Fridays

I really have a lot of catching up to do since there are a million and one things I haven't written about and I leave in 4 days.

I've been done with my internship for almost 3 weeks now, and have just been bouncing around Cape Town and the surrounding areas finishing up the things I had yet to do like hike Lion's Head and go on the Cape Peninsula tour. However, during this time I was still volunteering at Friends every Friday on the same ward I had been at since I started there 10 weeks ago.

Friday was a very bittersweet one because it was my last Friday with friends as I'm leaving this upcoming Wednesday. I was so sad to leave Ursula the volunteer manager and the other volunteers, but mostly I was sad to say goodbye to everyone on the E2 ward. E2 is where the nuero and speciality units are and some of the kids had been there nearly the entire time I have.

There was Jordan Chris, a 3 year-old little boy with a personality that could light up the room. All of the nurses and doctors knew him well, and although he spoke little English he never failed to mimic me, repeat after me, and above all make me smile. The whole time I was with him I never once saw a parent come and visit him. That didn't keep him from smiling and laughing, throwing his arms around me, and yelling a cheerful "BYE BYE!" every time it was time for me to go.

There was Juwane, another baby who I first encountered when I found him crying in his crib with no one attending to him. An 11 month old baby no bigger than my 6 month old nephew, I never once saw him smile. Extremely malnourished and with yellow eye whites from being jaundice due to liver problems, this baby was in discomfort without a parent around to hold or soothe him. Although I never got him to smile or laugh, I know the time I spent holding him and talking to him was better than nothing. It broke my heart every time I had to put him down and leave as I could hear him crying as I walked out of the ward.

There was Demi, a 5-month old baby whose father was there every hour of every day to stay with her. Cute as a button, I got to see Demi grow and change over the course of my time in E2. It was a glimmer of hope to see this parent and some of the other parents not only take care of their own children, but attend to those children whose parents were not apparent for whatever reason.

There was Apalele, a 7-year old little boy who was one of my favorites. He was there my first day on the ward, and just got discharged about 2 weeks ago. From the beginning, I was intent on making him a happier patient. As we got to know one another, I found out that he could read English. So every Friday, I would bring him a book and he would read it to me. It got to the point that his mother began asking me how he was at reading. I told her that he was very good, and that he just needed to keep practicing. She would ask me for books to read to him, and although we weren't supposed to leave toys on the ward, I couldn't resist leaving some books with her each time so she could read to her child and practice her own English (they were a predominately Xhosa speaking family). One of the things I have learned here is that a lot of children don't even see books until they are in the hospital. 92% of South African public schools do not have a library. It was for this reason that I took so many books to E2, and was happy that by the end of my time there kids were asking me for books instead of Legos.

Whether I only saw a patient once or ten times, each time I was there I never wanted to leave them. My time with these children only reinforced what I have witnessed so many times here – that ultimately, life is not fair. I can’t even begin to explain the deeper appreciations I have gained from working with these children; for my family, my education, my freedom, my health.

I will never forget those kids, not one of them.

Me and Ursula, the volunteer manager on my last day