Let us introduce you to....

It's nice to have friends who are nurses and who are willing to share the stories that God has allowed them to become a part of.  Our friend Amy shared some suh-weet pictures & stories of patients that she has had the privilege of caring for on her blog  She's a kind and generous soul and doesn't mind if we share them with you.  Some of the information has been updated...but, for the most part, this is all straight from the heart and hands of Amy Humphrey.  Without further adieu...let us introduce you to....

Merveille.

"Merveille means 'wonderful' in French, and he is quite wonderful. He had a palatoplasty done to fix his cleft palate. Can you imagine going 12 years of your life with a hole in the top of your mouth? He wasn't a huge fan of the NG tube (who would be?), but he still weathered the recovery like a champ. He also wasn't a fan of the soft diet (no rice!!).  He had to adhere to post-op.  He loved to laugh as I tried to count in French and Kituba while he did his palate exercises. 

Merveille's dad was the best coach one could ask for, by his side every minute and encouraging him in his recovery, in his speech exercises, and in the game of UNO. Oh my goodness, I have never seen a kid have so much trouble learning a card game. Every time he tried to put a green 7 down on top of a red 3, I just couldn't help but laugh! To be fair, I was attempting to explain the rules of the game in VERY broken French and Kituba, with a lot of reliance on hand gestures. :) 

Please pray that he continues to develop his speech, as he is having to learn a whole new way to form sounds with his now anatomically-correct mouth!"

Alistera.

"This sweet one has captured my heart. And not just because she is from my home-away-from-home, Uganda. :) She was brought here by a local doctor who is doing some pretty incredible things for disabled Ugandan children through his non-profit EDYAC.  She was admitted for severe burns she experienced as a young girl, her first surgery (of several planned) was a few weeks ago. She is very self-conscious of her scarring and shyly keeps the burned side of her face turned away-- BUT she is gradually beginning to come out of her shell, slowly starting to lift up her gaze, and us nurses couldn't be more thrilled. 

We sing through her dressing changes, and I tell her how beautiful she is, praying that she would know that she is SO loved. She teaches me to count in her local language while she compliantly takes her daily cocktail of less-than-tasty nutrition supplements to aid with wound healing. We turned one wall of her room into an art gallery displaying her superb coloring skills, and you will often find her bandages covered in "flair", like stickers and pipe-cleaner flowers." 

Alphonse.

"Alphonse was with us for over two weeks. He served as our ward's DJ, keeping us entertained with Congolese, Nigerian, and American tunes played from his phone. It was not uncommon to hear his voice singing out on the other side of the ward or when we were giving shift report. 

He had a surgery that required a giant skin graft to be taken from his leg and placed on his face. He carefully watches each dressing change with a mirror, surveying our technique and never once complaining, though I am certain it is quite painful for him."

Vernel.

This is Amy, by the way! :)

"Oh Vernel. I dare you not to fall in love with this 6-year-old's smile. He is just as full of life as these photos depict! And he gives the best hugs. One of my favorite moments of him was after his surgery when he was having trouble keeping down any food. I finally sweetened up some yogurt and gave it to him, and he just devoured it. As in, almost ate the spoon itself. The whole ward was laughing and he responded with a tiny yogurt-covered smile (difficult post-cleft lip repair, as you can imagine)."

Pressley.

"Baby Pressley was one of the first of many precious babies with cleft lips to come through our ward. I didn't get to be his care nurse, but I did get some good snuggles. Just look at him!! What a blessing that he will spend the rest of his life without a lip deformity!"

Many, many thanks for Amy for letting us share some of her stories.

Please pray for these precious ones and for all of the others who have had, and will have, surgery.  As of October 12, 282 surgeries had been accomplished onboard the Africa Mercy since the Hospital opened in September.  Each one, a miracle!

Surely there will be more to come.  Hallelujah, there will be more to come!