Day 8: Team Restore

Today was our last day in the hospital and it was definitely a day filled with emotions. We started the day with breakfast and chapel, just like every other day, but it felt different knowing it was our last day. Another team of therapists is going to be coming to the hospital tomorrow and since we didn't know what their backgrounds were, it was really important that we wrote a very specific plan of care for each patient. This was especially important for our more involved neuro patients that we saw, like the TBI, the young kid with the SCI and the judge's father who had the stroke. Callie and I had big things planned today for the judge's father - we were going to gait train on a rolling walker! But unfortunately, he was feeling faint and couldn't get out of bed. One of my favorite patients was the little 8 year old boy who had an abdominal cyst the size of a grapefruit removed. He loved us! I think he mainly loved us because Ash carried lollipops in her backpack, but that's beside the point. He is so precious and at 8 years old, he probably only weighed 45 pounds. When I said goodbye to him and explained to him that it was our last day, he told me that it was good to meet me and that I would be in his prayers. Such a precious boy. The real tears, for me, came with my all-time favorite patient, Cadet. He is the 16 year old boy with the T2 SCI. We have been working hard with him all week and it was hard to explain to him today that we would be leaving. His cousin, who we think is about our age, has been there every day with him. She also seemed really disappointed that we were leaving. We wanted to make sure that they did not have any unanswered questions about his diagnosis or prognosis before we left. We asked Cadet if the doctors had explained to him what was going on with him (i.e. why he can't move his legs) and he said no. I couldn't believe it. It has been a week and not one doctor explained to this poor boy what is going on with him. We explained to him the anatomy of the spinal cord, what happened in his injury, and why he could not move his legs. When we finished explaining, he looked up at us and said "will I have to pay for all of the wheelchair by myself?" Well, that pretty much broke my heart. This 16 year old boy's first question after being told that he is paralyzed was in regards to money and the ability to pay for his wheelchair. It kills me that I cannot do more for him. I wish I could just bring him home with me and help provide for him. I was probably crying for about an hour after that conversation....it was rough. After we said goodbye to Sheila and drove back to Les Cayes, we went to play volleyball with June and the other missionaries in the area. We had a blast, although I realized that the volleyball skills I had in 8th grade are no longer with me. As we were walking back, we stopped by the home of one of June's patients - a 23 year old boy with an L1 SCI. They invited us inside the home to talk to him. The house had no electricity and was two rooms with a bed in each. June told us that a couple months ago, rats had infested the home and were gnawing on his feet (which he cannot feel). They had to put rat poison in the home to take care of the problem. She also told us that he probably has not been out of bed in months. Once again, we were in the midst of such extreme poverty and reminded just how lucky we are. This trip has been the most amazing experience of my life. I feel so blessed to have worked with these people, but so helpless at the same time because I wish I could do so much more. I wish we didn't have to leave tomorrow and I am already looking forward to our next trip. Thank you to everyone for the prayers and support while we have been in Haiti. We appreciate it so much! - Hannah