First Operating Day and A Birthday!

Our day began with breakfast at 6:30 as a team with a short devotion led by Jay. Then we joined the hospital staff and patients' families for a chapel service at 7am. Here we are having a team meeting after the chapel service. Ruth is telling us about the day ahead.

It all sounds like an early day, but we have all been waking up around 5:30am and going to bed around 8pm. The sun rises early and sets around 6pm since they don't follow daylight savings time.

The girls and I joined the surgical team for pre-operative rounds. Abigail was very excited to bring pencils to give to each child before their surgeries. Here she is with a particular friend that she made on Sunday when Myrah came for her pre-operative evaluation. She had a wrist fracture that didn't heal well and needed operative correction.

We spent the morning doing puzzles and working on a cross-stitch. I saw one patient with vitamin-D and calcium deficient ricketts. And then around 9:30am, the party began!

The outdoor waiting area for the clinic was docrated beautifully. The clinic was stopped for the party. Abigail walked out the clinic door to wonderful surprises-- including a pinata with her favorite character that was ordered just for her.

After she took a few swings, she picked the next participant from among the patients waiting to be seen in the clinic.

Lillian had two turns at bat-- and every child in the waiting area had a turn as well.

Here is Danny Castro, Ruth's husband and the hospital spiritual director, manning the rope holding the pinata, raising and lowering the pinata for each child according to their size.

Since arriving in Honduras, Lillian has been telling everyone that she is six years old-- and she gets upset if you suggest that she's not six. I think it's because it's the first time she has been aware of the birthday celebrations-- and thinks it only happens when you turn six. She holds up six fingers at every opportunity to let people know.

It took many hits to break it-- and everyone went crazy when the candy tumbled out.

Then there was a beautiful cake! A nurse even found a pair of fancy dress-up shoes for Abigail to wear for the party. Lillian also wore a pair after she raised a stink.

The children from the clinic gathered around and sang to Abigail in English and Spanish. It was a wonderful birthday party to remember!

Meanwhile, Jay and the rest of the surgical team were hard at work until about 4:30pm. One of his cases was the reconstruction of a child's hand that had a double thumb. The extra thumb had bones and was functional.

A post-operative photo.

More of the same tomorrow!