River Dancing Lemurs Part 3

 PART 3

We set out on foot on the island to see all the different critters. The guides were fascinating and so knowledgeable. We wandered through jungle vines, on paths, off paths for hours and hours to be able to see all the lemur species in the area. We weaved our way, sweating through giant jungle leaves, and brush. Our friend joked with us about the spiders we came across. He said the colorful one looked like it was wearing a Hawaiian Shirt, we saw one that appeared shiny and like it was part of a Heavy Metal Band, one that looked like it was wearing Dracula’s cape, pretty accurate descriptions for the 8 legged critters in various sizes and colors that I never want to see again!

We saw Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs, a Panther Chameleon that once it ages, it’s base color becomes green. We saw male and female Crown Lemurs, and the Red Belly lemur. The female Red Belly Lemur has a white belly and no white on their face. We crept through the trees and my friend cried tears of joy again as she saw each new lemur species. It was fascinating to watch. I’d pay for the trip again, just to see the joy these animals brought her. We saw a 5 month old baby with its mom. This was an Indri Lemur. They can live up to 50 years of age. When the babies are only 4 hours old, the moms start teaching the babies to hang onto them by jumping only 5 meters at a time, then more and more, making sure the baby is strong to hang on. Moms take care of the baby for the first 6 months, and then dad helps. The lemur baby stays with his parents for 5-7 years and then goes off to find a mate. The females carry the babies for 4.5 months. They can have a baby every 3-5 years. Fascinating creatures. My friends all posed for photo after photo with the lemurs and wanted them to sit on their shoulder. I did not want the little creatures to touch me. Maybe explains why my only pets in the world have been fish. I am not into petting things. My facial expressions in photos captured showed I was less than interested in a lemur touching me. I did not want to get peed on or pooped on as our friend did. Another reason I kept my distance from the little fellas.  We kept wandering the island for hours. Stepping over jungle vines, dodging spider webs, and making sure not to touch the flora and fauna.  There were lots of creepy crawling critters camouflaged on branches. Say that over and over.  We laughed when we saw a huge caterpillar climbing up a tree and reflected on a moment at dinner the night before when my friend had to rescue me from a mini spiky caterpillar crawling on my hat. Dustin suggested I throw my hat off to get rid of the critter. I looked at him with disbelief that he would not get the freaky bug off me and wanted me to reveal a secret to public!  A bit vain, but I did not want to throw my hat to reveal my struggle with thin hair to a group of people I did not know, l was wearing my hat that had fake hair extensions attached to it! I didn’t want to reveal my hair looks like thin aye aye hair! For a memory we posed by the BIG caterpillar and laughed again that Dustin didn’t save me from the little caterpillar. Blessings to my friend Tabby who got a brief poke from the spiky caterpillar to rescue me during dinner the night before.   The guides were incredible and wanted us to get the full experience, so we kept trekking around the jungle and brush. Finally, we happened upon the newest lemur mom with her 8 day old baby. The was part of our final search.  My friend cried again and said, “You’re such a good mom!” To the lemurs. We were dying with laughter, but it was so fun to watch her. We decided she feels the same way about animals that I do about the little village babies.  The guide could communicate with the lemurs and get them to show their normal communication and then communication that was downright frightening, that showed when they were feeling threatened. It was a very educational day. No one got a “famous” lemur picture with them sitting on their shoulder and they were disappointed. I was not. They were jealous that Dustin and I had visits in our bungalow not once, but twice! I kept assuring them I would have gladly traded “the full lemur experience” with any of them. 

Hearts full from the adventure; we boarded the boat again to head back to the ship.  We talked about life, love, loss, and got to know those we had adventured with. We laughed and laughed. Some slept. We waved and waved at the villagers we passed. We had some of the technical crew draw us a “mercy ships maritime family tree.” To help us “non-technical” crew understand the chain of command and roles of the technical crew on the ship. I am still not sure I understand the entire system, but much better than before. A great way to pass time. We were one body of people from many nations, all coming together to bring hope and healing. We had a nurse from New Zealand, an eye doctor from the USA, a Hotel Engineer from the Philippines, an officer from the USA, an electrical control technician from the United Kingdom, a lab technician from the USA, a dietician from the USA, 3 other nurses from the USA, Dustin and me.  Thank you God for the great adventure, time in your creation, safety in the journey, and the experience. Thank you for the Lemurs River Dancing on my bungalow roof. 

