So here I am embarking on a fresh start at the Children's hospital Fondation Chantal Biya (FCB)...quite excited indeed because i feel like I've had my share of adult medicine and there's this sharp longing for pediatrics lingering inside me. And since I'd quit my last job (for good reasons) and was dying to be useful, what could possibly hold me back?
So week one into my internship (aka job without pay) I find myself in heaven. Dubbed the "queen of lumbar punctures"- tens performed without failure, I'm just learning, learning, learning!!! And I'm like where has this place been all my life?
My new job made me feel so happy. I was finding myself. So working in the emergency room (ER) is fast-paced and one day, as I was running about as usual, this baby was brought in. My colleague called me to see it (she knew I craved chaos). The little one was unwrapped and at once, this thing struck me! A mass hanging off its body. Round. Fleshy. When I touched it, it was warm and pulsating. It was gut!!! Yes, gut outside of the abdomen, an omphalocele. I can't even lie, I was electrified. I'd never seen this before, not to talk of one this massive.
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| An omphalocele is a congenital (present at birth) abnormality in which abdominal organs protrude through an opening in muscles in the area of the umbilical cord (ClevelandClinic.org) |
So the baby star was carried to the NICU. Poor thing, only a few hours old but attracting so much traffic. I waited until the paparazzis were gone and examined the baby. He was a big baby (4kg+) and wasn't doing so good. Mom was clueless. I looked at her non-judgmentally but seriously. And then I looked at the baby. She could tell he wasn't well. So why add assault to injury?
At that very moment I decided I wanted to make a difference. I didn't know if he was gonna survive but he'd moved me. I prayed that night that God should spare his life. The next day, Saturday, I had to know if he was still alive. I carried my baby, sang to him, spoke to him. Told him everything would be ok.
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| we bandaged his protruding insides to keep warmth and moisture |
And this is how I fell in love with the little fella. Day by day, I'd visit him... until I became a bit too busy. After 15 days of life, he passed away. I hadn't gone to see him in a few days and I never saw his parents again. But I wasn't indifferent to the fact that baby omphalocele was gone. At 1st, I consoled myself that he was with the Master. But then it became unbearable-the fact that things do go wrong. The bible says that "God saw everything which He had made and it was very good" (Gen 1:31) ie He made us perfect. So who's responsible for malformations??? The mom due to reasons unbeknownst to me, hadn't received prenatal care (an echo would have diagnosed the condition in utero). The delivery was also done in questionable conditions at home. So were the parents to blame then? Truth is I don't know who's to blame but I care that these things do happen. I care that there is such a thing as medicine, which doesn't only prevents but treats disease when it occurs. I care that there is a God who isn't only the Creator but who also entrusts me with his creation on a daily basis.
So baby Omphalocele, in his short 15 days of life, was the one who marked my life. I thank God that he was loved, cared and prayed for. And now I know he's in the best of places, hopefully, putting a good word for me. Baby Omphalocele will be missed...
To baby Omphalocele
From a sacred admirer
xoxo
