Last Saturday 26th March we embarked on our second screening. A huge amount of prayer, planning and rethinking went into the day. The security team were sent to the site on Friday afternoon and were there throughout the night as people turned up to wait to be seen. The difference from last time was that they spent the night turning people away who we could not help or had medical problems that we are not equipped to deal with.
On the Saturday morning, 100 or so of us assembled at 5.00am and headed in convoy out into the empty streets of Freetown.
Once there, we set about setting up the screening site, praying and watching the sky slowly lighten.
By early dawn there were a few thousand people waiting hopefully in the line. However due to the wonderful job of the crew walking the line, most of those people waiting were potential candidates for surgery.
Once the people had got past those standing in the line, they were sent to the pre screeners. These were a group of medical staff who assessed the people further. This is such a difficult job as many people who have been waiting in line and accepted thus far are still turned away.
And so to the lucky few who are allowed through the gate. At this point they were directed to have their histories taken by teams of nurses and then moved on to the next waiting area to be escorted to see the doctors.
Slowly we started to see people arriving with the many major and extreme medical conditions very rarely seen in the West. People whose lives are blighted by the misfortune of having a body that doesn't function in a way that many people see as 'normal'. Below are some of the extreme cases seen through the line. The first picture is of Dr Gary Parker, our chief medical officer and surgeon who has lived and worked on the ship with his family for many years and has dedicated his life to this cause.
A little girl with major burns
This little girl was born with an extra foot
Matching outfits are all the rage!
As the screening continued, the skies stayed cloudy providing an answer to prayer and respite from the hot sun. From my vantage point at the entry gate, I could see all these people coming in with expectation on their faces. But of course there are some that turn up who come straight to me.
One such little boy (see below) had travelled a very long way with his parents from up country just to be seen by Mercy Ships. As they came in the gates I could see the change on the faces of the crew to shock and sadness at seeing his wasted form. My heart sank as I saw them being lead towards us, knowing that I was going to have to somehow get through this situation, help them and show them love in the brief time that I had with them. His whole face had been misshapen by the tumour growing within, causing his eyes to close and his mouth to be partly obscured. After several questions we found that this was just one months worth of growth. How this was possible, I was uncertain. But what I did know was that his little body was beginning to show signs of shutting down, no longer able to bear the burden of this desperate illness. Sadly they lived out of Freetown. The parents wanted to take their boy home, so I could not care for them in their grief. I did what little I could, giving them a small amount of pain relief, ensuring that they understood their situation and spending time praying with them. I watched them as they left, the little boy strapped to his mothers back. My heart was filled with great sorrow but I had to hold on to the knowledge that in some small way I had provided some relief from their agonising situation. For that is often all you can do.
With my colleague and partner Marilyn and Esther, our translator (on the right)
Administering some pain relief to help ease his suffering
After this, for me, the day continued in a bit of a blur. Watching the flow of patients dry up to a dribble as the last few came in. Sensing peacefulness and thankfulness at the incident free day. Seeing smiles and relief on the faces of all the crew. In all around 3000 people were seen an several hundred were scheduled for surgery. Such a contrast to the last screening.
The last patient waits to be seen
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