We had quite the day today. In the NICU there are two babies who are in the 700 gram range (that's about 1 and a half pounds.) It is an attestment to the amazing work of the doctors and nurses here. They have limits to the resuscitation measures, labs, diagnostic tests, and medicines, yet they have kept these two fragile little lives going strong. The babies themselves are Haitian through and through- beautiful, brave, resilient, right from the first moments of their lives.
I also spent time on the malnutrition wards. Even after many trips to many poor countries, and taking care of these kids day in and day out, something about them still grabs me. I see babies who have thin, bony limbs where they should have cherubic limbs with roly-poly thighs and dimpled knees, and something gets stuck in my throat. Every time. There is a deep, intrinsic drive to FEED the baby that pumps through me when I see them. They inspire me to continue to tell their stories, to continue to work for the change that would allow them secure access to food. I try my best to take care of them in the short term. I worry about them once they go home, whether they will continue to grow, if they will have the strength to fight off infections, how they will do their first year in school.
The toddler ward
I brought the first batch of coloring books to the wards; they were a huge hit. Thank you to everyone who contributed to that project!
No comments:
Post a Comment