Photo Credit to group of Mercy Ship's Crew on this trip. Extra thanks to Megan Petersen for tons of photos and writing down the facts the guide told us. If you click on the photos they will enlarge and you can zoom in and find many hidden details in the photos. Focus in on the photo in the bungalow with the green beds. Look closely on the wooden frame above the bed. Look at the photo of Dustin under the photo of Dustin with the turtles. Zoom in- to see the critter above his head in the picture. Enjoy!

River Dancing Lemurs Part 2

PART 2

Dustin and I finally had a weekend off together and I longed to show him part of Africa outside the port city. The port city is still poverty stricken, without a doubt, but I wanted to get into the countryside that is more of a reflection of “real life” in Africa. I wanted to be out and about where our patients live. We boarded a wooden motor boat with 12 other Mercy Ship’s crew members. We knew some of them, others we did not, but it didn’t matter. We were told the trip would take around 4 hours and I just prayed I would not get seasickness. Our final destination was the famous Palmarium Reserve, the home for lemurs in the wild in Madagascar, but I was more excited about the boat trip! 

We started out down the Pangalanes Canal, a canal system in Madagascar that contains a series of interconnected lakes and runs parallel to the Indian Ocean. Our guide shared the history of the canal, being a man-made canal, but honestly, I was too distracted by all the activity along the canal to remember the details he shared. Thanks Wikipedia for filling in the details”… the canal is 410 miles long, the canal was started in 1896, work continued all the way to after World War II with some renovation even into the 1980s…”

It was beautiful, the hustle and bustle along the jungle green shoreline. Kids enjoying a swim or bath time together. They looked so content and happy. I tried not to think about the diseases in the water.  Beautiful caramel colored mamas doing laundry in the murky water. Men checking their fishing nets along the waterway. Huts scattered along the countryside. Adorable babies! Zebu in the brush and getting a drink out of the water. Another thing I tried not to think about, the animals going to the bathroom in the water, and then people drinking the water. Men in dug-out canoes filled to the brim with sand. The men would dive down under the water and then pop back up again with a jerry can full of sand. Apparently, the sand in the bottom of the canal was best for building houses. I heard giggling around a tree line and saw two kids “sledding” down the sandy dirt hill laughing with such pure laughter my heart was SO full. There were men chopping bamboo in the shallows and building rafts. Barges stuffed with produce, coal, sugar, and supplies floated past us. We waved with enthusiasm to the workers and local people strewn atop the supplies having a rest. We saw a large group of people gathered on the shore and I asked our guide what was happening. It was too calm for a joyous situation, there wasn’t dancing and whooping.  I quickly assessed the situation and told my friends, “It’s a funeral, it’s a funeral, put your cameras DOWN!” I saw two bodies lying at the shoreline wrapped in leaves and sheets. I said a silent prayer for the village. I am always torn between really wanting photos of life happening near us, and not wanting to be seen as a tourist just taking pictures. But, I knew those taking pictures must put the camera down the moment I sensed the solemn event. We continued along the canal with others waving and smiling. 

