Surgery starts tomorrow

It is over 5 months since we saw our last patients. Problems with Ebola in West Africa and then engineering difficulties with our ship propellers caused a prolonged long delay and multiple changes in our schedule. But now the waiting is over. At long last, the Operating Rooms are cleaned and ready. Nurses who had been re-deployed to serve in the dining room and galley have swapped their red ‘kitchen’ uniforms and now wear their more familiar blue, pyjama-style hospital  ‘scrubs’. Everything is ready – surgery starts tomorrow.

Three little children are tucked up in our hospital beds. Our waiting is over, and tomorrow theirs will be too. The wait for surgery they never thought they would have. Some are too young to understand. They are simply smiling, enjoying the attention of the nurses, playing Jenga, or blowing bubbles. But their parents know what the future holds. Their eyes hold the wait of expectation. Anticipation of hope, waiting to be realised. Is this really true? They almost dare not believe it. Their child with crooked legs, or twisted feet is about to be given the chance of living a normal life. A free surgery, that will free them from growing up crippled. A future that looks different simply because they will look different.

 Eyes and hearts are full of expectation tonight. And it is not just the patients and their care givers. My heart is full too. I love what I do. I love giving out of what I have been given, to play a part in transforming the lives of adults and children here in Africa. But I won’t be giving any anaesthetics tomorrow – I must wait a bit longer. I have some wonderful anaesthesia volunteers who will take care of the operating room for the next two weeks. My job is to take part in a strategic planning conference on-board and help define Mercy Ships focus and growth for the next few years. Then next week I am in the US for a similar meeting with Lifebox (www.lifebox.org). I love the strategy and planning, it fills me with hope for a better future. But I also love the patients I get to serve here – so truly I am excited to hear their squeals and giggles fill our hospital corridors. Tomorrow, 3 children and 4 adults will get surgery they couldn’t otherwise have had. Just like the grace of God – everything we offer is for free - all our surgeries, all our medications, all the food (for patients and care givers) – everything, even my time, everything  is free.

How did we find these patients?

We have had a week of screening: approx 4200 people showed up. 2588 were seen by a rapid assessment ‘pre-screening’ team (I did that one day); 697 had a history and more detailed examination; and 369 were give appointments for a pre-operative surgical appointment and 204 placed on a waiting list

Our hospital is ready - we are so happy