Dodji

Too cool for the ward

Working in the operating room, we don’t get to interact much with patients while they are awake.  We often meet them moments before they go to sleep & for kids, the OR is a very scary place.

One of the best features of our hospital on the ship is that the wards are just across the hall.  Its very easy to walk out of the OR & look down the hall & see all our patients in the hall.  I find myself, when I’ve had a hard day or just need a little pick me up, on the wards playing, laughing, talking with the patients.  To them I’m Amivi (my African name- pronounced “Ah-me-ve”- which means "born on Saturday") I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to interact with my patients on this level.  Back home, I only see the patients when they are having surgery, I don’t always hear or see them once they leave the operating room.  Here I can sing, dance, laugh & watch them heal right before my eyes.

Komla's leg before surgery

Due to the complexity of some surgeries & the length of recovery, some patients have been here longer than others.  One of my buddies is a little 8 year old boy name Komla.  A couple years ago, his leg got burned & the contractures prevented him from straightening his leg.  He either walked on his knees or used a long stick as he hopped on one foot, his right leg permanently tucked under him.  When he first arrived, he was terrified of everything.  He hid away, cried & screamed whenever someone came too close to his newly released leg. 

It all started with a balloon that I tossed in his direction, he reached up & hit back towards me, which I promptly hit back to him.  Soon we had a game of balloon volleyball going & he smiled for the first time.  After that it was love J  Whenever he saw me in the hall, he would scramble as fast as he could over to me & wrap his little arms around me.  Komla soon became a ward favorite. 

Dodji & Amivi

Over the months, as his leg healed, the dressing changes became less traumatic, the crutches slowly disappeared & before we knew it, he was running & playing football in the hall.  One day I called his name & he promptly told me his name was not Komla, but Dodji (pronounced doe-gee) which means “brave one”.  He sure is a brave little guy.

Dodji plays football in the hall

Blessings