My story begins two years ago when I decided to do a medical mission in Africa, but the timing was never right for me to go. Finally, God said, it’s time for you to go and the place was Egbe Hospital in Nigeria. I had a lot of mixed feelings about the unknown and what to expect on this journey. I said, “God I am trusting you to do with me what you will to glorify you.”
I am an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner by training, but Nigeria does not acknowledge this level of advanced practice. So, my role at Egbe Hospital was to teach and train the ICU/ER nursing staff and nursing students various skills.
I have several impactful stories that I could share from my experience at Egbe but one that really stands out for me is Sabitu, a two year old boy. I first saw this little boy and his mother in the ER in the morning. He was sitting up in bed with his mother with oxygen on with a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute in no real distress.
I then proceeded with my day in the ICU. After lunch on my way back to the ICU I felt God saying you need to go back to the ER now! So I proceeded to the ER to witness Sabitu lethargic, limp and breathing about 48 breaths per minute. I asked the nurses what was going on? I reviewed the chest x-ray, and it revealed a complete left sided pleural effusion with trachea & heart deviation to the right…Very bad and knowing this little boy had limited time left to live if we did not do something immediately.
The nurses and surgeon said their family has no money to pay their bill, so they are refusing to allow treatment for their son!
I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing from everyone. There was no sense of urgency from anyone because this was just life in Nigeria. I immediately said, “this child will not die on my watch”, so I went to the hospital administrator and said this little boy will die within an hour or so if we don’t take him to the operating room to have a chest tube placed! The family are farmers and have traveled a long distance with no money to pay their bill or for any further treatment for their son.
I asked if there is any money available to help this child because God has put this on my heart to help him. The hospital administrator said, “We will help him.” I went directly back to the ER, picked the child up in my arms and carried him to the operating room for the procedure. The surgeon drained 800cc of pus from that little boy’s lungs from an infectious process. After the procedure, Sabitu was brought back to the ICU where we cared for him. He started coming back to life and was saying he was hungry. This is the responsibility of the parents to bring food for their son, but they had no money. So, I felt God saying give them some money for food which I did to feed their son. The mother was so thankful and grateful to me, but I said this came from God!
This whole experience watching this little boy suffer and his family having the inability to help was something I could not bear seeing so I reacted through God!
All the Glory goes to him, our heavenly father and I was his vessel to use.
In Christ,
Gina L.
Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
