Denise and Annika

Upon arriving the first day at the little hospital/orphanage, that we now know is called Good Samaritan, and put straight to work in the ER, I was put in charge of little Annika. She is a month old with third degree burns and a fracture to her right arm. We were told her parents were killed in the quake and her aunt brought her in. This super cute, kinda sassy, little one was not going to lack for care! I had her and loved her, felt personal responsibility for her (being a human and a peds ER nurse) and every person that walked by felt the need to lay a stethoscope on her even if just for an excuse to have five seconds of light in his/her day.

I got her ready for surgery, Kurt the pediatrician walked her up for surgery, and I was left praying. Praying she would make it through surgery and that they would somehow be able to save her arm. A while went by and then I saw Kurt sitting on the bed watching Annika to make sure she was recovering well. I took over and started talking with one of the translators who was helping in the ER while Kurt went to find the aunt. He spoke spanish and creole, so our conversation proceeded in spanish. He asks about her a little bit and asks where her parents are. I sadly tell him I was told they were killed. He looked at me like I was crazy..."What? No, her mom is right over there." and points to a woman laying on a mat under the pharmacy window, one of the busiest places, turned on her side facing the wall and shaking. Mitch was her nurse and I had seen him giving fluids and antibiotics. I thought, surely my spanish is failing me and I am hearing wrong. We went back a forth a little bit, both of us insisting on the story we were told. Kurt came back with "aunt" who was actually "cousin" and both of us had huge smiles on our face. "That's Annika's mom!" Apparently he had got the story from cousin as I was getting the story from the translator. THANK YOU, JESUS! Not only was Annika's mom alive, but she ended up in our ER at a completely different time! Then my heart broke as I looked at Annika's mom as she facing the wall, without strength to turn over and unable to care for her baby, Denise (pronounced Deese)looked bad...like real bad, didn't know if she'd make it through the night bad. I'm sure she was thinking, "do they see me here? I am going to die here." We decided to move her so she could atleast face her sweet baby. After I finished doing all sorts of nursing stuff, I just couldn't take it anymore. The cousin was kinda hands off, we had to teach her that it's important to change the diaper and feed her (although feeding her was a point of solace during the day that I looked forward to). By the time we left, she was a pro, but at the time she was content to sit on the bed...I went over, scooped Annika up and took her over to Denise. We didn't have a bed to put her on yet, so she was on a mattress on the floor. She was still on her side, but now facing her daughter. I said her name and it took all her strenth to push her hand out to lay on the mat. I leaned down with Annika and put her head in her mothers hand. I was holding her awkward and she was crying, but she heard her mom's voice and immediately stopped, turned her head and nuzzled her mom's cheek.Denise had one tear traveling her cheek, rubbed her cheek on her head, speaking soothingly and had a smile like I've never seen. During my labor and delivery practicum in nursing school, that was always my favorite part. Cleaning off the baby and handing the baby to mom for the first time. Watching them instantly become a family face to face. This might have been even more precious...like a second birth. Denise might have thought her sweet liitle baby had died, she might have thought she herself was dying, but to see each other and hold each other for the first time since such a life altering event was an absolute miracle in front of my eyes that I will remember forever.
The next day Denise was sitting up in a wheelchair and looking at her daughter face to face. Camera's were snapping. I took a couple, but I wanted to soak in the moment.

Denise seemed to be a new women over night and Annika was showing no signs of infection and going back into the OR the next day for debridement again. But like I said in the last post...the aftershock came and everyone was pulled out into the open air...Robin and I found Denise shaking and it was not good. We grabbed a doctor (one that we actually ran into in the airport two days later) and worked on getting her under control again. I got pulled to start organizing and moving pt's and I knew that Denise was being taken care of. Medically I didn't care for her...Mitch was taking care of that while I had Annika, but emotionally I felt it was my job to do something. At one point, I looked up and a sheet was being held up to give her some privacy and I saw blood all over the sheets. I prayed! What else could I do? She had doctors and nurses giving the best care they could and I was needed elsewhere. Finally things had calmed down and Denise was recovering well. I walked over to her to point out where Annika was for her and see how she was doing. She grabbed my hand, smiled and looked like a million bucks. I am not sure what all medically they had to do, but The Great Physician guided their hands and was caring for Denise. I have no idea how they are doing now. I think of them often and wonder how their continuing operations went...but God is in control and loves them regardless. I rest in that. This was Denise right before the aftershock.

There were plenty of stories that I listened to of parents losing their children, literally right in front of their eyes. Building falling and crushing...fires burning. But this was a story of hope. Yes...plenty of suffering and complete devastation...but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Thank you Jesus for HOPE found only in YOU and the suffering YOU went through!