These are my final days spent in Kenya. If I could finish out med school here I would, another two and half months I could do. Granted I was ready to come home. One of the biggest challenges was the language barrier as the hospital was primarily staffed with Kenyans. Perhaps if I could speak fluent Swahili I wouldn't have been so ready to come home and work in a place where English was the primary language.
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| Susan, Myself, and Benta during an af in the nursery |
Sunday, Jan 26: On call time spent in the nursery and helping a Susan with her powerpoint again in preparation for her Grand Rounds presentation tomorrow. She was so so so thankful and trusts God with all of her endeavors in a way that inspires me. Prayers with her before she left—feeling blessed.
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| Sinkeet serving our daily dose of chai! |
Monday, Jan 27: Frustrated with poor patient management and a lack of communication between different services. But the incredible attitudes of the interns and an evening spent with a new diabetic teen eager to learn about his management brought me to tears. They probably thought I was crazy, but it truly pushed my heart past its emotional limit. He’d even copied the posters on the wall to keep notes about what to eat and signs of hypoglycemia. What a champ! And Susan rocked her Grand Rounds this morning—I felt like a proud mama
Tuesday, Jan 28: LOVE the fun you can have in the peds ward. The pictures should give you a good idea of our daily endeavors. I was also reminded of the circle of life. New babies being brought to the nursery and on my way home I pass by the area families gather with caskets of their loved ones—a frequent occurrence here.
A morning full of chai and mandazi!!
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| Rounds with Dr. Minette Son visitng from San Antonio |
This was our fearless leader Dr. Bemm, the long term missionary pediatrician, who in the video below is proving that the nutritional supplement, although expired, is still good and will not back patients sick by drinking it himself. Fun times.
This cute boy had a mama that had placed a Bible beneath his hand one morning, it brought a smile to my face as we were rounding one morning.
Thursday, Jan 30: Last day in the NICU, feeling for a mother named Joyce with twins. One has hydrocephalus and failure to thrive. She has a smile that makes me want to stay in the nursery all evening.
Friday, Jan 31: Left Tenwek this afternoon. Bittersweet. It was a good final morning in the ward. I was blessed by a young man with neurocutaneous albinism. The interns described those with albinism as an “endangered species” as they can be killed and their organs distributed with the idea it will bring wealth. He was admitted for a probable basal cell carcinoma which required a large resection of his scalp.
Saturday, Feb 1: At the guest house in Nairobi, leaving at 4pm for the airport. Great breakfast with an orthopedic surgeon and his prayer warrior of a wife. Did OMT on a gentleman for lower back pain. Tea and mandazi with a peace promoter in South Sudan. And lunch with Dinah! So many cool people.
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| The skyline of Nairobi as I headed to the airport |
