Tamba prior to surgery
Tamba came to the hospital from up north at the end of March. He had to have a series of ponsetti casting for his clubbed feet. His feet were completely turned around and he couldn't stand without assistance. After weeks and weeks of watching other patients go to surgery, his feet were finally in the right position to have his own surgery. On May 5th, he underwent the first of two surgeries. The surgery went well, but the recovery was pretty rough the first day. Before Tamba went to his second surgery, he told me, "Bioncé, you have to be there for my surgery." I promised I would try and I was thankful that it worked out for me to observe his second surgery, where Dr. Frank performed bilateral supra-malleoloar osteotomies." It was very interesting to watch and Tamba was happy to hear that I was in the room when he had his surgery.
Tamba with his "Bioncé" and another friend
Tamba has had his ups and downs during his time here at the hospital. There have been some sad days...like the day that all of the patients on his side of the ward were discharged home except for him....and the day that his IV infiltrated and I had to start a new one on him (I'm really glad I got it on the first try because I didn't know if he'd forgive me if I didn't!)...but there have been a lot of happy days too...in fact, there are few times that I ever see Tamba without a smile on his face. He is such a joyful kid and has really come out of his shell since the first day on the ship.
Tamba has a strong faith in God and has really inspired me in our little times of prayer together. There have been many nights that Tamba reminds me "It's bedtime, Bioncé. Let's pray." A few nights ago, he decided to initiate a time of prayer and singing among the ortho kids and their caregivers (the nurses joined in as well of course!) It was great to listen to the kids pray and sing to God. It brought joy to my heart and a smile to my face. One of the kids who is Muslim listened to us singing and said "You white people like Jesus a lot." It was pretty funny, but I was thankful that even if he doesn't believe, he is starting to understand what we believe and why we're here.
Today, Tamba was discharged from the hospital to the "Hope Center" where long-term patients can go if they still need follow-up, but live too far away to make the frequent trips for their appointments. Thankfully, the Hope Center is just a short walk from the ship. I promised Tamba that I would stop by and see him after he moved over to his new temporary home. It was great to find him sitting with the other ortho boys listening to a story that one of our day volunteers was reading. I have a feeling that he'll do well over there.
Tamba and his friend John (another one of our ortho patients)
While it's sad to see some of my favorite patients leave the ship, I'm grateful that many of them are still close enough to visit. And as I reflect on these first few months of the outreach, I see how God has been so good to bless me with such close relationships with so many patients. I hope that I have blessed them as much as they have blessed me and I look forward to developing close relationships with many more patients in the months ahead!
