Operation Smile: Pulling Teeth

9/7/2015

Today was one of those days where, I look back at the events that occurred and I think to myself, did that really just happen?

It actually started on Sunday, when a mother of a child who had been accepted to get surgery came up to me and said she wasn't feeling well. She was exhausted, didn't have an appetite, and her body hurt - but mainly her head and her teeth. The mom and daughter, along with two children, were staying with a family friend in an outlying neighborhood of Tamatave, and had to walk back. I asked if she would rather stay at the patient shelter, and she said then her two sons wouldn't have care. She was worried about her ability to take care of all her children. So we arranged to have her, her youngest child who was getting cleft lip surgery and her two older brothers to stay at the patient shelter.

The same night she came to us saying her teeth really hurt and asked for medicine. We were waiting from an OK from the doctors, but when a response wouldn't come we have her some Tylenol. Later, the doctors said that was a good choice and this women should come see the dentist tomorrow.

After waiting for the car to take her to the hospital for a few hours, I went to get her from her room and found her in tears, she was in so much pain. I said we were going to the hospital and that, hopefully, we can see the dentist soon and she won't hurt so much anymore.

We arrived at the hospital, the woman, her little daughter, another volunteer (Gabe) and I, and the dentist was especially busy but said she would see her as soon as she could. This must've felt like forever for the woman, but luckily a operation smile volunteer gave the little girl bubbles, so passed time a little quicker. (How couldn't it? Bubbles are great!) 

I went in to the OR with the woman as Gabe watched her child, making sure she wasn't worried and that she was fed lunch. The dentist  said her teeth needed to be pulled - maybe all of them - but that wouldn't be possible to do in one visit. So the decision was made (and agreed upon by the woman) to pull the teeth. I, now the agreed upon translator for this woman, stood/kneeled by her side as the doctor pulled 10 teeth from her mouth,ncluding a rotten wisdom tooth and the draining of a infected abscess. At one point I was supporting her head with my hands, as the dental chair was...less than ideal. I, needless to say, I was quite proud of my ability to not pass out or vomit everywhere. In fact, I wasn't really queasy at all! The woman's entire appearance seemed to get lighter after the pain medicine started kicking in, as if a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders (or her molars...) 

And, similarly, I felt a release of tension, as this woman now didn't seem to have as much stress about taking care of her child after surgery because she was hopefully of being healthy herself soon, and I felt like I was a little bit of a part of that. And you know, that's a good feeling to have.

Written 9/20/2015

The next day, her daughter got cleft palate surgery. When she was in post-op, another volunteer, Gabe, and I were the ones translating for the nurses. The little girl was fighting the nurses to not take the medicine. Gabe sat down, she climbed on his lap, and she drank the medicine without a problem. We had her other children come visit and it really felt like they had accepted us to being a small part of their family. At one point, the other patients parents had joked that we are now part of their luggage they must take back home.

I am hopeful that both the mom and daughter are recovering well and I am very thankful for all of Operation Smile’s help in making their lives a little less painful, a little healthier, and overall, a little better. 

Operation Smile

Operation Smile 

Written 9/20/2015

A few weeks ago, I was working with 7 other volunteers and Operation Smile. Operation Smile is an organization that gives no-cost cleft palate and lip surgeries to people in developing countries. They have been coming to Madagascar for about 12 years, and they are now building a Medical Center in a big city in Madagascar to serve the country on a more regular basis.

In the past, I had helped Charlotte - my site mate - while she searched for Operation Smile patients. She would go into the country side around our town and spread the word that Operation Smile was coming and that children and adults with cleft lip and/or cleft palate could be eligible for a no-cost surgery.

I saw the patients before they left, and saw them come back with a new confidence, sometimes even visibly healthier looking, as they spent the week eating healthy, meat-filled meals at the patient shelter.

So, when the call came that I could volunteer with Operation Smile, I new I wanted to participate in the mission. And I am so glad that I did!

The main task of the Peace Corps Volunteers who came to help was to coordinate the patient shelter and make sure the patients were being fed well, had beds, and were overall staying healthy before surgery. We got to know the patients, and after a few hiccups, things were running smoothly.

The secondary task was translating. We translated throughout the screening process and for the nurses in post-op. I new my Malagasy language skills had improved, but I had no idea how much so! Some translating was difficult, not in the sense that the words were hard, but the content was heartbreaking. 

A mother brought her child that had gotten cleft lip surgery in the past and had brought him back to get cleft palate surgery. Her son was born def, and being 11 years old, the Op Smile staff knew that fixing his palate would be extremely painful with very little benefit. He would never be able to speak well without intensive speech therapy because he wasn’t able to hear the sounds he was making. 

