Pediatrics

I spent the week in the Peds Ward, and was brought to my knees so many times by what I saw there. As a frequent flyer at children’s hospitals due to my osteomyelitis in high school, I have a pretty good feel of what makes kids happy when they’re sick. Some things that I always loved in the hospital were having a private room, when the ‘play therapists’ would come visit with games, a well-stocked physical therapy gym with lots of fun things to do, constantly being with my family, and the love of my nurses and doctors. Unfortunately for the kids at Msambweni, the children’s ward here lacks in almost all of those things. Kids from over 100 kilometers away trek to Msambweni District Hospital when they’re seriously ill, and the hospital has about 20-30 kids in the peds ward at any given time. Most cases are malaria, fractures, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, and high fevers. There are also patients admitted with complications from AIDS, malnutrition, and tropical diseases like lishmainiasis.

Two patients on the ward especially pulled at my heart. The first is Kelly, a one and a half year old with severe malnutrition and probably HIV. Her mother is “positive” (HIV+) and hasn’t consented to test Kelly yet. Weighing in at less than 10 pounds and frequently sick, Kelly certainly shows the signs of having the disease. Left alone for most of the day, Kelly cries whenever anyone (especially Ms. White Skin over here) would come near her, and my heart just ached for this little girl having her life compromised when she still has so much promi

The second buddy of mine is an 8 year old boy, Rumba, on the ward with osteomyelitis. He fell from a coconut tree and fractured his femur. After sitting in traction in the hospital for over a month (common treatment for fractures here) he developed many complications, and eventually got tuberculosis in his spine and became paralyzed. Near death, the nurses didn’t think Rumba was going to make it. Almost a year later, he’s still in the hospital but getting around with a walker and carrying a huge smile on his face. He has osteomyelitis, a bone infection, in his femur but is recovering from all of his ailments in such a brave, positive way. I was immediately drawn to him, and had one of the Swahili-speaking staff explain to him that I used to have osteomyelitis too. We compared scars, and I brought some pencils and paper for him to color with so he’d have something to keep him occupied other than listening to crying babies all day. His smile helped me see the silver lining in the dreary Pediatrics Ward, showing me the hope these patients have despite the conditions of the hospital.

My osteomyelitis buddy, Rumba

Kelly

The Peds Ward