Little Ray of Sunshine: Allison's African Adventure-Day Sita

19 May

Clinic Day Four- Bweyale

Today was a great day- we had some amazing cases and got to make some equipment. Some of the first people I saw were 2 kids with epilepsy who were adorable. The problem is that we can't actually give any seizure medications because they are no doctors to monitor the meds. Its the safe option but heartbreaking to explain to their parents. I did get to work with the most adorable little boy with CP. He was the tiniest little thing and really was not doing any of what he should be able to do. We made him a chair and bolster and most importantly we got to give him and his sisters new shoes! Aaron and I both made carpal tunnel splints for a lady and they were surprisingly not awful! Aaron did leave some splint material by the water and explaining to the children not to eat it is pretty hard in another language. This lady had the most precious little boy with Down Syndrome who I just fell in love with. But he was 7 and had just started walking which was so sad. I think the hardest thing can be sometimes knowing how different if he had been born somewhere else- that location is such a deciding factor and their developmental potential. I only hope we are narrowing that gap even a little now.

The highlight of my though was Anita getting a rolling walker. She came to us with back pain and I thought she was much, much older than her 40 years. What she was telling us just didn't make sense for her back pain but we eventually figured out that she had had a stroke 2 years ago that had gone unnoticed. She came in stopped and rigid, barely able to walk but left flying on that walked with a huge smile plastered on her face. She was like a new person and I was so ecstatic for her. Moments like that make up for when I can't cry because I am so heartbroken over situations or knowing that there will always be so many people that we just cannot treat. I haven't really cried over this trip because the whole experience is so emotionally draining. You are tired and hot and dirty but then heartbroken because any of us can go back to the hotel or home to leave it and they will never have that option. I want so badly to scoop up all of the kids and take care of them but it just isn't possible. The only thing to do is pray and spread the word. Its always interesting to talk to the guards and see how different we are but really how similar we are. So even with their scary guns they are really sweet guys and I will miss them dearly.