November Rain

Hello, friends!

November rain is the title of my blog – just because it is the end of rainy season! Yay! Well, at least that’s what we have been told since our arrival in Cameroon in mid August. But, alas – the rain is seeming to get a little less and we’re waiting for the heat wave to hit us. But with that there are beautiful sunsets to be seen and it is less muggy and misty outside. From the ship we can see Mount Cameroon more frequently now, which has been a rare event because it likes to hide in the clouds.

Sunset view of Mount Cameroon from the ship

Again two months have passed since my last update just like that … swoosh!   I sometimes jokingly say that there is a generator down on deck 1 in the Engine room that uses time as fuel to generate energy for the ship. Clearly that thing must have some malfunction and is using up much more time than it should.

Speaking of time, yesterday I celebrated my 39th birthday on the ship (I was about to write 26th, because that’s how I feel, but after closer calculation i realized that 39 is the accurate number to put down). This was my third birthday in a row (WOW) that I celebrated on the Africa Mercy. In 2015 we were docked in Tamatave, Madagascar, 2016 Cotonou, Benin and this year we are in Douala, Cameroon.   Most of the time I don’t even realize what an excitingly – awkward, different life I am currently living until I come across an event like for example my birthday that causes me to reflect. I realize that I am very blessed to be able to be in a special place like this, living on a ship, constantly surrounded by 420 different people from all over the world that constantly change, with one goal and vision – investing their unique skill sets to bring hope and healing to the world’s poorest population that don’t have access to timely, safe and affordable surgical healthcare.

And it can be very hard at times, especially when loved ones leave the ship. This seemed to have been the theme for Ruben and me the last two months as we have had to say goodbye to some close friends. This is probably the hardest part of ship life. As human beings we are not designed to live outside of community, and this ship is a tight community – you can’t possibly walk 120m without being within close range of 420 other people. But not only physically – we are tight on a heart level. Which is awesome most of the times. Until you have to say “goodbye”. Or “see you later”. But wherever you go, there will always be Mercy Shippers all around the world, and I am very confident that we will meet again.

As a matter of fact, Ruben and I will be traveling to the Netherlands on Friday, November 24th for two weeks, where we are planning on meeting with one of these friends to have a Frikandel Speciaal XXL 🙂 (you know who you are, friend). Also I am very excited to meet with my friends in Hamburg again and see how they’ve been doing and their kids have been growing.

Also some exciting work related news – I have taken on the roles of the Hospital Quality Manager and Hospital Informatics Manager in addition to staying in Anesthesia 40% of the time. I am very stoked that this is possible and excited to be able to combine patient care time with a new administrative role that allows me to get a glimpse of the future of our organization and be a part of growing stability and structure and preparing for the arrival of our new ship!

But enough from me from now, I bet you are excited to hear some patient stories!
Today I would like to introduce you to one of my Orthopedic patients, who has really touched my heart. Patient stories aboard are always moving, but some stories of patients, in whose care you have been involved, are just extra-special.

Meet 12 year old Ulrich!

Ulrich (Junior), orthopedic patient, before surgery.

When I first saw the video of Ulrich’s admission and saw how he moved around spider-like with the help of two walking sticks, I was truly shocked.

“I want to be tall like my friends,” was Ulrich’s heart desire from the beginning. Due to a condition known as ‘quadriceps contracture’, Ulrich’s muscles have not grown at the same rate as his bones since birth and have left him with severely bent legs to compensate for the short muscle. Even our seasoned lead orthopedic surgeon, Frank Haydon, other experienced nurses on board and I had never seen a case quite like this.

We were faced with a true challenge. In order to provide Ulrich the maximum amount of safety, our orthopedic surgeon decided to perform the surgery on one leg first and then – given that everything went well – do the surgery on the second leg a week after.

We were all praying with Ulrich for excellent results and the whole team came together in unity for our little patient.

Dr. James Lau and Frank Haydon, Orthopedic Surgeons, performing Ulrichs surgery

The surgery took a while, but all went well and shortly afterwards, Ulrich found himself back on the ward in his bed.

Dr. James Lau and Frank Haydon, Orthopedic Surgeons, with Ulrich and his mother in the Wards.

One leg straight, with a big smile on his face, Ulrich was soon ready for the surgery of his second leg.

Kids with leg deformities that receive surgery on the Africa Mercy stay in our care over a few months. The Physiotherapy starts after two days on the ward, where our kids learn to stand on their “new legs” and move around with their little walkers (“Waechter-Hoppers”, named after our beloved Tom Waechter, who passed away this summer and will always be remembered and dearly missed).

Ulrich on Deck 7 after his second surgery being pushed in a wheelchair by one of the Day Crew.

After the patients are discharged from the ward, they go to the HOPE center (Hospital Outpatients Extension) where they are further cared for. They come to the ship to receive further Physiotherapy in the REHAB department that is located in one of the dockside tents.

Without this extensive follow-up, we would not be able to do these complex orthopedic surgeries. Steffi Neeb, my German friend, and her team, perform true miracles in motivating the kids and getting them up on their “new” feet. Their days are busy and full, and cast changes are part of their daily bread.

It is very humbling to see the impact in the patients’s lives and see everybody working so hard to achieve this goal. Every single person on board and on land working here has their own unique talent and skillset that they bring into this organism called Mercy Ships.
Doing our work here would not be possible without all the Engineering and Deck crew, without the Housekeepers, cooks, Crew Galley and Hostesses, Receptionists or staff of any of the other departments.
Also I do want to mention that this would not be possible without your support towards me and Mercy Ships, either. So thank you for reading this blog and partnering with me, in whichever way you are currently supporting me.

Only because of this team effort it is today possible for Ulrich, the 12 year old boy with the dream of standing tall, to stand upright.

He will now be able to walk to school and play soccer with his friends!