Our Night in the Hospital

As a nurse, I've spent many nights in the hospital, and many days in clinics both in the United States as well as in Peru, Ghana, and Honduras. These clinics and hospitals have ranged from teaching & research hospitals in the United States, to bush hospitals, to makeshift clinics that may or may not have included hammocks for beds and headlamps for lighting.

Here I am in one such makeshift clinic in Peru:

The term "family medicine" takes on a whole new meaning here! Note the flowers on my table. These were not medicinal flowers, they are simply a bouquet of flowers, given to me by the villagers as a simple, yet sincere, "thank you" for coming to their village and caring for them. Each team member received one.

Here is a photo of the overcrowded conditions of the pediatrics ward of the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu, Ghana:

Most of these kids had malaria or other preventable, treatable diseases, and while the hospital is the best in the area, many of these kids died because the hospital simply did not have everything needed, mainly oxygen and blood for transfusions.

Here I am working on the pediatrics ward in Ghana:

Yesterday, Sam was admitted to the hospital for RSV, a treatable and highly contagious respiratory virus. I spent the night with him (naturally) and after he fell asleep I watched him in the pale blue glow emitting from the little monitors next to his bed. I thought about him a lot last night--about his future, his potential, and about how much my life has changed from those nights in Nalerigu to now. Seeing him lay there, knowing he would be coming home in a day or (worst case scenario) two, reminded me of how much we have to be thankful for.

Sam never needed supplemental oxygen, but not only was it there, he was admitted to the hospital just in case he needed it. We live in a country with the best healthcare in the world, and the availability is such that my son can spend the night in a hospital just in case he needs something that we don't have at home. His private room included a private bath, a flat screen TV, a window, and a pull-out bed for me. He was tended to by a team of doctors, residents, nurses and aides. He received a chest x-ray and multiple assessments. I was constantly asked if everything was ok, if I needed anything, if there was anything the staff could do to make my stay more pleasant.

Watching him sleep through the night, I was reminded of a promise I made to myself when I first found out that I was pregnant with Jack: that my children would know two worlds. They would know the world that comes with being an American citizen--excellent education, unmatched healthcare, carefree childhood days. They would also know the world that most others live in, the Third World as it has been called, and would grow up with a sense of responsibility to be the best they can be so that they may leave the security of the home they love and go out into this other world and make life better for other people.

I felt very blessed.

I can't wait to watch my children experience both of these worlds.