The night before medical camp we partnered up and began to
mentally prepare for a huge day. We were going to be offering medical care
to hundreds, if not thousands of people from Kibera. We were told that for some
people, this could be the first, and maybe the only time they would be able to
have access to medical care. Though we were limited on what meds we had to
offer and had obviously never diagnosed and prescribed on our own, we were
reminded of the importance of being confident in what we knew. (If I had a
penny every time I heard that in nursing school...) While that's easier said
than done when someone places their health issues in your hands, it is so true.
Sure, I had some concerns going into the day- I think we all did. But Sandy
from NHI
said it best when he told us that no matter what we did, we were helping people
who otherwise wouldn't be receiving medical care and would be changing
their lives for the better.
The night before medical camp I think I slept 3 hours. Jet lag
probably played a role in that. But I just laid there thinking about the
poverty I had seen that day and all of the incredible people I met. It
only took one day in Kibera for me to realize I would be coming home a
different person, with a much different outlook on so many things.
Ready for the day ahead of us! Christina, Lindsey, & I were
roommates throughout the entire trip. The first night one of our bunk beds
collapsed when I sat down on it which set the tone for the next 2 weeks.
(Lots of laughing.)
Some times in life things do not go as planned whatsoever and
you just have to go with the flow. We were reminded of this fact the morning of
medical camp. To give some background, "Africa Time" &
"America Time" are 2 very different things- punctuality & being in
a rush all the time is not too common in Africa. Our bus was running half an
hour late and we had received word that hundreds of people would probably be
starting to line up to receive medical care. To make matters worse, we got
stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam because of the Kenya Marathon. The trip to the
slums should have only taken us 15 minutes, but by the time we got to Kibera it
was 11:30am. I expected the people to be upset or angry, because they had been
promised to be seen by the American nurses starting at 8am, and most never have
the opportunity to get medical care. We pulled up to the slum and at least 30
little kids were waiting for us and are jumping up and down shouting
"MZUNGU!" (white person) and "'OW ARE YOU!" (the main
phrase they know). They were so excited and lead us to where all the people are
waiting.
We got to the location of the medical clinic, where there were
hundreds of people quietly & patiently sitting there holding their babies
smiling, applauding, & greeting us. They were so happy we were there, even
though we were nearly 4 hours late and they had been waiting for us in the hot
sun for hours. If that had happened in America, something tells me the people
waiting would not be greeting us with a smile or an applause. Sandy's wife,
Karen told us that since these people are so impoverished they don’t feel
entitled to anything. To them, us being there to put on this clinic was a gift
that they didn’t feel worthy of. We were told they would have sat and waited
for us without a complaint until nightfall.
That day we saw patients with everything imaginable.
Tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, heart disease, and seriously ill children and
babies. There was a prevalence of parasites, infections, and respiratory and GI
issues because of their terrible water conditions. We were limited in medical
supplies and the meds we could give the people, but they were so appreciative
to have us there and to receive any help they could get. When I would ask a
patient how long they had been experiencing their symptoms- some would say
weeks, others would tell me they had felt sick for months or years but that
they couldn’t afford to receive care. I have had some humbling days in clinical
in the oncology unit and working in the Operating Rooms, but this day was unlike
anything I ever have or ever will experience as a nurse in the US. Though the
people we served had very little and had to endure such difficult
circumstances, I have never met such kind-hearted or faithful people.
I
will remember this day of the trip for the rest of my life.
Interviewing patient after patient and learning about their lives, their
struggles, & getting a sense of their perseverance was so
eye-opening to me as a nurse and a young American woman. I do believe that we
helped a lot of people that day. But I think it goes without saying that the
people of Kibera helped us, "the mzungu nurses", just as much.
When we got there the head Chemist (pharmacist) gave us these sheets which listed the 37 meds we had in stock and the 24 possible labs we could run.
The classrooms were transformed into eval rooms and a pharmacy for the day.
(We saw so many kids and ran out of pediatric medicine before anything.)
#TheTeam.
Partner in crime. Jen is a walking
encyclopedia of all things medicine and is going to be a BALLIN' nurse.
She lectured me a lot about staying hydrated in between patients. Thanks
JP. Hehe.
No comments:
Post a Comment