The Three Amigos of D ward

     This week was the end of an era.
     Or at least that's how it felt to those of us working on the Max-Fax ward. Three of our longstanding pediatric patients were discharged from our unit all on the same day. In reality this is a really good thing! It means their surgeries went well and our job is done. They have transitioned to the Hope Center; a secondary building in Conakry where patients stay short-term so they can easily return to the ship for daily dressing changes. Yes, it's a good thing...
     Nonetheless, they are no longer in the hospital with us, and the ward is just not the same. They hold a precious place in our hearts, so this blog I devote to them: the Three Amigos of D ward.

     First, I'd like to introduce Lamin. I cannot say enough good stuff about this little boy - so sweet, so cuddly, so endearing. He easily won the hearts of every nurse on our ward. He and his father traveled all the way from Sierra Leone for his surgery; no small feat. He had a neurofibroma over his left eye (don't look up pictures, it's not fun). In his case, his eyelids and surrounding skin were swollen to such an extent that his left eye was literally useless - you couldn't find it in there if you tried.
     His surgery was one of the first and he came through like a champ! However, it's only after surgery that the long process of recovery begins. He and his amazing dad stayed with us for nearly three weeks post-op. Lamin endured countless dressing changes, which involved unwrapping his head and peeling away the dressing over his left eye as delicately as possible, only to clean and replace the entire bandage afresh. Sad was the nurse who had to cause his shrieks and see his little tears. But he always bounced back after a cuddle and some stickers. Such a brave boy.

How could you not love this kid...

Best papa award!

Visiting at the Hope Center

     Next is the little missy I talked about a few entries ago, the feisty one with the facial burns: her name is Hawa, and there really is no one else like her. She and Lamin hold the record for the longest child's stay in the hospital, though she beat him in number of surgeries. After the second operation she became quite a pro with the whole post-op routine, but she still made us work for every medication we gave her, lol. Thankfully her second facial graft has taken well! She is now at the Hope Center with her mama, she continues to be as feisty as ever (and tough to pin down for a picture!) but I wouldn't have it any other way...

Putting on her new mask, courtesy of Becky!

"Don't bother me while I put on my bompa, Emily"

Hawa's beautiful mama (PAT!)

     This brings us to Mamadou, a two year old bundle of awesome! If my job was just to play with this little guy all day, I would be happy in my work :) He and his mama were with us for nearly two weeks as he recovered from extensive facial surgery. Mamadou was born with Tessier 4 facial clefts, meaning he had slit-like openings running vertically down his cheeks from his eyes to his mouth. I've never seen anything like this.
     He came out of surgery with steri strips (small strips of very strong bandage-like tape) all over his face in every direction, holding together the work the surgeons had done. These stayed in place for nearly a week. Once they were removed the twice-a-day wound care began, which basically involved cleaning his whole face with normal saline and painting all the little suture lines with betadine. At the same time he got a major eye infection and had thick green goobers running from his eyes down to his facial surgical sites. NOT good. So we began thrice-a-day eye cleansing and ointment application. Needless to say, he was not a fan.
     But aside from these two to three daily bothers, this little man was a happy camper. He always seemed to find a way to entertain himself, whether by "reading" to himself aloud in bed, pushing stools around the ward or kicking balloons as hard as he could. I could just squeeze the cuteness right out of him.

Newly post-op, such a trooper

Sporting his new mask with sweet mama looking on

At the Hope Center, as adorable as ever

     As happy as it is that they are on their way, it is difficult to accept that they will never be on the ward again. These three little ones are such a big part of my first experiences on this ship/hospital. When I look at their pictures, I will forever see my first pediatric patients. I will see innocence and trust, resilience and bravery. I will see little miracles.