Welcome to Ward B

I work on ward B, an oprthopaedic ward treating kids aged from a few weeks old up til the age of 15. The surgeries and treatments these kids come in for can be very complicated, and I don't think I realised how extensive some of our surgeries can be. At the moment we're treating a lot of kids from Sierra Leone who had their first operation in 2011, now coming back for more surgery. When you're dealing with comlicated untreated conditions, you realise 10 months isn't a very long time. Being a nurse, working with children is quite different from working with adults. Adults are more reasonable when it comes to keeping still during wound care; they rarely kick and scream whenever you try and take a dressing down. Also, for most adults looking away is enough to survive needles, and me having to wipe away tears is a rare occasion. Adults aren't as easily comforted with stickers and balloons though, and it takes a lot longer for their tears to turn into laughter. Holding these kids in my arms, making them laugh at my silly dance moves and knowing I get the honor of helping them through a difficult but significant part of their lives, it leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside... even if it brings the sweat out carrying casted kids up the stairs from deck 3 to deck 7, and sometimes my arms go a bit numb from holding them for a long time (at that point it's a good idea to put them down). Whenever their faces lit up as they see me, I bet my own face shines 10 times brighter. It's my pleasure and a big honor to work with these children and their families.

All Love