We were told we had the opportunity to stop at a village along the way and get out to stretch. I was SO excited! I had seen things like this before, but Dustin never had. We were greeted with enthusiasm as the local village women surrounded us with necklaces and bracelets they had made and were hoping to sell. Some were made with fruit seeds. The guide told us if we needed to use the bathroom, we could use “nature.” Dustin informed me his stomach was upset and he NEEDED a toilet. I quietly asked the tour guide where he suggested someone go “caca.” I chose that word as that’s what the interpreters on the ship say when they translate to ask my patient’s if they’ve gone “number 2.” The guide looked at me and said, “Do you need to go caca?” I said, well, yes, we NEED a toilet. Dustin’s stomach had been causing ruckus over the past few weeks. I told the translator, we would pay. The tour guide led my friends through the huts in the village and we saw the beautiful view of the ocean. What a blessing this village had of the canal access and ocean access. I forgot the Indian Ocean was just beyond the jungle green. We crossed some train tracks and the guide noted the train actually comes through bringing supplies at times. Although we were mighty remote, there was still some import and access. Dustin was not as near fascinated with the scenery as he NEEDED the toilet and informed me it may be too late. I assured him, I asked and would support him in any manner I could. My friends got fresh coconuts and adorable children followed along. I wanted to sit in the village forever and embrace the simplicity of life there. The guide told us to follow him and we wandered down the sandy paths weaving through little huts with thatched roofs. There was a make shift store that apparently had a generator as they had a little freezer. We arrived at a house with a woven fence and the guide said they had a toilet. We walked down a narrow fenced area toward an outhouse. Dustin’s eyes looked HUGE like he had a medical condition or thyroid problem and his eyes were going to pop out of his head. I just assured him I would help me. I held his hand. We went under a giant tree and I thought I was stepping over part of the stump, and then realized my mistake, it was 2 giant turtles. This place was SO cool. Dustin was not sharing my sentiments at all. I prayed quietly prayed for his strength and stomach. We were left in private by the toilet, which we were honored to be able to use. It was a humble raised outhouse made from sticks and woven materials. The fence surrounding it was not a privacy proof fence and I saw the locals staring at me. I asked Dustin if he wanted me to go in the outhouse with him, he said for sure. I shamelessly went in it with him and took a picture of him with it. I asked him if he wanted me to go first. He said, “Oh, you need to go, too?” I said, “Well, we are here, so why not.” I am not near as skilled in the squat and hit a hole as I used to be and if you don’t control your bladder flow; your shoes are wet by the end of the process. Just random information for those that may find themselves in this situation in the future.  He looked at me with disbelief that I still intended him to use this hole in the ground for his stomach emergency. We did not have any other option and I told him how blessed we were to have someone give us access to their private toilet and it was likely the nicest in the village of 300 people. I told him, not ideal, but he could just plop his bum down in the hole and we’d figure it out from there. I told him I would help use the bucket to rinse the toilet when he was done. I gave him my stash of Kleenex and napkins for toilet paper and also told him, when you need to, sometimes, you just have to stick a pile of the paper in your crack and clean it up later. Not some of my fonder memories of Africa, but you do what you have to do. I stepped outside and hoped to find the two turtles to take a picture. They were very fast turtles, but I found one for a photo. 

Dustin came out of the toilet shortly after and I assured him I would help him wash his clothing or whatever was needed when we made it to our next destination. I gave him a handful of hand sanitizer, we thanked the homeowners, and then we searched for the rest of the group. We found our friends near the ocean. I was in heaven. I asked Dustin if he was feeling like he was in Hades. He was definitely not in heaven. The cute little kids in the village came up to Dustin and my friend, Sheli and grabbed their hands. They wanted to hold hands and swing. Dustin was not really into this either. But I captured a few pictures. The kids were happy. We passed a weary hut and then saw a USAID sign on the hut. This village was blessed enough to have a local clinic. The clinic was closed, but our tour guide said he knew who held the key in the village. The tour guide left us for a few moments and then returned with someone to open the clinic. I reveled at the clinic’s humbleness, much like things I had seen in West Africa. I saw the malaria prevention, abuse prevention, and vaccination public health notices. It was a humble start, but making a difference. 

We trekked along in the village and got to see the one room school house. We were coming out of the school house and I turned around, my friend was holding a beautiful baby! A proper little baby! I melted. Forget the lemurs; this is what I came for! I used charades and received the mom’s approval to hold the baby! I was in pure heaven! Dustin smiled for the photo with me, but declined holding the child. It’s okay, I didn’t want to share the baby with anyone else anyway. Our guide told us we needed to get back in the boat to head onto the lemur reserve. I told him to leave me there and come back for me the next day. They told me I had to come with them. Bummer.

We continued to make our way up the canal and it opened into a large lake. It was lovely. There was shade on the boat and a gentle breeze to keep us cool. Thankfully, I was not seasick at all. Only baby sick. I have never had an ache for my own children, as many women do, but I sure love other people’s children and especially those that have dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or mocha colored skin. I wanted to go back to the village with the kids and baby! After another hour, we arrived to our location. I joked that it looked like a location for the TV show Survivor. It really did. We were warmly welcomed to the reserve and given a glass of “Welcome Juice.” It was non-alcoholic and tasted lovely and was a warm gesture of hospitality, but I couldn’t help but chuckle as in my head, the term “Welcome Juice” sort of came out in a voice that was a little creepy like in Hansel and Gretel or something. There was a canopy of trees all around us and then we saw them, jumping through the trees. The lemurs! My friend was SO happy she squealed and had tears of joy running down her face. She just wanted to hug and touch all the lemurs. She really wanted one to touch her and sit on her shoulder, although we were warned not to let them sit on us as they are wild animals and carry rabies. She shrieked with glee and yelled, “I love you guys and Jesus loves you so much he made you!” To the lemurs! It was hilarious. I am not an animal person by any means, but it was fantastic to witness her excitement. We made our way to our bungalow and saw some giant turtles. One turtle was rather aggressive and corning another turtle. I thought it was being such a bully and should back off. Then in front of my eyes, I saw the other turtle jump on top of the other one it was chasing and heard turtle shells clanking together. We turned off our camera and stepped away from the private moment. It was a very distinctive sound though and I still hear it echoing in my head. God sure made all the creatures in this world unique. 

