The Big Day

When you hear someone say, "It's the big day!", what comes to mind?

Wedding bells?
     The birth of a first child?
             A college graduation ceremony?

Here on the Africa Mercy, we think of patient screening. At the start of most field services, a large, primary screening event is held.  I'll term it PSE for short. It's a significant day for Mercy Ships because the PSE requires months of advanced planning, strong in-country partnerships, and extensive multi-departmental collaboration. However, the PSE is also a significant day for thousands of people living in the countries served by this floating hospital ship. Individuals with cleft lips, burn contractures, facial tumors, goiters, club feet, cataracts, and a myriad of other issues line up to see a team of nurses, hoping that this day will be their first step towards healing. A "yes" on screening day does not guarantee surgery because we simply don't have time to spend more than a minute or two with each person. However, a "yes" does mean that the individual is invited to an evaluation day for further assessment.

The big day for this field service is tomorrow. Those involved will rise before the sun and be at the site in Conakry before 6:30 AM. Even at that time in the morning the line of people eagerly waiting for the gates to open will be long; many will have slept by the street overnight. Six years ago, when the ship was docked here, roughly 5,000 people showed up for the PSE. The estimate for this year is 8,000 - an increase that I presume is due to better advertising and information sharing.

Over the last two weeks, the screening team (my team!) has prepared for this event by learning the details of each surgical specialty available on the Africa Mercy, collecting supplies, rehearsing the event, and bonding together as a team. We are on this ship because we want to be here and because we feel strongly about helping those who have little to no access to healthcare. We want to say "yes" to every person who will come to the event tomorrow, but the reality is that we can't. And that's really difficult.

People will arrive seeking care for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, but the Africa Mercy is a specialized hospital focused on surgical care. Even within the realm of surgical care, some individuals will arrive with a health problem that is outside of the organization's current scope of practice (ex: heart conditions). Depending on the number of people and their needs, there's a chance that we will have to say "no" to some individuals simply because we only have so many slots available for each type of surgery.

On one hand, screening day is very exciting. There will be a lot of smiling faces, thanksgiving, and tears of joy. On the other hand, there will be sadness, despair, frustration, and maybe even anger. This applies to those seeking care for sure, but also to the Africa Mercy crew.

Despite the inevitable roller coaster of emotions, fast pace, and physical exhaustion the screening department will face tomorrow, our conversations in recent weeks have shed light on a few aims that will help us through this big day:

1)  To live in the moment (if even just for this one day). This is an experience that few have the opportunity to partake in, and we want to be present for ourselves and for the benefit of each potential patient.
2)  To support each other as a true team. To communicate with one another when the answer isn't clear, to take on some extra work when someone needs a break, and to motivate each other to continue the good work as fatigue sets in.
3)  To look each potential patient in the eye and treat them with kindness, dignity, and loveWe might not be able to say "yes" to medical care for all, but we can show all people that we care about them. For those who have been abandoned, ostracized, or teased because of their medical issue, this short affirming interaction can indeed have a positive impact.

On Friday, I received a card handmade by a 3rd grader on the ship (yes, we have a school here). The card was created to provide encouragement ahead of screening day. I got tears in my eyes reading it. To be honest, I've reacted that way a lot this week. I'm positively overwhelmed by the way the Africa Mercy crew comes together to support the screening event and the screening team. Some individuals who served as screening nurses in past field services have come to Guinea for just a few weeks to help train those of us who are new to the department and to work side-by-side with us during the PSE. Earlier this week, a man who works in medical supply popped into our office just to say that he prays for us at least once a day. And from 8 PM today until 8 PM Monday people on the ship, at the main office in Texas, and at the international offices will be praying for all aspects of the event, including the potential patients, weather, logistics, communication, security, stamina for the long day etc.

The sense of community within Mercy Ships is really amazing right now, and I am so grateful to be part of it.

Becky



Comments

  1. Praying for you here as well. Love to you and your crewmates and team.

    ReplyDelete
  2. good luck PSE day! looking forward to hearing about it

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment