Children's Hospital Boston in Ghana

In Their Own Words...

Wow is a common word in Ghana… I have been saying it non-stop…. It is an amazing place… I will never be the same.  It is exhilarating and demoralizing all at once… We are saving lives and not able to save everyone… It’s under my skin, but out of my hands!

 
Sharon (Perfusionist)

 

 

This experience has been amazing. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to describe this experience – there are no words. The contrast between us and then is horrifying.Thank you Ghana – I am forever changed. I won’t take anything for granted again in my life.

 
Donna (Respiratory Therapist)

I have been spending the week on the floor teaching post opp care and discharge instructions to our Ghanian nurses and families. The nurses and staff have been incredibly receptive to my role as their special educator. The floor is five long flights up a very well worn staircase. I wonder how many millions of parents have walked these stairs to see their sick children??

While teaching the Ghanaian nurses pain assessment and management, I am overly conscious of the cultural differences. Children here are taught to be stoic, they never complain of pain even when asked. I have come to realize they are in pain when they no longer smile.

 

 

Priscilla (Nurse)

 

 

New Photos

SO HWE = TEST

Twi is the regional language in Ghana.Translated SO HWE means test. Today we were tested in every sense of the word. We faced circumstances and challenges that are unimaginable. Words do not do it justice.

The day began at 6:30 am, while the OR was prepping for the first case, the clinic was set up and ready to see another round of hopeful families and patients. The physicians had successfully completed the first case, the clinic was humming along and by 2 pm we had screened 25 children to determine their diagnosis. Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson and the OR team were prepping for the second case of the day. Just as the surgery was about to begin the lights flickered and the power went out. Yes, the power went out. Not once but twice in a matter of ten minutes. The promising pre-surgery noises came to a screeching halt.

There was a power shortage in all of Kumasi, a problem with the national grid, it was unclear when the hospital would regain power.

The team quickly reevaluated and shifted gears, which they appeared to do effortlessly. The child slotted for the second surgery had to be rescheduled for Sunday because his surgery involved the heart lung bypass machine, we weren’t confident we would have the power needed to circulate and oxygenate his blood. Instead they proceeded with a less complex case. The second surgery went off without a hitch.

We were all tested today but everyone came together as a team and maintained the safety of the patients. We successfully completed two surgeries despite the overwhelming challenges presented. The first of many tests I'm sure....

Sara