We have had such a wonderful few days, meeting the Ugandan children and their families before surgery when apprehensions are running high and the tears run freely. We are later met with smiles, words of thanks, and tears of joy when the families reunite after surgery. But as I lay in bed, contemplating tomorrow, my thoughts are broken by the screams that cry out in the night in the open air Mulago Hospital. We are surrounded by others who have not been as fortunate as the children we operated on today. Instead, families are grieving in the most profound way over the loss of those dear to them. We are traveling with Dr Cathy Partyka, an old friend of Drs Sable and I (we were pediatric residents together in Washington DC), who is spending her vacation time in the neonatal ICU on the 5th floor of Mulago Hospital. Her first day was not as joyful as ours...She was greeted first thing in the morning by the deaths of 3 newborns. She has been introduced in a harsh way to the realities of Ugandan Medicine; knowing what and how to save a child's life but being unable to accomplish this in the austere conditions we work in. We hope and pray that tomorrow will be another successful day for our team and a day of healing for those around us who are infirm......Good night...
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