Remember back with me, just 5 weeks ago, when our hearts were devastated by a screening day so full of hope that ended in broken tragedy. We picked up the pieces slowly, carefully, taking the love and care we had to give, overflowing out of the brokenness, and giving it to our unexpected and formerly wait-listed group of orthopedic little ones from upcountry.
It's been a lifetime since then, and many of our upcountry patients have had their surgeries, recovered, and gone home. My bunkmate Anna and I had the privelege of visiting just a few of these precious kids last week during an exciting and adventurous trip upcountry (more to come on that in future blog posts!).
And as our leadership analyzed and strategized in an effort to avoid a repeat of the unruly and desperate large crowds, it came time to screen again. Although I was unable to join physically, I worked night shift and prayed as I cared for the patients we already had. Everything went extremely well from all reports, and we are blessed to have lots and lots of patients!! Below is the official press release, take two:
Report from the Field: Update on ScreeningGiven the events that occurred at the first scheduled screening in Freetown, we are delighted to announce that this past Saturday, March 26 was a highly successful screening day. Three-thousand individuals arrived and waited calmly and patiently for many hours—some arriving the day before—in hope that today would be the day they would finally hear the words, “Yes, we can help you.”
Africa Mercy Managing Director Donovan Palmer was on hand to assist with screening day. “We’ve seen about 3,000 people come through the lines and be contacted with us one way or the other and we’ve been able to manage that very, very well.”
About 150 Mercy Ships crew members staffed the screening for security purposes, medical services and prayer support.
Mid-day, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Parker, took a break from seeing patients and provided an update. “We’ve had an excellent screening morning. The team worked together so well from security to medical to logistics. We’ve seen most of the people who have come through and mostly conditions that we can help them with. I’ve been at a lot of screenings, and this one is very smooth.”
Many individuals with large tumors or deformities have resorted to living a life of solitude—secluded and alone in their homes. Attending medical screening is an opportunity for human contact that the soul craves.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with the people,” Palmer said, “We’ve been able to talk to them and engage and even if we can’t help them, we pray with them and hear their stories.”
The hugely successful screening allowed Mercy Ships to schedule surgeries for the remainder of the Field Service in Sierra Leone. Thanks to a dedicated crew and helpful local civil authorities, this screening day was a vast success
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