(Photo credit: David Forrest)
"Our hearts are broken over the loss of a young
patient.
The beautiful 5-year-old girl from Northern Madagascar
passed away on board the Africa Mercy on Thursday 10 March, at 5.45pm. She died
two days after a very unusual, rare and severe reaction to the surgical
procedure in combination with general anaesthetic, during treatment to remove a
complex tumour of her lower face and neck. Her mother had been at her bedside
since their arrival to the Mercy Ship on 20 January and her senior uncle joined
them Thursday evening.
Official formalities with the local authorities were
completed and the family and the body were flown back to their
village to prepare for her funeral.
Our prayers and our love leave with them."
(Mercy Ships Media Statement March 2016)
Little
Bean, I did not know you, but as news of your passing filtered through
the decks my heart broke for you and you family. I am a mother too, you
see and while I cannot fathom what you mamma was feeling that day when
she said goodbye, I can imagine her pain. I can hear her wails of
despair.
As
we waited for your condition to improve, all of us as a united crew
stopped what we were doing, wherever we were on board, to pray. The
galley stopped preparing lunch, the housekeepers stopped mopping, the
teachers paused with their classes, meetings came to a standstill,
the hospital staff dropped to their knees, to storm heaven for your
healing.
But God chose to take you and whilst our frail human minds cannot comprehend, we have chosen to trust in Him.
As
Andrew co-ordinated clearing of the freezer to store your broken body,
now just a shell, your soul was flying free in heaven. As one of our
carpenters skilfully crafted a coffin to carry you back to your village
and some ladies on board lovingly created padding to soften your
journey, you were dancing beside Jesus. As your body was dressed in a
beautiful outfit, by hospital crew, you were free of the tumour that had
taken your life.
Little
bean.......your last days on earth were dignified. You were loved,
prayed for and treated like the Princess you were! A daughter of the
king.
Little Bean.......we did our best for you but it was not enough.
Be
uncomfortable with us as we have mourned and we continue to mourn and
pray for all the other beans......all 5,165 people whom our screening
team saw and for whatever reason we could not treat! Yes your eyes did
not deceive you, five thousand, one hundred and sixty five.
Then
there are the thousands that we could not physically reach due to poor
roads and sheer isolation in this vast nation. There are those we pass
on the street from day to day that we cannot help as our surgery
schedule is full to overflowing. There are five operating theatres
running, an extra ward as been opened and the Hope Centre is
overcapacity, as we race to the finish line, desperate to help as many
beans as we can.
Do
you feel uncomfortable? We do. We rest comfortably in the knowledge
that we can access world class medical care, medication, clean water,
electricity, education and freedom of religion while others are
dying just trying to access these basic human rights.
It
is so hard to consolidate. I don't think we can really. We can only
place our faith in a loving God who sees each little bean. Every.
Single. One.
Can
I ask that you pray for the 5,165 people who we had to turn away, for
the family of the little girl who passed away, for the patients
recovering in the wards right now and for those who are yet to receive
surgery in the next few weeks before the hospital closes it's doors in
Madagascar for this season?
|
No comments:
Post a Comment