We sat on our porch for a minute chatting with some of my new dear friends. I so wanted to go into the pristine water to cool off, but had already been warned of the parasite Schistosomiasis being present in the fresh water, so chose not to expose myself to the parasite infection. Normally, you are told to avoid slow moving water, murky water, or such, but in Africa, the fast moving water can get you, the slow moving water has its own burden of disease, and pristine lake water with snails carries Schistosomiasis. Darned if you do, darned if you don’t! It can cause terrible symptoms from fevers, itching, diarrhea, to eventually seizures, bladder cancer, and confusion if the parasite eggs reach the brain. NO thank you! On that note, just say a prayer for the health for Dustin and me. I sure was far more naïve to these risks in my 20’s and then I obtained my diploma in tropical nursing and YIKES! We take all preventative measures possible to sustain our health, but life here is not without risk. 

Back to relaxing on the porch. My friend sat in a hammock and Dustin fell asleep in the chair. Next thing I knew, a lemur jumped up on the railing behind Dustin and started scurrying up the rafters. I thought it may poop on me, so I moved aside. Then I saw it disappear. No way, I said, that lemur just snuck into our bungalow! It sure appeared the bungalow was critter proof, but apparently not. I sure prayed that we would NOT get a night time visit from one of those critters. I was okay seeing them from a distance, but didn’t want to see one in my room at night. Dustin opened the door to our bungalow and caught the little lemur hanging upside down on the mosquito net holder. Dustin joked, those aren’t mosquito nets, those are lemur nets! We chased the lemur out of our bungalow and met up with the rest of our friends. They were jealous that the lemurs had been so close to us and in our bungalow. I assured them, I did not want them that close to me and they all wished they had a lemur visit. 

We embarked on another little boat and took a 20 minute sail in the dark to a private island where the nocturnal lemurs, the aye aye, live. Creepy little long fingered creatures with thin spiky hair, big eyes, and rodent like teeth. They have especially long middle fingers to catch grubs and larve out of tree trunks or dig out the coconut cream in a coconut. They even eat upside down. We watched the little creatures for over 20 minutes and it was fascinating. We then walked back to the boat and I hoped we would stumble upon snakes, spiders, or other creeping creatures out there in the dark. I glanced up at the sky and it was the purest glimpse of the stars and Milky Way Galaxy I had seen in years. No light pollution, fantastic creation! If I had not been so tired, I would have just stared at the stars forever.

It had been a long day and I was thankful for a cool shower and settled into bed. I tucked a light sheet around me and prayed for no night time visits from the lemurs! But you already know how that turned out! Stay tuned for PART 3 of the River Dancing Lemurs Adventure.

Photo Credit: Combined effort of the 12 Mercy Ship's Crew on the Trip. Extra Kudos to Megan Petersen as she took a LOT of the pictures. If you click on the photos they will enlarge and you can zoom in and find many hidden details in the photos. Enjoy!

River Dancing Lemurs Part 1

 PART 1

It was around 4am. It was still dark outside. I was snug under the light weight sheet as it was too hot for me to use more than a sheet when we had gone to bed.  Thankfully, it’s not oppressively hot like West Africa. That is next level hot! I sometimes referred to that level of hot as “sweat down your crack hot.” I used to freeze my Mercy Ships Nalgene bottle of water and put it under my dress when I would go to town in West Africa. When I volunteered at the bush mission hospital in Kpalime, Togo, to even be able to get to sleep, I would shower before going to bed to try to cool down and wash all the sticky sweat off me from the day.  I would soak a light weight bandana or scarf in cool water and put it in front of my fan (thanks to those that sent support money so I had a few dollars to run a fan a night) then the air would cool to a tolerable level and I could finally fall asleep. Sometimes I asked the staff at the guest house if I could freeze some water bottles in the freezer. I would use a few frozen water bottles that I would sleep with under my armpits, head, and near my groin (the areas we use to cool patients quickly after emergency situations).  I am thankful Madagascar is a little less intense when it comes to the heat. Well, let me rephrase that, I find it less intense here, Dustin would say different. 

