“And may God bless us with just enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in the world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done…” –Franciscan Blessing
Some hearts are introverts. They recharge when they are alone and enjoy quiet reflection, that’s our honorable captain and 2022 Liberia marathon champ, Dr. Mikey. Some are extroverted. They draw their energy from the outside world and prefer social interactions in larger crowds. That’s Louise, our bubbly, white haired, full of wisdom Family Nurse Practitioner. Some are gifted with teaching (that’s Adjei, peds ward RN extraordinaire) while others can entertain a crowd and share the gospel with power (that’s Marthalynne, Assistant Director of Nursing).
Some can put an IV cannula in skillfully and seem to have almost x-ray vision (PA Dahn, an anchor in our ER), while others can sit and comfort a mother who just lost her baby with careful listening and aptly placed words (Trelee, ER Malnutrition RN and assistant supervisor with an A+ personality). I thoroughly enjoy watching as characters (players) come alive all around me the longer I am in one place.
All the players need each other.
I joined the ELWA Pediatric team back in July, 2022. I had very little experience working with children and was still wrapping my brain around how to communicate in Liberian Kolokwa, but I made a quick determination at that time that an invitation to be on a mobilized team would help me grow, and that I could find a way to serve and help the team, holding the players together.
I met Dr. Mikey Bryant and was lured into jumping on board a train that started to rumble back in 2019 when he and his wife, Bethany, determined to find a way to provide affordable healthcare for the thousands of underprivileged children in Liberia. Fast forward to today, ELWA Pediatrics can now feed and care for malnourished children free of charge and provide quality medical services to children under age 5 for affordable fees. A ward that previously served maybe 25 children a month now runs in the hundreds, and medications are provided free of charge.
I absolutely love team sports and will drop about anything to go out and play a good game of soccer or softball given the opportunity. My favorite moment is when I find out who will be on my team. I thoroughly enjoy sizing up my fellow teammates and making a quick determination of how we will maximize the individual skill sets of each person to crush our opponents. That’s strategy.
Our Under 5s program at ELWA Hospital is a bit like a soccer game each day. The team starts out in their positions each morning and as the ball moves around the field, the players continually adjust skilfully into various squared up formations, and attempt to progressively move forward together with the ultimate goal of seeing kids go home healthy or with the tools they need to continue on their journey of healing. I love it! And, when everyone is trained up and ready to play their part well, we thrive. As much as the star strikers in the match need solid service from their midfield, so our healthcare providers need accurate vital signs and a strong medication supply chain.
And the children we are trying to serve need the whole team playing at their peak.
Around 630am, baby mas begin to gather outside the gate to get a number for our Under 5s outpatient clinic, run by Joanna—the only nurse aide in the hospital that has been hand selected into a supervisor position (coach noticed early on that she had skills). Everyone knows that low cost or free care means crowds and limits. The wise come early.
After chapel, the gates are opened wide and a hundred babies and their mas fill the benches that line the walkways directly in front of the hospital entrance. The atmosphere fills with rumbles of conversation all around, crying babies, colorful African lappa material and tiny sandals. Anticipation builds, the mothers a crowd waiting for the match to kick off. The staff in the clinic start promptly–weighing, measuring, assessing and seeing sick and malnourished kids. By 5PM, they are generally wrapping up after seeing an average of 100 kids and admitting around 8% of them. The majority go home with free medications and/or a supply of Plumpynut (a peanut butter type of food in small packets meant to help the malnourished kids gain weight and thrive throughout the week).
By 5PM, the tropical thunderstorm calms as the Under 5s clinic staff see their final patients. The staff re-evaluate bed space, pre-plan for patients of concern as the evening hours creep in, reconsider all current needs, and begin to mentally prepare for what tomorrow may hold.
Morning comes the next day and the team prepares to do it all again. 8am brings gut punches too. A tiny, cold body wrapped up in a blanket in the crib where a precious infant lay just 12 hours prior. Somebody’s bundle of joy halted in a freeze-frame. The staff grieve these beloved ones who often get the bulk of the attention throughout the day and night, however there never fails to be someone who remembers to give thanks for the countless lives saved by the work we are doing. Somehow, the coaches have to pick up the team, praise where it is due and try to draw down some lessons for the next match, the next child.
8AM ends the match from the previous 24-hour game. Players regroup and debrief as the challenge concludes for them temporarily. Some days hold greater victories than others, but as the next shift steps into place, a new game begins with the refreshed just off the bench. The coaches and captains step up to encourage, regroup and re-strategize, and we find ourselves once again squaring up in formation, moving down the field, attempting to score as many goals as we can before the match concludes. The heart of the team continues to beat as we depend on daily strength, guidance, encouragement and renewal from the Giver of Life Himself.