Coming home

No surgery today as we prepare to leave. We made rounds on our patients, and said goodbye to them and the staff, and took pictures. A number of people went out of their way to thank us for coming, and to express the hope that we will return. In our travels this morning, we went over to the XRay corridor to try to find Justin Byrd to give him the key to his supply closet in the OR, where we have left all of our supplies. Seated there was Augustine, the young boy with the leg mass whom we had seen in clinic, and whom I think has lymphoma. We had been worried that he would be lost in the system, but he had been admitted to pediatrics. I don’t know that there is anything that can be done for him, but I was happy that at least he was being evaluated to the extent possible.

Dewalt (actually Agent David Dewalt of SSS) took us and our baggage to the downtown Brussels Airlines office. Apparently it is a lot easier to check ones luggage in downtown rather than at the airport before the flight. When we go out of Dewalt’s Nissan Patrol (donated to Madame President by Muamar Ghaddafi, by the way), there was a crowd of men trying to help us with our bags, but I don’t believe they were airline employees LOL When we came out from the office, they wanted money, insisting that they had all helped. I realized then why we hadn’t ventured downtown more often !

From there we drove to a commercial area to visit an African Art shop which had carvings, etc. I bought a couple of wooden things. Then we walked around for a while among the street vendors before coming back to the Guest House for a last time.

Not knowing what to expect, or what was possible before we arrived, I feel that we have accomplished more than I had expected we would. I think we helped a number of specific patients by tackling their particular problems which others had been reluctant to do. I think the OR Staff and Anesthesia were pleased with our work. The Surgical Housestaff saw our 2 weeks as the opportunity to take it easy for a time, but that wasn’t a bad thing; I think they needed it. There is no 80 hour work week for them. I think they all look forward to future surgical visits by us, or others.

I also think it was good for us to be here with the rest of the HEARTT team : ER doctors, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics. We all benefited from the presence of others who understood the way we approach problems, and who can commiserate about the uncertainties of diagnosis and treatment in Liberia.

Update: We are in Brussels waiting for the flight to JFK. See you all soon !