Darius is a 9 year old boy who comes from Cotonou. Cotonou is the capital city of the neighbouring country, Benin.
Today is Easter monday, and two weeks ago I met Darius. His eyelids had fused together last year and he came to have surgery to literally ‘open his eyes’. I don’t know why his eyes had fused together. But that didn’t matter. Here was a little boy, sat in front of me, who once could see but now was blind.
Sometimes making a diagnosis can be difficult in medicine. Doctors are like detectives, piecing together the clues to come up with a ‘who dunnit list’ of possible culprits. Most clues come from what the patient tells us. Examining the patient gives more information, creating a list of possible suspects (diagnoses). Finally, tests and investigations confirm or refute our suspicions. Like most mysteries, the solving is best done when the evidence is fresh. Trying to figure out what happened years later is much more difficult. That was the situation with Darius.
Darius had been a healthy boy until last year. He enjoyed school and playing with his friends. Then, like many children his age, he caught chicken pox. Because he was malnourished the chickpox became a severe infection. What happened next is unclear. His mother thinks he had a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic which caused his skin to peel especially around his lips and eyes. His eyes swelled so much he couldn’t open them. When the infection healed it fused his eyelids together so he couldn’t open them. A once happy boy, now sat quietly on the edge of his bed, head hanging down.
But there was a small glimmer of hope. Darius could distinguish bright light from darkness. That meant it was worth surgically opening his eyes to see if the eyes themselves were damaged. There was a chance Darius might be able to see.
So we literally cut open Darius’s eyes. The left eye was badly damaged, but the right eye less so. More treatment was necessary. Darius would have to come to surgery every day to have his eyes cleaned and cared for under general anaesthetic. The surgery would be painful, requiring large doses of morphine. A tough ordeal for a frightened 9 year old, in a foreign country.
Over the last 2 weeks, there have been ups and downs. Initially Darius made good progress but then the progress slowed and he needed eye drops every hour. We were praying, his mum was praying. She stayed up all night praying when his eyes took a turn for the worse. She has made a big sacrifice for her son. She has travelled to another country, leaving her other children behind, just to give this son a chance for sight. Darius is that precious. She doesn’t know when her son’s ordeal will end. Nor does she know if it will be worth it. Will Darius ever see again? I don’t know. I hope so, but his treatment continues.
As doctors, we do what we can. We wait patiently. Here on the ship we also pray. His mum does the same. She puts her son’s needs before her own. What parent wouldn’t?
This reminds me of Easter. The bible says God is our heavenly father. As our dad, God also made a sacrifice for us. Just like Darius’s mum made a sacrifice.
God sacrificed his only son so we could be forgiven. God cares for you and me, just like Darius’s mum cares for him. Darius is precious to his mum. You and I are precious to God. A parent will do whatever they can to help their child. God wants to help us too. He wants to hold our hand, in his nailed pierced hands and walk life’s journey with us. What parent wouldn’t?
This Easter, do you know how precious you are? Will you take God's hands offered for you?
Happy Easter Darius. See you in surgery tomorrow.
Happy Easter Darius. See you in surgery tomorrow.