I, with the help of Malagasy translators, had to apologize for the miscommunication that led this woman to think her son was certainly getting surgery and explain to her why surgery wasn’t worth it. She was visibly distressed and expressed that she just hoped her son would be able to say, “Mama” or “Papa” one day. So we brought the speech therapist in and helped him take the steps towards saying this words. It was a really special moment!

Next, we had to send the woman home. Operation Smile provides reimbursement for the trip to and from the operation site. At some point in the process, I was given the money to give to her. I handed her the cash and said Operation Smile is helping her get home. She started to say her goodbyes, a final thank you, and final apologies from the Op Smile end and one of the nurses gave her a big hug. Malagasy people do not hug. The woman welcomed the hug, but her body was as stiff as a board. Next, she turned to me and we did the more traditional handshake and three cheek kisses. On the final kiss, I saw the woman’s eyes fill with tears. She said one final thank you and turned away. Although I know her son is healthy, eating well and able to communicate in his own ways, it was difficult to see someone’s hope deflate just a little bit, although she was still thanking God that she had a healthy son.

Over the week, the situations got a bit less dramatic, but never less touching. We translated more simple things, such as “Make sure you child is drinking a lot of water. They will have less pain and feel better if they are drinking a lot of water” or “When did your child go to the bathroom last” Or explaining how and when to give your child medicine. It was simple tasks, but we had formed a connection with the parents. We were they’re voice. When they looked distressed, we were the ones who asked if they needed anything. Although I gave absolutely no medical assistance, I was thanked more than I have ever been thanked in my Peace Corps service because I was the one of the people who understood. It was a really heart warming experience.

That being said, the people who really deserved the praise were the surgeons, nurses, dentists, doctors, and Op Smile staff that took time out of there regular lives to help give these surgeries free of charge. Working with all of them was truly a wonderful experience. Weather it was translating for them, running errands, watching surgery or just hanging out, their dedication to improving lives was obvious. In 5 days, they operated on 118 people. Thats 118 lives changed. 

I am hopeful that I will get to work with Operation Smile again in my next year of service.  Working with them was a wonderful way to end my 1st year in Madagascar and another beautiful way I am making my mother proud :)

A Great Month with CNFM

A Great Month with CNFM

Written on 9/1/2015

My much too short time at CNFM is coming to an end today, for being such a short time, I would never have expected it to be so bittersweet. 

I wouldn't have expected to learn so much about development and policy, and get to know so much more about the women of Madagascar, the women of CNFM, and experience a evolution in my view of development work. And I honestly hope that this experience was just the beginning.

The president of the organization, Noro Ravaozanany is one of the most hardworking and inspiring women I have met. Her passion and commitment for gender equality and the incredible leadership she brings to the table continues to inspire me everyday. Last week, i admitted to her that when I grow up I want to be her. Which she was more surprised by than I expected.

Through her and the other women at CNFM, I learned more about how important policy is in  creating sustainable, institutional change. Where as field work - sensitization and capacity building trainings - is important, creating change in legal framework is just as crucial. I'd like to work with them again and get the chance to look more into policy and development, because I feel I just hit the surface of learning all the information I am certain they have to offer. 

I can also not say enough about the woman who so graciously let us into her home, Mama Zena. As we slowly started learning more and more about what a strong woman she was, working within the government. Being a strong voice for women here in Madagascar. She opened her doors to us and gave us a month of comfortable living, wonderfully full stomachs, and lots of inspiration.

With Mama Zena and Noro's invitation, I also had a wonderful opportunity to attend an international conference for the Indian Ocean area islands, where I observed the editing of a political strategy for sustainable change. The women (and a few men) were determined to make a plan to push for gender equality. Hearing alternate opinions about development was enlightening and refreshing.  Such as viewing gender issues as being a problem for both genders - specifically the idea that domestic violence abusers should go through a rehabilitation process to end the violence, not just for the one women, but for future women. An idea that can be adjusted to fit various gender related issues, but that, being a woman, I can honestly say I hadn't really though of.

Just as importantly, I had the chance to spend some time with some wonderfully empowered young Malagasy women that I hope to keep in contact with indefinitely. These intelligent, determined, and hilarious young women will go far in life and I want to watch it happen. I hope one day to greet them in America and get the opportunity to show them around my own country and reciprocate their wonderful hosting.

As I said to these wonderful women I had the chance to work with, I really hope it's not a goodbye to this wonderful organization, but a see you later! I am so grateful for all that I've learned and I cannot say thank you enough. I felt refueled with an even stronger amount of inspiration and excitement to return to the USA next year and apply for University public policy programs so that I can to continue to do development work in the future.

If you want to see what another Volunteer, Jillian, and I put together over the month, you can check it out (hopefully soon) on CNFM’s website.