Dear friends,
It's hard to believe it will be 3 weeks on Thursday since Salifu's surgery. The doctors, residents, nursing staff, etc. were incredible. We ended up staying for six days at the KU Med Center and then headed back for an emergency room visit around 11pm last Saturday night. Sal was running a fever of 104Š (fahrenheit) which was very disturbing. After blood work, CAT scan, IVs etc. there was no apparant reason for his having been so hot. All the tests showed nothing to be concerned about and so we were sent home at 5:30AM but not before witnessing some interesting characters. Suffice it to say this experience involved some colorful details, including the police making an arrest, a crossdressing "wife", someone having buttocks full of bullets, and a male in a peek-a-boo bluelace ensemble with white thong underware...just another weekend in the ER.
Salifu has had trouble in his foot where the IV was, plus an allergic reaction to either the antibiotic he was on or to strawberries. Strange rashes haunted him for nearly a week once we returned home. But I am happy to report that he seems his old silly self now.
Salifu's experiences keep widening. His first trip to a movie theater was a thrill. He begged me to take the big TV home with us. While in the hospital we discovered "Winnie the Pooh" and just thinking about Piglet can get him to giggling. He went for a swim at a large public pool and wore us all out with his boundless energy. His bike's training wheels are very thin now. Recently we had an interesting discussion about the solar system. I tried to explain the earths rotation around the sun and how the suns light and heat enables us to grow food. Without the sun, we would have no food. He quickly deduced that this was not a problem. "Den we go to MackyDonald's!" he replied. He has stopped saying "exsqueeze me" for excuse me. Going to miss that one.
Talked to Debbie Brantley, Francis' new mom. Apparantly part of the skin graft didn't take on his hand but otherwise he is doing well mowing grass and riding a neighbor's motorbike! He will get the pins out of his fingers in a week or two.
I want to thank you all again for your interest in these children from Sierra Leone. I cannot convey to you with words all the little ways these small humans touch the lives of everyone who knows them. I can never express my emotions when poor Sal turns to me with arms outstretched from his hospital bed for a hug after a session involving needles and syringes. We took many walks on the grounds of the hospital in a wagon or wheelchair during our stay. Strangers would come up and ask about him, wonder about his story, marvel at his progress, and pause for a moment in their hectic lives to ponder the miracle of this little boy. That swollen and bandaged head, his small dark feet sticking out from his gown, his big black eyes full of excitement riding the escalator, his cackling over Pooh's mishaps...children are so precious.
I expect my updates will be fewer and further apart in the future. We will just get about the business of recovering and living life. It's like keeping a baby book writing these things down. I do it more for myself than anything. I do hope it reminds you to live in wonder everyday. You should.
Blessings,
Ann
and God bless.. Irene Cummings, administrator of KU Med for her willingness to take on this case, Dr. Peter Witt for smiling into Sal's face and saying "Count me in", Dr. Paul O'Boynick for his assuring confidence that "We can do this!". I was never afraid for Sal in their hands. Darlene Ball, a truley lovely and loving lady and the gift of the chirping chick, Miss Kathy and Miss Camille for the painted airplane, the bubble gum cooking lesson, Thomas the Train set, and all the other diversions in their cheerful classroom, Roger, the PICU nurse who took great care of both of us, Meredith, who took time to give us a tour the day before surgery and set our fears at ease, And oll of the other helpful and caring faces at KU Med Center for changing one little boys life.