Halfway Point

I cannot believe that I am writing this blog-halfway done with my field service here. I'm sure you can tell by my lack of blog posts that life on the AFM (Africa Mercy) is busy. There is always something going on here, which makes time fly. I've been here for 45 days now, and in those 45 days my life has certainly changed from life on this ship. It hasn't always been easy. Living with 400 other people on a daily basis has its challenges. The silence I'm sure will be deafening when I return home. However, I have been challenged mentally as well as spiritually and feel as though I will leave here changed.


Life on the ship has become normal to me now, and days like today are my favorite. I am working evening shift tonight, so I have the whole morning to read, write, drink my coffee and reflect on the past few days. I may even head up to our little pool on the top of the ship. There isn't a ton of down time, but maybe I feel that way because there are always people around to hang out with and talk to. We have community gatherings on Thursday nights, church on Sunday nights. We play a lot of games at night. If you walk to "midships" (the center of the boat) there are always people trying out a new board game, so there is always something fun to join.

Streets of Douala

Typical marketplace

It has been so very busy these last few weeks on the ward. We have had double Max/Fax weeks two weeks in a row now. That just means we have two Max/Fax surgeons on, which means double the surgeries. Which means double the post-op patients for our ward! Post-op patients are usually very busy, requiring pain medication, closer observations and assessments, and they are almost always nauseous and vomiting! I was on a stretch of 4 night shifts this past week and I think they may have been the busiest shifts I have ever worked on the ship. Sleep here is hard to come by, living with 6 people in a small space is not the easiest-so I look forward to the days when I can sleep in my own bed and own room! But really-it's a small price to pay.

The top of the mountain!

Although we have been working hard on the ship, I actually got out to explore Mt. Cameroon. Mt. Cameroon is the 31st highest mountain in the world, and when it is not covered by dust and clouds, it can be seen across from our ship (right in my backyard)! I went to the mountain with 3 of my friends here. It was so nice to get away for three days to explore and connect with some of the girls here. The mountain was beautiful and we had 3 great days of weather, which is sometimes hard to come by here during rainy season. We got to the mountain just in time, because now that area is off-limits for us here on the ship. Without getting into too much detail, tensions are rising here in Cameroon and there are a lot of places that are unsafe for us to travel to. Continue to pray that the ship remains a safe place and for a safe return back home in a month for me! It is somewhat depressing-this area I am in-because I see devastation all around me. Trash all around me. The air is thick with pollution and dust. Poverty is apparent. It breaks my heart, but am blessed that I have the chance to be involved in changing lives here.

Chelsea, Rachel, Melanie and I

Goodbyes are never easy, and here it seems like friends come and go on a regular basis. It's one of the hardest things about working here. Connecting with people from all over the world, then wondering if we will ever get the chance to see them again. One of my favorite people on the ship, Rachel, left this week to head back to Canada after a few more stops in Africa. We had a nice dinner to say goodbye to her. I'm sure it's the first of many hard goodbyes. I am very blessed, though, to have met people from around the world and have places to stay when I want to travel! It has been a very unique experience thus far.

Rachel left us  :(

I will leave you the story of this little kiddo below. I really forget what his initial diagnosis was-it may have been a neurofibroma (tumor on a nerve). He had that tumor removed but then had loss of nerve function on one side of his face. He headed back to the O.R. to have his face stitched up so he wouldn't have a constant droop on one side-and his face would be more symmetrical. They over-corrected it on purpose because over time it will fall back into place. We decided it looked like he had a permanent smile, which was definitely not the case with this child. He was not a very happy kid for most of his stay on the unit-understandably so. His father didn't really understand why he was returning for another surgery, and I think some of the father's anxiety wore off on this little boy. I had this boy for a few days in a row and finally towards the end of my shifts he started to warm up to me. He started playing and interacting with me. The day this picture was taken he grabbed my hand when it came time for deck 7 time. I think I mentioned this before...deck 7 is the one hour a day that the patients get to head up to one of the upper decks to get some fresh air, cell phone service, and to play and be free of the ward. This particular day this little boy would not leave my side. We played Jenga and ran around on the deck. I saw him smile on top of his fake smile. This warmed my heart, and was one of my favorite success stories while here on the ship. I don't think I will ever forget him.

"The permanent smiler"

Nothing too crazy has happened since my last post, just a lot of busy days at work. I cannot tell you all how much I miss you-but the second half of this service will fly by and I will be home before I know it. Keep me in your prayers, as well as all of our patients. Until next time...