Monday’s child is fair of face
Tuesday’s child is full of grace
Wednesday’s child is full of woe
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonnie and blithe and good and gay.

Since I am an early childhood teacher and have read more than a zillion nursery rhyme books over the years this little verse is familiar to me. It is very old and I thought of it last Thursday.  I wondered how many children are full of woe like Wednesday’s child.
I was teaching our math class with our TTP students and Funmi and someone came to get me. There was an emergency surgery at the hospital and they needed a blood donor. Just the week before I had told the lab that if they are looking for a donor to give blood, I am available. Since my blood group is O+, I am considered a “universal blood donor”. This is why I used to give blood every 12 weeks or so when we lived in the States. 0+ Blood works for all blood types except 0-.
I rushed down to the clinic and they took out a test tube of blood so that they could test to make sure I didn’t have anything in my blood that would negatively affect the person having surgery. As I was waiting for the tests to finish (this is standard procedure here). We do not have a blood bank because of the safety issue of keeping blood without constant electricity. When a patient needs blood the family looks for people to give blood that will work for the patient, they test it for HIV, Hepatitis, TB, etc. and if the tests are good, our lab technicians collect a pint of blood and that directly goes to the patient.
Anyway, while I was waiting I found out that a little 7 year old girl was the person that was going to get my blood. Here is a picture of her. Her name is Naziatu. I feel very privileged to actually get to meet someone that I have donated blood to. Well, Naziatu was born with her legs turned in. She fell and broke one of her legs and her family took her to the native healer. The native healer decided that they should break her other leg and tie the two legs together so they could heal straight. That is not what happened though. When Naziatu’s family brought her to our hospital, she had gangrene in both of her legs and was very close to death. Our Doctor had to amputate both of her legs above the knee in order to save her life. I took this picture on Monday, so this is how she is doing four days after having her legs amputated. We are watching her very carefully for infection and making sure that she is healing well. She is asking the nurses when her legs are coming back.

Also, while I was waiting the nurses were changing the dressings on our two burned children, Mymoona and Sadam. Their cries and begging the nurses to stop broke my heart as it would anyone. But this is so necessary for their healing, but also so painful for them.

Needless to say, it was a somber day for me as I thought and prayed about what so many people on this Earth deal with and how are we (Dan and I) ever going to make a dent of a difference here with the huge cultural gap that we deal with daily. Dan and I talked Friday morning about our on-going challenge with village healers and the deaths that occur that don’t need to because of this very challenge. We decided we need to educate as many people as much as we can and pray. We covet your prayers in this for us please.
I am still not sure how Naziatu is going to be able to get around after she gets to go home. I don’t know if a wheelchair would be the best and easiest or what is really the best for her at this time. Then there is the question if she will ever be able to have prosthetic legs.
Friends, my point for today is this: Hug your children, be thankful for the healthcare we have accessible in the States, we still need to be our children’s biggest advocates. Pray for us please and continue praying for Mymoona and Sadam as well as Naziatu. That they will heal and be infection-free and be able to return to their homes and live life.