* I am posting my travel day & Screening day on the same day as I was not up to blogging yesterday but didn't want to get behind :)
Cairo Mission Day #1…Screening Day & Feeling Better 😊
I slept really well & woke up feeling A LOT better
compared to my travel day which with the time change was 2 days ago because
today in Cairo it is July 17th and I left on the 15th
& arrived here close to midnight on the 16th…so however many hours
that is I do feel better! I think I am at 75%. I met Chris at breakfast she was
trying to be up when I get here last night but with her travel & time
change from Sweden, she was tired. It
was quite an interesting breakfast set up…. lots of meats & cheeses, lost
of olives, grains & spreads, some whole fruit, bread, a place where they
would cook eggs & a full dessert bar???. I opted for a scrambled egg &
a piece of toast & paid dearly for a diet coke to see if that tasted ok.
On the drive to the hospital, we passed the Nile Ritz Carlton,
so my bold assumption is we are close to the Nile River. There was more
homelessness on the streets than I expected. It was not a long drive to the
hospital & per my research it definitely is 40 years old, lots of dirt,
broken windows & leaking pipes but it is the largest pediatric hospital in
Egypt & they say there is a “new area” I just think we aren’t in it?
At our team mtg we were told to expect this to be a difficult
and heavy mission with lots of palates & other cranio facial anomalies.
This is on the 2nd mission in Cairo but throughout Egypt they do “local
missions” without international volunteers every 2 mos mostly correcting simple
cleft lips & international missions quarterly – a recent one was in
Alexandria. If only I had that geography gene because I have no idea re. Egypt
as a country. They also are planning on about 60 patients in 3 ½ days of
surgery with 5 operating tables so 15-20 pts/day. The patients were all waiting
on the 7th floor of the hospital so as to not wait in the outside
heat & screening was on the 2nd floor but first they had to be
registered HOLY MANUAL PROCESS….paper & pen with white out for 6 pages of questions,
I am sure it is the same registration at all mission but this seemed rough. Chris
is a Nurse Coordinator” in Sweden & we both were unsure how long the day
would be with 3 registrars & each one taking 30-45 min at best so she
started “coordinating” & I was her biggest support. We recruited 2 other “volunteer
guests” businessmen from the UAE who spoke Arabic & were happy to help –
that almost doubled our workforce to 5 registrars. The we brought 5 patients/parents
down – had them start the process & brought down 5 more to be in the queue
when a spot opened. It still was a lengthy process, but Chris was “on it” other
wise we might still be there! By 11 am only 1 pt had fully gone thru all the screening
stations but by 3 pm things were humming & we had 51 registered & 28 thru
screening. Literally almost EVERY PATIENT was a palate. There was one cute baby
girl w/ an easy lip repairs I got to hold the entire time her dad was getting
registered & of course the Mimi in me LOVED that! It was apparent that several of the children
had syndromes or other anomalies. All of the “moms” women had head coverings
& the majority were in Burkas but you can see their “Smieyes” – “Smiles w/
their eyes” a term we used in Covid where everyone was masked 😊
There was one very tearful dad with his 4 year old son, he just was teary, I
gave him tissue & water & thru the translator he said he simply wanted “help
for his son” – he broke my heart every time I saw him during the process (he
was pt #19 so I am anxious to see if his son has surgery)
The morning snack at the hospital was lot of random pastries
that I wasn’t quite up for but I did have a banana & my epic fil was that I
didn’t bring my Tums & my saltines. I am always careful about what I eat on
missions but right now I am VERY Cautious! And the “hamburgers” they brought in
for lunch would have been a no-go even if I was healthy. I did pack a trail mix
that worked for me but need to pack more going forward. Also, I gave one of the
students money & he went to a street vendor across from the hospital &
bought me 6 Diet Pepsis to take back to my room so that was nice!
There was a baby that had a primary cleft lip I had hoped would
be repaired & I helped the mom thru the process. The baby had a feeding
tube to help her gain weight & I thought she looked an appropriate size for
surgery. About 4:30 pm as she finished, I saw her crying deeply…it turns out
her baby has a small ASD (Atrial septal defect or hole in her heart) & that
eliminates her ability to have a surgery without a cardiology clearance & there
is not a pediatric cardiologist in Cairo. This young mom was devastated &
certain her baby would die without the surgery…I had no words. I asked Malika
what could we do? On past missions we referred them out to the WHO or another
NGO for the Cardiac care & then they came back on another mission. That did not seem to be an option – what about
an obturator (like a retainer that closed off her opening in her palate &
helped her to eat, also not an option. I felt totally helpless. They did say if
she had a higher calorie formula that would help & she could be scheduled
to come back for a recheck in 2 months (I wasn’t sure how that mattered since
she needed the cardiologist piece) but I asked if I could provide funds for the
formula. They said we could not give them money but could get the formula &
give her a 2-month supply… I was “all in” financially but had no capacity to do
this & fortunately one of the local volunteers was as moved as I was &
went to a 3 pharmacies to get the formula. Truly what I hoped for was a
surgical repair & I was reminded of my PICU Mantra as a bedside nurse – “when
you can’t cure you can always provide some care”
Later in the afternoon when everyone was thru registration
& waiting to be screened Chris & I were in the hallway with them &
were a “big hit” with the 6-10 year old crown who wanted us to take selfies with
them on our phone cameras – I am unsure if they wanted to see themselves, if it
was our blonde hair or they just thought we were nice…anyway that was our 1 min
of Egyptian “fame” LOL. Screening ended about 6 pm (which seemed like an
eternity for 60 patients) & we had our pre-surgery meeting so that we didn’t
need to have it tomorrow night. They confirmed that 85% of the cases are
palates & yep that does cause me some anxiety. We have a strong PACU team 3
of us were together in Morocco & one it's her 1st mission plus
we may have a local RN but it may get a lil crazy….but that is what I signed up
for & why I am here. These kiddos would never ever get this surgery unless
tis team was here for them. them. It was after 7 when I got back to the hotel,
then showered & fully enjoyed my peanut butter sandwich! Now I am 100% which
is good because I have pyramids to see tomorrow! The team day option was to go
to 2 old churches which I am sure would be nice – they are concerned it is too
hot to be outside at the pyramids but this is my “Palates & Pyramids Mission”
so the pyramids are a must…lots of sunscreen, our private local guide & the
high is only supposed to be 101 at 3 pm & we are leaving at 8 am so I think
we are good – just a lot like Palm Desert right??? Good Night From Cairo!!!
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