~1 John 3:17-18
One of the challenging parts of living in a third world, developing country amongst the locals and experiencing what their everyday life is like is realizing exactly that, they go through this on a daily basis. I can manage living in such conditions because I know it is short term but knowing the need lasts a lifetime and they don't know anything different is heartbreaking. Yet it doesn't stop them from becoming some of the happiest and most welcoming people I have ever met! It's one thing to always say what you intend to do, but without acting upon your words, nothing will ever change. I encourage each person reading this to find the need in the world you are passionate about and don't hesitate with taking that leap and starting something new. It can drastically impact the life of another no matter how small the deed:)
I have spoken a bit about my focus while staying in Kpando. Well over the last week and a half, my time there has already come to an end and it is driving me crazy to think that I am walking away with unfinished business... There is so much more to be done in the establishment of a new program but I am proud to say that in my short time committing to the care of 7 people, the slightest change has already begun! With me attending to the wounds on a daily basis, it was hard to know for myself whether or not there had been any significant improvement but after getting Jessy- the program coordinator- to come along after not seeing anyone since our initial assessment, I was overwhelmed with the compliments! She noticed a difference in each person and told me that even though I may feel like I am doing something small, it is still making a difference in their lives!
Mary is 70+ years old and has had the wound for 50 years on her foot. We were privileged to receive a box of WIC cavity filler, which is a foam product specialized for wound care. After using it for one week, the hardened edges of her wound have begun to shed, new tissue growth in the wound bed, and a large amount of exudate saturating the foam, indicating there is hope to bring about healing! The only problem will come in about 2 weeks time when the WIC has finished and we have no other option but to regress back to the Drez wound ointment and fabric gauze.
Thomasia is 70+ years old and has had the wound for 21 years after an accident with a machete. She had a skin graft within the last year but it didn't take due to limited follow up. I am most impressed by the transformation of her wounds as it has gone from blackened skin with the appearance of an abscess underneath the surface to healthy, pink tissue growth lying flesh with the surrounding. To see the smile on her face each visit when I am anxiously unwrapping the bandage to see the wound and then congratulate her on the progress makes my job 100% worth every minute!
Michael is 64 years old and has had his wound for the shortest amount of time of all the patients I see (which is still almost 2 years!) It has gone from being infected with crusted exudate and a large bloody hole on his heel to having a decreased depth and closing of the wound. There is still some small areas that appear infected and after having completed blood sugar and blood pressure screenings on everyone, it indicated he has severely uncontrolled hypertension. Ideally he needs to be seen by the hospital and prescribed oral antibiotics and anti-hypertensives, the only problem of course being the funding.
Comfort is the newest patient, with me having only seen her for one week. She is 62 years old, a known diabetic, and has had the wound on the base of her foot for 6 years. It is about a quarter sized hole in her heel and she is also missing her big toe. Her blood glucose readings were outrageous!!! She is not on any diabetic medication due to the inability to afford treatment. In my opinion, controlling the diabetes should be priority as it is likely the cause of delayed wound healing.
Foster is 34 years old and has had his wound for upwards of 13 years. We were initially considering the possibility of elephantitis but after report that the swelling has decreased, his muscles have relaxed, he is walking much better, and the wounds are slowly healing, we are now unsure because this is a non-curable disease. He was speaking with Ephraim (my translator) so excitedly that I have improved the quality of his life. In my opinion, the small work I am doing couldn't possibly have contributed to such progress but I had no other choice but to take credit for his compliment!
Esther is 70+ years old and resides at the central market. She is my disappointing story as she is the one lady I felt needed our attention the most. It is the previous posting's picture and also the one who walks around with the wound uncovered and open to all the dirt, flies, and garbage along the market. We feel she is embarrassed about her wound after our first visit when I took assessment and a photo. She now walks around with it covered (which is a plus) but on each visit refused to unwrap the area so I could help her clean it or provide more in depth care. She stated that another outside source is treating it each day and I should wait a while until returning. She then proceeded to give me all the supplies I had already donated to her back. I kept up on visiting about 3 times a week but each day was the same story. I left finally just explaining to her how much I cared about her and wanted her to pay special attention to her foot or else she would end up getting it amputated. Maybe future volunteers can persuade her better!
Agnes is 15 years old and has had her wound for 4-5 years. It looks like a deep puncture wound that unfortunately has healing in such a way that all the edges are intact but a hole remains in the center. It constantly oozes brown drainage. She is the girl I don't see our care really making any difference and the one I would recommend being referred to the hospital for further assessment.
The patients were so grateful for the care I was able to provide, although my time was kept short. Ephraim shared with me that some of the locals were talking that I am a nurse. They said people come only to do research, ask questions, and take surveys and never to be seen again whereas I have devoted my time to give them something precious. I have shown I come because I truly care! I am making a difference by touching lives, even if it's just a few in the community. I do not want to be boasting over the compliment but it is really rewarding to know directly from the people I am serving how much they appreciate me contributing to their needs! AND it goes to show you that no matter how small a difference, it can and will change someone's life!
Having officially completed my volunteer work in Ghana, I have been thinking a lot about my experiences with both Projects Abroad and UNiTED. Although both were extremely eye opening and beneficial in their own way, I thoroughly enjoyed my time and felt my investment in a daily community based outreach program with UNiTED will have more of a lasting impact. It has opened the door for so many opportunities to stay connected and continue growing. Edem (director of UNiTED and co-founder of HardtHaven Children's Home) referred to the wound management program as my baby. It needs the right food, education, and support to grow into the optimal potential. When I'm not around to provide guidance, it will be left in the hands of a babysitter, whom I must trust to carry through with the tasks. Before I wouldn't have put it past me to return to Ghana again one day but wanting to experience different endeavors in other countries I wouldn't have expected to be so adamant about the day I return before having even left the country!!!! I know I have started a program and I definitely am not the type of person that can leave it in the dust without finishing what I started. So much more can be done to develop the program. Of course my curiosity will be seeing my very first patients once they are healed and knowing it is partially due to my commitment that a difference was made in their lives! My ambition is to create an internship program with Washington State University College of Nursing, so that other nursing students are given the opportunity to experience something practical, cultural, heart warming, life changing, and simply unimaginable:) It can mark the beginning of following one's dream, just as it has been an open door to my future! My work here is not complete!!!!!
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