Week Nine! June 9-15

 Nine weeks down, five to go! 

Ship Life 

The beginning of this week was a bit rough, but I am grateful it ended on a positive note! I did not feel well Monday-Wednesday, so I pretty much just worked and then went to sleep. Thankfully I started to feel better on Wednesday afternoon and was able to join some fellow OR crew for dinner and gelato. We went to a local Chinese restaurant and ate a tonnnn of delicious food, all shared family style. The total cost per person for the dinner was 20,000 Ariary which is less than $5 USD. We then went to the local Gelateria and enjoyed a sweet treat. 







The Wednesday night dinner, gelato, and improved health inspired me to go for a run on Thursday morning that ended up being the furthest and fastest run I've had in Madagascar yet! 

This weekend, six of us adventured away on Saturday-Sunday to Le Vacoa Village. We had come for the day a few weeks ago but decided to stay the night this time! The weather kept attempting to thwart our departure from the ship Saturday morning, but we decided to brave the rain. This was quite the experience... motorbikes and lake sized potholes are quite the combination. Nevertheless, we successfully made it to Vacoa and made the most of day! There was some breakthrough sunshine and we played cards, ate food, and overall enjoyed some good ol' R&R. After leaving Vacoa, we went to nearby Datsara Village where we kayaked for an hour before making the trek back to the ship. Admittedly, there were some moments on this motorbike journey where I had to rely on my sweet friends to keep me sane... which they did. It was overall an unforgettable experience and will definitely be a highlight of my time in Madagascar! 


 









Surgery On Board

This week was another Max Fax week. We performed a variety of surgeries, some more extensive than others. We did a couple of the more involved mandibulectomy surgeries, where we removed the lower jaw bone due to a tumor and reconstructed it with a metal plate and screws. These can prove to be quite time extensive due to the manual bending and turning of the plate to perfectly fit it to the patient's anatomy. The type of surgeries we are able to complete on the ship still amazes me. The equipment and technology present on the ship truly is state of the art. The flow of the OR, and more importantly the Malagasy patients, definitely benefit from the generosity of donors and the excellence Mercy Ships pursues. I am honored the Lord has chosen me to play a part in this wonderful mission! 

 



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