Today we drove in the direction of the Volta region in the east. The drive was flatter and it looked like you could see for miles and miles and miles.
This outreach was the smallest yet. I'd say under 100 people total. We breezed through visual acuity. I decided it was ball time again. The weaker ones got weeded out and eventually I was in a juggling circle with about 6 boys from 12-18 (I think). They loved that I could juggle, and my name went from Ms. Great to Lady Ronaldo. I'm really appreciative that I have skill that allows me to interact with people all over the world regardless of language. So cool.
Naturally, they asked me again to keep my ball. I wish I had a bunch to give away, it's so so hard to say no each time. The last group we see will be a lucky one!
On the way back to Accra we passed a very wealthy suburb. After seeing shack after shack for days it was so bizarre to see three-story, modern houses with multiple garages.
On the way back to Accra we passed a very wealthy suburb. After seeing shack after shack for days it was so bizarre to see three-story, modern houses with multiple garages.
Makes you wonder how they escaped the poverty. We also went to a mall. A real mall! Like for a second I felt I could've been back in the US, there were even a bunch of obrunis! There was also a normal grocery store in the mall and I looked longingly at the fresh vegetable produce. I'm not sure if that is even safe, so I got beans/rice instead, but man, I could sure go for some broccoli.
The next day I got to go to the eye clinic. UFS requires that each sponsored surgery be witnessed and signed off by a UFS volunteer. Kale and I were supposed to go at 8, around 9:30 we headed out (you'd think I'd be used to this by now) and sat around the clinic until around noon. Then we saw 43 UFS cataract and/or pterygium surgeries in a row, with a few private patients sprinkled in between.
The OR in this clinic was nothing like the OR's in the US. The room had two beds, one with the patient being operated on, and the other with the patient on deck getting ready to go. The 2nd and 3rd patient were also chilling in the OR in chairs, waiting their turn.
The next day I got to go to the eye clinic. UFS requires that each sponsored surgery be witnessed and signed off by a UFS volunteer. Kale and I were supposed to go at 8, around 9:30 we headed out (you'd think I'd be used to this by now) and sat around the clinic until around noon. Then we saw 43 UFS cataract and/or pterygium surgeries in a row, with a few private patients sprinkled in between.
The OR in this clinic was nothing like the OR's in the US. The room had two beds, one with the patient being operated on, and the other with the patient on deck getting ready to go. The 2nd and 3rd patient were also chilling in the OR in chairs, waiting their turn.
It was a very different procedure than I observed in the US as we've done away with it. It involves a larger slit and the cataract is popped out whole through the slit. There are no ultrasound vacuums or folded lenses that pop open inside.
The cataracts looked like little brown m&ms. Many of them had these for years and years without treatment.
The cataracts looked like little brown m&ms. Many of them had these for years and years without treatment.
Unfortunately that moment I had my heart set on witnessing, when the bandages would be removed and the blind patient would see did not occur in front of me. Bummer.
Also I had to take off my sneakers in favor of OR flipflops. Pretty ridiculous. Goes against years of closed-toe protocol and freaked me out since I was afraid the tools might accidentally drop on my toes and infect me with some unfortunate illness. I did get sprayed on my feet a few times when the doctor turned towards me to answer a question with a tool still spurting some unknown solution.
Also the people in the OR wore the same masks as us, but neglected to cover their noses--which kind of defeats the purpose. And sterile procedures kind of didn't exactly exist. My surgeon did change his gloves with each patient (unlike another site where the gloves were just sprayed with some disinfectant), but no one changed their sterile smocks and the assisting nurses changed nothing. They also reused many tools and only washed them with boiling pots of water... not quite as effective as an autoclave. The OR was hot and the AC barely cooling down the room, making it a great environment for bacteria to prosper.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
Also I had to take off my sneakers in favor of OR flipflops. Pretty ridiculous. Goes against years of closed-toe protocol and freaked me out since I was afraid the tools might accidentally drop on my toes and infect me with some unfortunate illness. I did get sprayed on my feet a few times when the doctor turned towards me to answer a question with a tool still spurting some unknown solution.
Also the people in the OR wore the same masks as us, but neglected to cover their noses--which kind of defeats the purpose. And sterile procedures kind of didn't exactly exist. My surgeon did change his gloves with each patient (unlike another site where the gloves were just sprayed with some disinfectant), but no one changed their sterile smocks and the assisting nurses changed nothing. They also reused many tools and only washed them with boiling pots of water... not quite as effective as an autoclave. The OR was hot and the AC barely cooling down the room, making it a great environment for bacteria to prosper.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
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