A day of miracles

Hello from the Heart Team in Honduras at Cemesa Hospital! The team was energized and busy this morning despite the late night at the hospital. You can feel God’s hands at work here!

Yadira, the first patient in the operating room yesterday is healing in ICU. She is doing well, and her grandmother sits by her bedside. She met me this morning with joyous, tearful eyes as I walked into the ICU. She shouted, “she walked, she walked!” The ICU nurses already had her out of bed this morning. She walked, gaining strength with every step. It is difficult to believe that less than 24 hours ago she had open heart surgery.

Our second patient yesterday was Mayra. She traveled to San Pedro Sula with her aunt and grandmother. Mayra was planned to have a cardiac catheterization only. However, after another child was cancelled, Mayra was added to the surgery schedule. When the surgeons explained to the mother that Mayra would have surgery this week, mom was overwhelmed. She had not prepared for this emotionally. As Dr. Nikaidoh asked mom to sign the consent for the surgery, he handed mom the pen. She began to cry. The translator explained that the mother could not read or write. She did not even know how to write her own name. The translator pulled an inkpad out of his pocket and placed mom’s thumb in the ink. She pressed her thumb on the signature line of the consent. This was her signature, signing away the care of her child to the hands of our surgeons. This consent could not have been soon enough. As Mayra lay waiting for surgery she had a “tet spell”. This caused Mayra to have poor blood oxygenation to her body. She became a dusky blue and had a seizure. The nurses and doctors sprung into action and transported her to the ICU to wait for surgery.  We thanked God that she was in the hospital during this episode and the team was able to intervene. The surgeons were in the OR until after midnight last night and Mayra’s heart is now fixed. She is currently resting in the ICU with her mother at her side. We plan for her to be transitioned to the step down unit tomorrow!

 Two patients were scheduled today for surgery, Emyl and Sheili. Emyl was accompanied by many family members who traveled from all over Honduras to be with him for surgery. This morning as Dr. Nikaidoh explained the surgery to the family, he testified to the mother, “God is watching over Emyl, He is watching over you, He is watching over all of us.” Dr. Nikaidoh reached over to the mother, and gave her a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The worry and concern melted from the mother’s face. God’s presence in the room was overpowering, reaching down to hold this family in His arms.

Emyl’s surgery was difficult, and he was in the operating room longer than the team had planned. It was expected that since he had been in the operating room an extended amount of time, he would come out with a breathing tube. The family waited outside the operating room, anxious to catch a first glimpse of Emyl after surgery. They waited five minutes, then ten minutes, then fifteen. The mother and father clung to one another and wept in each others arms as the anxious minutes ticked by. They questioned, “Why has he not come out?” Joe, the respiratory therapist, emerged from the door, he gave a quick thumbs up. The breathing tube is out! After a long and challenging surgery, Emyl emerged from the operating room. The team rolled Emyl’s bed down the long ramp out of the operating room. Dr Biby, the anesthesiologist touched Emyl. “Wake up Emyl, here is your mommy.” His eyes slowly opened and locked with his mothers. They shared a precious moment, and the team quickly took Emyl to the intensive care unit. After Emyl’s bed rolled past the family, they shared joyous kisses and hugs. Prayers were shouted, and they began thanking God for His gift.

When I left the hospital this evening, Emyl was stable in the ICU.  The most skilled doctors and nurses care for him. As I write, the surgical team is still in the operating room with the second patient of the day, Sheili. They are expected to be in the operating room past midnight tonight, and will arise early to begin again.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers. Our team is dearly blessed to have the support and love of so many! The internet is slow here, and I am uploading lots of team photos to facebook. Please come and join The Friends of Barnabas Facebook page to see photos!

Love,

Ashley