This has been another busy week at the CURE hospital. We had a cleft lip camp, which started on Sunday and is now winding down. A group of doctors from Switzerland came to help out, and most of the patients have come through Sentinelles. It is great having so many little kids running around the hospital, laughing and playing.

On the first or second day of camp, Hassane and I were walking through the ward, and it was full of the kids that were recovering from surgery. They were pitiful-looking, all swollen lips, tears, and drool. But most of them seemed to be taking it well, and a few even managed a smile, or as much of a smile as their swollen faces would permit. But one of them, Sagirou, was crying. He was a bit younger than the others, and it seemed like he just didn’t want to be in there anymore. We asked him if he was in pain, and he said no, but just kept crying. Hassane picked him up and started walking around with him, and he calmed down a little, so we asked if he could come out with us for a bit. The nurses said ok, so Hassane put him down and we walked out into the sun. Read the rest of this entry »

Mahamadou and Harouna

Mahamadou Abdoul-Rahim is a dignified Hausa gentleman from a village near Tahoua. He came to the CURE hospital with his six-year-old son, Harouna, who was born with cleft lip. Harouna was full of energy, always running around, and talking on the toy cell phone that he found at the hospital. He took it everywhere with him. Mahamadou, on the other hand, was a quiet man who never really said much and had a sad smile. I noticed a few things about him: he took good care of Harouna, he walked with a limp, and he carried a cane. After a few weeks at the hospital he told us his story.

Mahamadou was married to his wife Faida for many years. They were happy together and had a large family. But when Harouna was born with cleft lip, Mahamadou was very upset. He couldn’t imagine that his wife had given birth to a child with such a defect, especially since she had already given him eight other children that were perfectly healthy. It upset him so much that he decided to leave her and take a new wife. Faida and Harouna still lived with Mahamadou, but he rejected them. They were not kicked out of the house, but they were set aside and Mahamadou took a new wife. She soon gave birth to another baby. It seemed as though Faida and Harouna would be totally forgotten. Read the rest of this entry »