Saturday June 19

Imagine being 15 and giving birth for the first time. The labour goes on for 3 days and at the end the baby that is delivered is macerated and still born. What is worse you are left with a permanent dribble of urine which leaves you smelling all the time, unattractive and even reviled by those you once thought friends. Family no longer want you in the house and build you a "shelter" near the house...But then 4 years later there is news of a ship where operations can be carried out for free that will stop you from being wet all the time. For a young 19 year old that became the reality this week. Working in the VVF operating theatre for most of this week both in anaesthetics and scrub there were similar stories. Some of our ladies had been wet for over 20 years. I suppose what stuck me most about the 19 year old is that she is 2 years younger than my own daughter. Frightened and yet trusting us to do our best she came into the room and gave us the privilege of serving her in a special way. And yet it is not her that we really serve, but our Father. By serving her we hope we demonstrated that there is a heavenly Father who loves her so much more.

But now imagine the joy when she is given a new outfit to wear, how she can rejoice in not being wet, able to wear something special and it not to be spoilt. The young lady I'm talking about is not in the photo but it is typical of the "gladdie gladdie" celebrations held onboard in the ward when several of the ladies are ready to leave the ship and begin a new life. This is how much it changes their lives, they are now accepted back into their community, can seek work knowing that they no longer smell or are wet all the time.



There are always celebrations going on in the ship life and the Celebration of Sight held at the hospitality centre is another such occasion when there is much singing and dancing, quite sedate all except what has become affectionately known as the "chicken dance" amongst us. The moves resemble something of a chicken fluttering its wings while bobbing up and down at the same time! Many of the patients are older and yet they are happy to move around and sing, clap their hands and give thanks to God for the sight they now have.



This is always balanced out by those who to whom we sadly cannot give the same good news. One of my young patients had cataract surgery several months ago but then had an eye injury to that same eye. She developed a corneal staphyloma which meant she had a large swelling coming out of her eye and we could not save the eye. I have seen her a couple of times now and she is doing OK. Thankfully she has sight in her other eye. She may in time be able to have a prosthetic eye.

Life continues on the ship with people coming and going.There are more staff on board this time that are returning crew - or at least it seems like that. This of course includes myself and it is easier to slip into "ship life" with the relationships already established. It's always good to catch up with old friends and to find out what has been happening in their lives but also to be able to pray with them in a very meaningful way.