Last Day!

Today was our last day at Chidamoyo. It doesn't feel quite real yet even after our goodbyes today. We both will miss Brighton and everyone else at the hospital and are sad to have to leave so soon. That being said, today was the best last day we could have asked for. We visited a nearby school this morning and saw patients with a variety of conditions, some of which we hadn't seen before. Even though we weren't able to treat some of the patients ourselves, we are hoping our advice will be the push they need to come to the hospital to be diagnosed and treated. We saw some interesting cases today such as a young child with an intention tremor, a child who had four fingers amputated after a trauma, and a younger women who had developed scoliosis and hip pain after a history of osteomyelitis. After we finished treating patients, the  school staff made us lunch which was so thoughtful and very appreciated. We then visited the nearby primary school (grades 1-7) where the children there recited poetry for us and performed traditional African dances. It was an unforgettable afternoon. After returning to the hospital, we saw our very last patient (who was a nurse at the hospital) and gave her some exercises as well as modifying a lumbar support brace into a SI belt to help provide compression which reduced her pain. Then it was time for a final photo op and goodbye with Brighton before heading home. Today was a day of tough goodbyes, but also was very rewarding to feel like we had connected with so many people and had made an impact here! We will post some more thoughts on our experience over the next few days!

Primary school visit!