are very specific surgeries that mercy ships can offer and we know enough about those to be able to make good decisions on the potential for helping most people. Basically we narrowed down the field and got people scheduled to come back to the ship for X-rays and evaluation by the surgeon when he is here in March.
The thing that was the hardest about the day was seeing so many people that we could not help. Some had fractures that were so old and badly healed that surgery would probably not benefit them. There were also several people who had neurological problems. They came hoping that there is some surgery that will fix their problem and I think we might have been the first people to really explain to them what was causing their problem and there is no surgery that can be done. There were so many situations that could have had a different outcomes had the patient been in a place where basic medical care is available. The PT here has told me there are only 2 orthopedic surgeons in Liberia…one of them recently had a stroke and one works privately. So, if people can’t afford it, they will not be seen.
Overall is was a good experience. I learned so much from the co-workers (or should I say co-volunteers) I was working under. We offered to pray with all of the patients and most of them were receptive. There was even a room of people dedicated to praying individually with those who were not able to have surgery. It was great to hear how some of my co-volunteers were able to handle those situations, offering hope in a living and compassionate God, even when the people’s hopes for surgery were gone. I am prayerful that it was a positive experience for all who came.
Amen…
that’s pretty much all I can say to that.. Amen.. that is so awesome. I will still be in prayer.