What a day – so hard but so beautiful. The plan for today was to spend a reasonably relaxed day, hangout with Tracey – going to see Tino, a bite of lunch, spot of shopping, then home. What today kinda felt like but in a good way was work experience or shadowing. The following is a day in the life of Tracey. Not typical I am sure but none the less.
It started quite easily for her. A shift change meeting for the Tia’s. Then the realisation that with two kids in the hospital someone needed to do a shift change with them – that took a little working out. In fact the truth is Iris has three kids in the hospital. Two in the children’s ward and a third 11 year old, who they have put on the men’s ward, He has no one with him at all. He is HIV positive, so all three kids who are in hospital are HIV positive.
Eventually we get to leave. The plan is to go to Shoprite, go see Tino and Dino – grab some lunch, do a little more shopping, and go to the bible store. We hit Shoprite for a long shop. The biggest and most urgent thing on the list was fraldas – nappies. With two kids in hospital with diarrhoea these are quite urgent.
As this is Africa/Mozambique things change the whole time. On our way to Shoprite, Tracey’s phone rang to say that the doctor was waiting for her and she had to come urgently to the Malnutrition ward. So we abandoned shopping and headed straight to the hospital. I wasn’t sure if I could get to the ward but Tracey got us both in. So at least I had seen Dino at the centre and knew the shape he was in. Tracey had not seen him until now. Dino was in hospital before and now weighs 5 kgs. He lost about 3 kgs while he was in the hospital. That apparently is common, kids go into this malnutrition ward and loose lots of weight– go figure that!
Dino has not kept any food down for a few weeks. He cries constantly with hunger. That is very hard to listen to. Bu if they give him what he wants too much uncontrolled food will make him sicker. The doctor was there for a bit but didn’t really say anything to Tracey except we have done an Aids test and its positive. Then she disappeared for ages but told us to wait, so wait he did! A lot.
From my observation of other Doctors and his training he seemed to do a through job. The children on this ward were so malnourished. It’s hard to understand how parents let their kids get to this state. Tracey says it happens all the time. I don’t know if there is any sort of education classes on how to spot malnutrition. This ward for me has been a heart breaking, eye opening insight to Mozambique. Tracey just held Dino. The one encouraging thing about him is his will. He is strong enough to push her away and stretch his arms out for food. Tracey reckons it’s his will which is keeping him alive; he would be dead by now if not. We reckon his story goes something like this.
He has been a healthy baby and then starts to get sick (his HIV kicks in); mother eventually takes him to the hospital. They do an Aids test which comes back positive so the mother freaks and just leaves the baby and never comes back. In my mind my heart thinks who is with the mother. How desperate is she that her only answer is to leave her son.
So after about an eternity the Doctor comes back. Now it must take ages here to become qualified so this Doctor looks so old. Tracey speaks to her and she then escorts Tracey to another room. The thing I forgot to mention. Tracey spoke to a man for a little bit. White, looked a little but like Father Christmas. She said, I’ll tell you later about him so I will come back to that.
Anyway Tracey finally emerges and says too me, come here and see. There are two more children they want us to take! So a fury of phone calls to the center to try and get Liz who deals with the new intakes and integrates and home visits and a conversation or two with more Doctors, she takes me to another room where there is a boy and a girl.
Maria, she was brought in and couldn’t walk and was so malnourished. Now she is feeding herself and walking and if they get the go ahead could take her home soon. There is a father somewhere but her not seen her for ages. Preferably Irish would like to find the father, talk to him before they take her in or see if there is a way they could help the father look after her through the programme.
The other boy we don’t know if he can see and is in a very bad state. He will be in for a long time; Iris has no issue and has a good track record at looking after malnourished children. Sina, Joao and Yuran, the twins now also.
The hospital is very keen that Iris takes these kids as they don’t want them going to Padre Andre’s orphanage.
To my astonishment the man Tracey was talking to is Padre Andre. Yuran came from his orphanage and the time I was there the Australians went to see it and came back wrecked. So this orphanage is not good news. He is paying a woman to look after these two kids and I think as I said to Tracey he was touting for trade. Like an ambulance chaser almost. I felt quite sick at the thought of this.
The hospital also now refuses to give him any kids anymore because they know what his place are life. It was amazing to be there and see what and be part of all this happening. All my frustration at waiting for this doctor to come back soon past when I realise Tracey was being asked to take two more kids.
So Tracey rang Liz and talked to her. Liz was over the moon. We discovered that Liz and Ros have been trying for months to make contact with that doctor. Tracey has written to her but no response and now three mins with Tracey a door they have been praying for, for months is beginning to open and I get to see it! How cool!
Talking later to Tracey I discover that she and Ros have been praying for a door to open into the hospitals and the last few months a glint of light has begun to show but only last night as she was praying about her involvement with the baby house and with hospitals and the next phrase, and today it would appear a significant step forward has been made. It’s amazing to see prayers answered and in front of you. She had to go back in Thursday to have a proper chat with the doctor.
We went to Mimos for lunch and had an excellent chat and really good time together. She truly is an amazing person.
Sadly the bible shop did not have the ones I wanted; hopefully Tracey will get me one and send it back via someone.
We talked about the car accident she was in. The driver was going to fast and the breaks were not working correctly and when you see the truck it’s a miracle no one died. Chatting life in Moz through with Tracey has been so helpful. We went back to the new hypermarket. Seeing Tetley tea in Moz does not seem right. The western influence in this shop is madness. But something’s are cheaper here so that’s why we came.
Headed back to hospital with all the things we needed and also food for the Tia’s. I just love having time with Tracey and seeing her heart.
At the hospital Tracey’s phone rang to say that a woman had turned up at the centre looking to adopt a three year old, so things are never dull. They tried to feed Tino without the tube, but no way, he has lost the ability to swallow.
Tracey and I talked about Vasco – there is a large part of me wants to adopt him but know there is no way and also I could take Vasco without Lucy and I would be happy to do that, but there is just no way. So it was shoprite and then home.
I am wrecked but very excited for Tracey – gutted, well gutted is not right, but saddened by the malnutrition ward and seeing sights of malnourished kids – yet this is the Moz I asked to see and it has been a blessing yet so hard.
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