There was no electricity in our cute little bungalow overnight. There were generators that ran only a few hours for electricity. There was a sink and shower with running water and a toilet in our bungalow, so we were more than comfortable. I lay in the bed and our mosquito net was draped around the bed frame, where I had carefully placed it to ensure we had as much protection from malaria as possible. Malaria is still very present in this part of the world and is deadly. Dustin and I both take antimalarial tablets daily, but we use every method known to prevent malaria that is possible. Dustin was snoring gently next to me. The next thing I heard was scurrying and scattering on the bungalow roof. I heard rummaging of leaves, crunching, chewing, more scurrying. I awoke frightened and said, “Dustin, is that inside or outside our bungalow, hold me!!!” With a sleepy, nonchalant, voice, he said, “outside’ and he rolled back over to go back to sleep. The scuttle continued and sounded like someone was doing the Irish River Dance on the roof. I grabbed Dustin again and said, “I think that is INSIDE our bungalow, hold me, I am scared!” Dustin moaned and assured me it was outside, no need to be concerned. Again the scuttle continued. I was freaked out. I did not have a flashlight because it had been too long since I had gone into the jungle that I was not prepared and my cell phone battery had died. I did not really care about the lack of access to the world, I actually far prefer being “unplugged,” but I could have gone for a flashlight at that time. Dustin’s phone still had a battery so I needed him to rescue me with the flashlight mode to see what the fuss was about and if the threat was inside or outside our bungalow. I nudged Dustin again and he grabbed his flashlight and shone it across the room near the empty twin size bed and hanging frame that the mosquito net was attached to. There in the corner was a lemur staring me down! I was not okay with this situation. It was too early and I did not want that critter IN my bungalow. I asked Dustin to save me and he laughed. I squealed! It was still the wee hours in the morning and I wanted to go to sleep. Dustin crawled out of bed and I vaguely recall Dustin clapping his hands to try to startle the lemur away from us. Somehow he got the little bandit scared and the lemur climbed back up the rafters of the bungalow and escaped out the same way he got in. I settled down and prayed that I could sleep more, without any critters visiting. A few hours later, it was like an encore of River Dance and it startled me awake again. I thought, here we go again. I elbowed my snoring knight in armor next to me again. I told Dustin I thought they were back. Sure enough, another lemur was in our bungalow. 

The critter was eyeballing our luggage. I am seasoned enough to know better than having open food around. We did not. But the critter climbed down and started roaming around the bungalow as if he owned the place. I was not okay with this. Dustin got out of bed and started clapping and clapping to startle the lemur. The sun had started to come up and I saw the critter scamper toward my luggage. That was it. I said, Dustin, “let’s open the front door, and get that guy outta here. We aren’t wasting time for him to climb back up the rafters and vaulted bungalow ceiling to get outta here.” Dustin kept clapping and I said, “Don’t let it touch you!” I flung open the bungalow door in my pajamas to the beauty of jungle green trees and the lake and shooed that lemur outta my space. I told the lemur “I paid for the bungalow and he didn’t!” Dustin laughed. We both laughed. We shut the bungalow door and decided we best get up and ready for the day. The lemurs were wide awake and our lemur nature hike was to start soon. As soon as we shut the door to the bungalow, we heard our friend, who has dreamed of seeing lemurs in their natural habitat for over 25 years.  She gasped with excitement and said “I love you” to the lemur that had just terrified me and trespassed on my space. Hahahha. Dustin and I laughed again. 

At breakfast we talked to the others in our group about the lemur in our bungalow and how it freaked the daylights out of us. Apparently, we were the only ones who received the “full lemur experience” of the early morning visit of a lemur INSIDE our bungalow. The other 12 in our group were ALL jealous of our experience. I could have done without it, but it just added to the adventure. Not everyone can say they had a personal performance of lemurs doing the River Dance on their roof and then making a guest appearance inside their bungalow. I had seen enough lemurs for my liking, but the day was just beginning. We now set out on foot with our guide in the Palmarium Reserve, but I got WAY ahead of myself. Let’s go back more than 28 hours, to the previous day when this adventure started… Stay tuned for PART 2 of this adventure…

May I always focus more on storing heavenly treasures vs. earthly treasures- Amen

 

Sakoba Guinea 2013

Found this old photo posted on a Facebook Page for Mercy Ships. Loved this little fellow. I sure thought I wrote about him in 2013, but now I don't think I did. I am pretty sure the lower picture is the same little boy. He was my buddy. Crazy to think he would be around 17 years old now, but has straight legs thanks to Mercy Ships! 

