The first day on the mission

The day we arrived in Changde was not very eventful at the hospital. After dinner we had a brief meeting of all who were there from America and those from the hospital who will be working with us. After the meeting, the American team headed out to see the hospital settings and screen some patients. There was a couple there with their baby boy (about a year old). They came a long way to see the foreign doctors because their son has a tumor growing in his mouth. The poor boy looked really bad and the mother was so worried about him. She asked the doctors if there was anything they could do for him, but they said this kind of tumor just needs time and it will clear up when he's four or six years old. She started getting upset and worried because they said they wouldn't do anything for the baby. She asked them to operate, but they said it would do more harm than good and that he was too young for surgery anyway. She started crying and asking them if there was anything anyone could do for him. She said she couldn't stand waiting for it to go away because it just keeps getting bigger. They tried to make her understand that it will be okay and examined the tumor to help her feel better. They told her to bring him back next year if she would like for them to look at him again then. I did the last half of the interpreting for this poor lady. She was just so heartbroken and worried and upset. She wasn't yelling or anything, just crying and begging them to do something. She felt much better after they looked at him and promised her a dozen times her baby would be okay. She was much better when we left her and thanked us all profusely.

The next day was very hectic and pressured, but things settled down and got better as the day went on. I went with my roommate (one of the anesthesiologists) to deliver supplies to the OR first thing in the morning. We were going to go right after that to the opening ceremony, but the hospital started bringing in patients before the rooms were ready! Everything was pretty confusing for the most part because it was the first day. The arrangements between the American doctors and the local staff needed to be set and that took a little while. But every one wants to work together in harmony, so it is going pretty well. One thing I like about China is that there are so many people that want to help you no matter what you're doing.