June 28, 29, & 30: Although the title of this blog post is "Productivity," Sunday was my least productive day yet. I made the "Sunday as a day of rest" motto a reality. I spent the day reading and watching my pirated movies. The problem with the pirated movies was that two-thirds the way through the movie, the disc would automatically eject from my computer, leaving the ending a mystery. I became quite irritated when "Good Will Hunting" turned static with twenty minutes remaining and when "What to Expect When Expecting" turned out to be a psycho-horror movie (I guess they pirated the completely wrong DVD). With no more movies left to watch nor books left to read, I gave into an early night's sleep.
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When I woke up yesterday, I felt ten times better and went on a run with Noortje. We discussed what should be accomplished in the thirteen days I have left: 1. Finish creating the chemotherapy-education brochures and posters. Yesterday, I met with the head nurse of the oncology department and asked her what are the most pending problems that are related to a lack of awareness of cancer treatment among patients. After coming up with a list, I began to make the brochures, which will be handed to parents in the form of a packet. In this packet will also be a calendar, which the nurses will write on, showing the parents the days of the clinics and what they should be doing during the weeks. The head nurse was a supporter of the calendar idea because there is currently a lack of organization in the scheduling (it is amazing how something this simple can help so much!).
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| Current Pediatric Oncology Room |
I learned that in the middle of July, a large group of doctors and nurses from MGH's oncology clinic are visiting and working at the Mbarara hospital. A couple of the nurses who are coming have shown a keen interest in the program that I have started up, as well as in the educational aspect of the clinic. They have emphasized the importance of therapy for patients (especially children), and will work to see that the program is continuing successfully. The nurses also want to contribute to educating the pediatric oncology patients on their treatment, and they wish to strengthen the links between social services and patients' families. We are currently trying to figure out which areas of the clinic require the most help. Tomorrow (July 1), Noortje, Julio, Dr. Becky, and I will conduct a "needs assessment" of the oncology ward, using a universal hospital needs sheet. This assessment will prepare the doctors and nurses who are traveling to Mbarara in July and will give them a little insight into what the ward lacks and how they can best address these issues.
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| Allen with a Child at the Health Fair |
The second task that will need to be fulfilled is finding a skilled person who is dedicated to coming to the pediatric oncology ward every Tuesday and Thursday to continue the music and art therapy sessions. For awhile, I was worried that we would not be able to find someone who was good with children and who would also be dedicated to coming to every clinic. Today those worries disappeared. While watching Julio and Allen in the clinic this morning, Noortje had the brilliant idea of asking Allen if she would be willing to run the sessions. Allen, the young woman, who has served as the translator for the duration of my trip, is beyond kind, dedicated, and has a profound love for kids (kids gravitate towards her). She has an energy level that never wavers and an admiration for her town of Mbarara. After discussing this option with Julio and another doctor, we all agreed that hiring Allen would for sure be a wonderful step forward for the program. When we approached Allen with the offer, she was over-the-moon and kept repeating "I am so so happy to do this! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Over the next couple months, Allen will attend Skype calls with MGH therapists, so that she can learn the most effective ways to run sessions in the ward. Noortje and I are working on creating a formal job document for Alan, which will list the salary and the tasks that must be done with the job. I could not be happier with this outcome!
The third and final task is painting and redecorating the malnutrition ward. Noortje and I have purchased all of the materials for our "market themed" renovation, and we just need to find a person who will paint over the walls. We have the templates for our vegetables and chickens, which we will attempt to make out of fabric. Roughly patching up holes in my shirts is about as far as my sewing skills have reached (these poorly sewn patches normally become undone by the end of the day). I am off to go cut some fabric for our chickens (Lord only knows how my chickens will turn out. . .the craft might be a little too ambitious to make, considering my past failures in the "world of sewing").
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