B Ward: Beyond This World & Never a Bore

 We have established D ward Roolz and Droolz, but let me tell you about B ward. It could stand for Be still my heart. Or if it could stand for Beautiful Babies. It’s probably most accurate to say it stands for both. B ward is the ward for pediatric surgical specialties. I never know exactly what I will see when I open the door to B ward, but it is always a Blessing. Over the past few weeks my smiles have been Bountiful every time I step into B ward. A few weeks ago, I was trying to sneak in just before my 7am shift started so as not to disturb those that may still be sleeping after recovering from surgery. Much to my surprise, I opened the door to beds full of Bright eyed little Beauties! I couldn’t contain myself, I saw two little doctors, wearing matching plastic blue glasses that looked like Where’s Waldo glasses. The pair sat on little metal stools next to their moms and hospital beds. They were wearing tiny hospital gowns and examining one another’s ears and applying plastic bandages from the ward’s dress up doctor’s kit. 

Another little kiddo who had already had surgery and was anticipating going home was wearing red pants that looked like Peter Pan dress up pants and a long sleeved button up black shirt with green, yellow, and red tropical flowers. He approached me with his plastic stethoscope that was green and yellow and coordinated perfectly with his tropical shirt. He ran up to me and motioned that he needed to listen to my heart and lungs. I leaned over for him to listen to my lungs. He listened to my heart, lungs, and belly about 5 times. I could not stop smiling. This place makes me come alive! He had no idea he was listening to what my heart beats for. 

We have been rotating pediatric surgical specialties in B Ward over the last few weeks as different surgeons come and go. We did a few weeks of pediatric eye surgeries a few weeks back. Those kids are no longer Blind!  Did you ever think that when God said, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:5) that you could have a front row seat to witness this?  It’s not miracles of the past that just took place during Bible times, it’s happening here and now and I am so honored to be a part of it. It’s Breathtaking! Those children wore Bandages around their eyes that made them look like children Blindfolded playing pin the tail on the donkey. I took handover from the day shift nurse and she noted the patients in bed 3 and 4 were already Best friends. She said they were both in the Bathroom together and giggling nonstop. It would have been fun to be a Bug on the wall seeing what they were laughing about. I imagine it had something to do with the ship’s plumbing. I get scared and jump when the toilet flushes. It sounds like you will get sucked into it as it is a vacuum system. Imagine never having running water before, let alone a toilet to sit on, then being unable to see and hearing the sound similar to an airplane toilet flushing-a garbage disposal- and whirling wind all at the same time. It’s Boisterous! 

B-Ward has most recently been the home to pediatric general surgeries. Lipomas are soft “slow-growing, benign (non-cancerous) tumors made of fatty tissue that typically form just under the skin. These harmless lumps are often soft, rubbery, and movable, and are commonly found on the neck, shoulders, back, arms, and thighs. While lipomas are generally painless, they are sometimes removed if they are uncomfortable or bothersome” (Google definition). Imagine how you were made fun of for the smallest thing when you were younger. These kiddos are now free of the lumps and weird Bumps. 

We have also been doing hernia repairs. I had the sweetest little 7 year old girl as part of my patient assignment the other day. The OR team called and gave us the 30 minute call until start time. This was our signal to give her the ordered premedication to slightly sedate her so she would not be afraid. I started to scrub her umbilical hernia with chlorhexidine to prevent surgical site infection. The little root beer colored Beauty grimaced as I put the cleansing sponge to her umbilical hernia. I paused and asked the interpreter to help me talk with her. I told her I had the same surgery she was going to have many years ago. I lifted my scrub top and showed her my scar below my Belly Button. Her Big Brown eyes widened with disbelief. I repeated myself and said, “I was a Mercy Ship patient and she’s a Mercy Ship patient. In 2013, when I was living long term on the ship as a nurse I needed a repair where I herniated out of my previous appendectomy scar.  Now I am a Mercy Ship nurse and maybe one day you’ll be a Mercy Ship nurse.” She asked me if it hurt.  I told her it used to feel like it was a fire Burning in my belly before the surgery. I asked if her belly felt the same way. She nodded her head. I told her it would hurt some when she woke up, but each day she’d feel Better and stronger. The sedative medicine started to take effect and she started to fall asleep. I finished cleaning her belly area and her mom, seated at her bedside with her shayla, long, rectangular Islamic headscarf wrapped around her head and neck, smiled at me. 

