Faces and Names, Not Numbers

It's both easy and hard to explain what I do here at Mercy Ships. I work in Rehab doing physical therapy with around 55 kids with bowed legs and knock-knees. Bam. Done. But that explanation takes away humanity. One of the reasons I got into physical therapy in the first place was to really get to know my patients and their stories. It not just kid #1, #2 and #3. They have names, histories, struggles, goals, and futures. 

Here are some faces, names and stories to help you understand my world here in a new way:

This is Emmanuel. He is a FIRECRACKER! He turned 4 this month and is one of our youngest patients. He is from an orphanage, not too far away, so his caregiver here is not his mom/dad/grandparent like most patients, but a worker from the orphanage. Not long ago he put a crayon down his cast so we had to change the cast before more of a wound formed under there. He's a classic little boy who likes rough play and wants to be hung upside-down by his ankles and be ticked until he falls over. 

This is Momo. He came to Mercy Ships with his granny. He has skeletal dysplasia (think dwarfism). He was very shy in the beginning but now has the sweetest biggest smile when he walks into the rehab gym. His granny always shakes my hand and smiles, not knowing any English but I can tell trying to convey appreciation. 

This is Mariama. She is missing her two front teeth which is the cutest thing ever! She used to hide behind her mom when she came into Rehab. And when we asked her to do much of anything she would scream not in pain but of fear. She has come to trust us and will now play any "game" (aka exercise disguised!) we want her to. 

This is Isha. She is 10, but emotions of a pre-teen for sure! Isha is sensitive as they come... devastated by criticism but proud as can be at compliments. As soon as anything gets hard, the tears come. She has learned a lot about perseverance and grit since her operation.  Isha is very creative and artistic and would like to color pictures and come up with little stories about animals more than anything else. 

No list of patients could ever be complete without my guy Alimamy. We normally pass patients around quite a bit between PT's, but this guy has been mine every step of the way. I did he pre-surgery assessment, saw him stand for the first time, and taught him every exercise he knows. Alimamy came to us scared of his own shadow... I wish I knew more of his story before coming to us, but also can make some guesses. He only knew fear of adults and would cower to any raised voice. He did not want to walk or stand in the beginning and would let the whole deck know with his screams when he saw me coming. He slowly, and I mean SLOWLY, learned to trust me. I had to be super consistent to get to where we are at now, which is big smiles and high fives in the hallway. His mom has learned to parent without threats and hitting, giving him love and encouragement instead. Not just straight legs, but his life has truly changed because of coming to Mercy Ships. 

To end, here are more cute faces to make your day. Please know each one has a story I have had the privilege to know and love: 

This are my BABIES! My heart has grown by 55 each year of being here, and hopefully you see all their beautiful faces and understand that in a whole new way.