Her Story

Some mornings I wake up to my current reality: I live on a hospital ship in West Africa and I work as a volunteer nurse giving out care to those who could never afford healthcare. I don't think about how strange this reality is simply because I love being here. If I was honest with you I would tell you there is nowhere else I would rather be right now, there is nowhere else I would want to be nursing. I will be truthful, somedays are hard and some feel impossible. Everywhere I look poverty stares me in the face, when you are here you cannot avoid it. As every patient walks through the Operating Room door they also bring their journeys with them. So many of their stories are heartbreaking and I have made the conscious decision to not allow my heart to stop caring. I want to imagine the pain they must have gone through because it helps me to relate more to each individual. As I do this I also find my perspective shifting from what actually is a valid "problem" and I begin to appreciate how truly blessed I am.

I don't feel my words are adequate enough to describe their stories, however I still want them to be told, to be heard and read. I have attached just a part of Salimatou's story, she is a remarkable lady. I cried as I read her journey a few weeks ago, wondering where she was but never imagining I would meet her in person. This week I went to go and collect a patient from the Pre-operative area for surgery and as I sat down with the woman's nursing chart I observed how kind her eyes were and her lovely smile. As I flicked through her notes it dawned on me who she was. I looked at her again and said "Salimatou, I read your story...you are an amazing lady". She smiled back at me radiantly, her expression a mixture of suprize and delight as she said "Thankyou". I hope you take the time to read it so you can also know more about this strong lady who has touched my heart.

Please click on the link below to read her story.

http://michelsrundbriefe09.blogspot.com/2011/06/salamatus-story.html