The day after her surgery, I arrived on the ward and she lit up when I came onto the ward. She lifted her gown and said “monkey” she had a monkey drawn on her white bandage. This place is too much fun! Today another little girl, a 3 year old that looks just like Moana, came back from the OR with a giant detailed drawing of Barbie on her umbilical hernia bandage. It was an incredible work of art. The recovery nurse explained the OR team was to receive all the credit. One of the nurses asked what she wanted on her bandage when she woke up and she chose Barbie. Apparently, others had a zebu with a soccer ball and another little girl had Princess Lily on her bandage. These are some seriously Bodacious Bandages! 

We have a few little ones needing help with Bowels. We often take our plumbing for granted. We are working with some tiny tots and helping them to be able to actually use their Bums for passing stool after having colostomies (surgical procedures that creates an opening (stoma) in the abdomen to divert stool from the colon (large intestine) to an external bag). Some of these little ones are suffering from conditions called anorectal malformations, big words for a Blocked or missing rectum, preventing the normal passage of stool.  Or they have had holes between their private parts and rectum. One of these little peanuts cried and cried after her procedure under sedation to stretch the anal space to allow her to poop properly in the future. She didn’t want anyone touching her and I don’t blame her. But after a cup of yogurt, she was Bouncing down the halls and trying to ride a wooden dog. She thought it would work and I didn’t want to discourage her, so I tied a piece of coban/elastic around the dog’s tail and pulled her up and down the hall for over 30 mins. She was Beaming with happiness and forgot about her bum pain. 

Little boys going for hernia surgery get the surgical Bundle option if their parents desire. Circumcision practices vary throughout the world, but apparently it is a big thing in Madagascar. Mercy Ships is happy to perform these surgeries for these families when their children are already receiving anesthesia for another surgery. The poor little Boys sure don’t know what’s happened to them when they wake up and have to pee the first time. They start to Bawl and cry, poor little guys. The parents aren’t fond of putting diapers on the little ones after surgery as they don’t want to cause more pain at the surgical site and I sure look like a Bully of a nurse when I ensure the kiddos are diapered. I learned my lesson last week after a little boy was happily playing with toys and trucks on the floor and the next thing I knew, he was screaming and there was a puddle of piddle on the floor for me to clean up. It happened a few minutes later to another little fellow and we had to have a bed change. So diapers it is now. 

A few weeks ago, I was confused when I looked at my assignment sheet and thought the patient in bed B 12 was a little boy and I saw an adorable child in an adorable knee length dress with tropical fish on it sitting in the bed of B 12. The dress was flannel and had a little white colored collar that resembled a pilgrim’s collar. My interpreter went on to explain it was in fact a little boy and he had on a circumcision dress. The parents bring a dress for the children to wear after surgery that shows the world their little one had a circumcision. The dress is far more comfortable and Breezy than wearing pants post-op. They go home and have a big party if they can afford it. I have enjoyed seeing the varying colors and styles of these unique circumcision dresses. I also learned that if the families do not have the surgeries performed on the ship, it is tradition for an older man, uncle, dad, or grandfather to use a Blade at home, without numbing medicine, and they perform the procedures themselves. They also informed me of what one may call a Bizarre tradition in which the honored man in the family then eats the foreskin after removing it. They sometimes fry it. I heard this from two different interpreters in the community. That may take me some time to wrap my brain around. I have had 25 years to comprehend the practice of eating placentas or turning them into vitamins post birth, since nursing school in Canada when I first learned of this cultural practice, but this is Brain Blowing.  I love the uniqueness in the world and learning about different cultures. After that shift, I asked Dustin if he had a circumcision dress when he was little. He looked at me like I was Blasphemous.  I Belted out a laugh and shared with him the unique practice in this culture. I then went on to share my other cultural lesson for the day. I didn’t get five thoughts from Dustin for that day, rather, 4 emotions: Bewildered, Bemused, Baffled, and Befuddled.  D ward Droolz and Roolz, but B ward is Beyond this world and never a Bore!