His little abdomen shakes as it struggles to fill itself and trembles as it releases, his head is resting in my hands as I pray life over him – it’s all I know to do. Moments ago this kid was not breathing, just before that he was climbing a tree for fruit.
No one saw him fall - they only heard him hit the ground.
A man in a shiny brown button down shirt pumped his little legs into his diaphragm, forcing air in and out until his lungs quivered again and began to take shallow breaths. He was still very much unconscious as we called for Ellen, our nurse and health project manager and Dona, a Congolese nurse. People began to move the child’s little body quite harshly, which made me afraid for any spinal injuries, but, then again, I was about to put him in the arms of our HR assistant, Georgine, and drive them over Ango’s rough roads in the Land Cruiser to the hospital. For a bit, the boy tried to cry and began to put his hands to his head, which was encouraging.
Once he seemed his body was able to keep him alive we called to the crowd to find his parents and meet us at the hospital. We arrived and the doctor (one of 3 within nearly 100 miles) was able to see him right away. His aunt arrived and told us that little Floribert was 10 years old, though I had guessed from his size that he was no more than 8. He opened his eyes and began to look around remaining remarkably calm.
Aside from pain in his abdomen, he seemed to be recovering quickly and well. With nothing more we could offer, we left praying he has no internal bleeding and that the intense swelling over his eye and the side of his head is mostly cosmetic.
You never know what a day will bring. One minute you are begrudgingly reviewing financial documents, the next you are an ambulance driver.
Several days later I asked after him. He seems to be fine, just sore. His parents are upset that Medair is not paying for his medical costs because they do not have money.
These things weigh on my heart and on my mind.
If we did not help, he would have died. Of course I was not going to let someone walk him to the hospital when we had a car there and available, but in reality, we were not obligated to take him. I know that people do not have money here, but we cannot help everyone in every way needed. We can do what we can and at that, do the best we can possibly do. Anymore is impossible and that’s where God comes in when He deems it, I guess.
No one saw him fall - they only heard him hit the ground.
A man in a shiny brown button down shirt pumped his little legs into his diaphragm, forcing air in and out until his lungs quivered again and began to take shallow breaths. He was still very much unconscious as we called for Ellen, our nurse and health project manager and Dona, a Congolese nurse. People began to move the child’s little body quite harshly, which made me afraid for any spinal injuries, but, then again, I was about to put him in the arms of our HR assistant, Georgine, and drive them over Ango’s rough roads in the Land Cruiser to the hospital. For a bit, the boy tried to cry and began to put his hands to his head, which was encouraging.
Once he seemed his body was able to keep him alive we called to the crowd to find his parents and meet us at the hospital. We arrived and the doctor (one of 3 within nearly 100 miles) was able to see him right away. His aunt arrived and told us that little Floribert was 10 years old, though I had guessed from his size that he was no more than 8. He opened his eyes and began to look around remaining remarkably calm.
Aside from pain in his abdomen, he seemed to be recovering quickly and well. With nothing more we could offer, we left praying he has no internal bleeding and that the intense swelling over his eye and the side of his head is mostly cosmetic.
You never know what a day will bring. One minute you are begrudgingly reviewing financial documents, the next you are an ambulance driver.
Several days later I asked after him. He seems to be fine, just sore. His parents are upset that Medair is not paying for his medical costs because they do not have money.
These things weigh on my heart and on my mind.
If we did not help, he would have died. Of course I was not going to let someone walk him to the hospital when we had a car there and available, but in reality, we were not obligated to take him. I know that people do not have money here, but we cannot help everyone in every way needed. We can do what we can and at that, do the best we can possibly do. Anymore is impossible and that’s where God comes in when He deems it, I guess.
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