The Long Haul

A few days ago I was working in the ER, when one of the student nurses came in leading a little girl by the hand. Even while he was saying, "Dr. Andy--do you remember Elsie?" I recognized her. She had been a long-term patient on the pediatrics ward back in the old hospital. She had a mysterious neurologica deterioration, had been in a coma for several days, but had slowly "come back". She apparently had a stroke, and was left with one side of her body and a facial droop.

When she finally learned to walk again, she became very intrusive on the ward, going from bed to bed, touching the babies. We had moved her to the TB ward (we had suspected TB of the brain, and treated her with the full course of meds).

She had been discharged, and I had not seen her for any follow-up. I had often wondered how she was doing. But she was back. She saw Susan for the follow-up visit, and Susan said that she was doing very well. It's good to know.


Then last week, I was seeing a 9 year old girl named Anna. I can't even remember what she was in for--something minor. Whatever it was, I wanted to ask Susan's opinion about something, so asked her to step in. Susan immediately recognized her, and remembered her story in detail. She'd been Susan's patient when Susan first came to Kudjip. She (Anna, not Susan) had heart problems, and it didn't seem likely that she would live to be more than a few years old, or at least that she'd be seriously disabled. But Susan had followed her over the years, and was eventually able to wean her off the meds, and had watched her grow into an active, normal little girl.

What a blessing to see what God has done through Nazarene Hospital, and what we've gotten to be a part of.