Every day is a slightly different patient load and is made up with patients I have never met before and also patients with conditions I have never seen before. Friday we had a slightly lighter load of patients, which was a little unusual. Maybe it was because it was a Friday or maybe it had something to do with the march many kids had that morning before school, considering a baby girl with a high fever came in later in the day because her older sister had the march to go to. Her older sister was dressed in a purple, satin-like princess dress.
I know for my host family preparation for the march started out the day before. My host mom had a pretty white satin-like ribbon out and was decorating it with silver glittered letters. She then proceeded to making white dresses for both of her young girls, one is three and doesn't even go to school yet but was included in the festivities. The older one slept in curlers that created small tight ringlets and the younger girl had nice natural curls and didn't need much but some ribbons added to her hair. The next morning, the day of the march, the girls woke up early, for their standards, around 6:30 a.m. They had to get ready, get something to eat and wake up before the start of the march, 7:30 a.m. The dresses were beautiful and had blue ribbons lining the bottom. And each girl was wearing glove-like pieces with a loop around the middle finger. They looked like princesses. My host mom carried the younger daughter so that she wouldn't get any orange clay on her dress and her brother brought the older daughter on a moped. When we got to where everyone was gathering, there were around one-hundred young children and some of their parents. Those who had cameras were taking pictures. From just a glance you could tell everyone and their mom put a lot of effort into their outfits. The youngest child in my host family is definitely not a morning person and I did not see one smile or hear one word from her all morning which is very rare. So in the pictures she doesn't look so happy. I left around 7:45 a.m., before the march started, and caught a collectivo to Coxen Hole just in time before the police closed the roads. I made into the hospital with perfect timing to start the day.
Every patient is different and even if they receive the same diagnosis, they are unique. Today however I met a young boy with a cephalic disorder. I recognized the name but could not recall the different severities of the disease or the typical prognosis. He could not stand or walk on his own and his mother carried him wherever he needed to go. Normally I use the measuring tape on the wall of the clinic to take a three year old's height and the stand-up scale, but for him I had to measure his height on the table and his weight on the scale for infants. His height actually exceeded the measuring tape, but it wasn't so much that I couldn't estimate the rest. He clearly was uncomfortable in general because he kept tearing up but could not voice his concerns like other children his age. While shadowing Dra. Cerritos I learned a little bit more about his condition and the fact that his mother has other children to take care of as well. What matters is that the little boy has the support of his family and Dra. Cerritos help to continue monitoring his condition.
This reminded me of my host family and how the older daughter has a disorder. She can speak so her family understands her and slowly I've been able to understand bits and pieces of what she says. She also has difficulty controlling her motor functions. She can walk, sit, stand, go up and down stairs, etc. but not with the same ease as any other child. Her facial muscles are also difficult for her to control. You can tell in a couple of the pictures her mom took of us with my phone that she cannot control her facial expressions from moment to moment and almost always she has saliva on the top of her shirt. Despite the differences Nicole is good-natured, thoughtful, well-behaved, and positive young girls I have ever met. Maybe it is because she is the oldest child and has taken it upon herself to be responsible. I know my host parents have done a fantastic job of loving and supporting their kids which makes all the difference in the world. Nicole attends school with other students her age and plays with her younger sister, cousins, and friends when she is not in school. I am so happy for her that she has this support system and is treated much like any other child.
