And so the treatment begins


It has been an amazing trip thus far full of new friends, new adventures, and new ways of life. However, yesterday when we arrived to Tenwick I felt overwhelmed and questioned myself for being here. It was the first night here and we were introduced to the amazing staff. To say I live in  a bubble is an understatement by being here. As the night went on I felt the pull to be in my comfort zone and to be honest I was struggling. Did I make the right choice? Can I really do any good here? Is this worth the sacrifice of leaving so many thing back home for others to do?
I woke up this morning and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of American children living here. Two of them have started their own hand delivery coffee company. Yes please! This campus is in the mountains, up at 6,000 feet and it is beautiful. The clinicians and families dine together each night and discuss their cases. We all seem to have a plate of humble pie with each meal after we discuss what each of us saw that day in clinics.
Well, as I was saying.. I was questioning why I came and was starting to feel nervous. However, as I was lead into the NICU to evaluate a 3 week old with possible cerebral palsy I felt at home. This beautiful tiny baby was struggling to breathe as I held her. Yes, I believe she has cerebral palsy I told the pediatrician on call and the nurses. Yes, I believe she will be okay. How do I know that? When you look around this community it is a struggle but they seem to have a great deal of love and patience. Then I met Joab is 5 years old with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. He did not understand my English but I made him practice counting to 5 on his fingers as he struggled to hold his head up.
It has been a very busy day. I still feel overwhelmed and missing home and my comforts. However, knowing tomorrow I will get to meet more wonderful children keeps me going. There is no AC and the power goes in and out here most of the time. However, patience and letting go are going to be my new best friends if I decide to let them in .
The things we take for granted are abundant when you look around but I see everyone here has more patience than I could ever hope for.



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