Last Entry - Accra

Hi Everyone,

Tammie and I are now in Accra, awaiting our flight home in a very nice hotel.  We were so excited to have hot showers, water pressure, fast internet and a good cup of coffee!  Drinks at poolside should definitely help our transition back to western culture!

It is hard to put all of this trip into perspective.  The needs of the medical system in Liberia are so overwhelming that what we have done feels only like a drop in a bucket.  I will remember, however a few kids that we did end up helping.  On one of our last days, a baby was rushed to the emergency room from the operating room because one of the surgeons injected some lidocaine, and inadvertently injected it into the baby's bloodstream.  He started seizing, stopped breathing and tried to die.  We worked alongside the ER physicians and basically saved the baby's life.  It was a really great moment for all of us, who had been witnessing kids die left and right.  The ER residents in particular have had an amazingly hard time with this.  I feel like I have been the Mom/therapist for this group, trying to get them to focus on what they have accomplished, rather than what they haven't been able to do.  So resuscitating this baby was a really great morale booster for all of us.

I managed to connect a family of  a child with congenital heart disease to an organization who flies these kids out of country to get surgery.  His family came to see me in clinic in their finest clothes, because I was an American doctor.  It was really touching.  Hopefully he will do okay, because he is getting pretty symptomatic with his heart disease.

We did alot of teaching with the residents and interns (there are 4 of them) and tried to help them manage patients. The sad thing is that there will not be another bona fide pediatrician here until August.  They will have to manage the service on their own, a sad thought.

Finally, I will remember our trips to Robertsport (an unexpected pleasure), and the fantastic group of people I have met here. Many of the people working at JFK hospital this month are people who have spent much time working in Liberia and other developing countries. They are an impressive and inspiring group of people.

Thanks to all of you who have been following along with this blog. I am looking forward to seeing all of you soon!

Love,

Trish