I should have taken his picture, but I didn't think of it in time. The beautiful smile he flashed for me today was priceless. It was the first time I had seen him smile since I met him a couple months ago.
5-year-old Dipesh was another one of our burn patients. We treated him a few months ago in hospital, and I have seen him in clinic a few times since then. He was one of those kids who screamed every time you even looked at him, let alone made any move to touch him. While in hospital he had been quite sick with high fevers for awhile, and we had wondered if he would make it. Many in that situation don't. But he did, and he eventually went home. He still had some wounds that we thought would need grafting, but for various reasons he went home without that being done.
When I saw him in clinic a month later, there was still a wound that needed grafting, so we brought him into hospital and did the surgery. Only some of the graft took, but we decided at that point to send him home and see him again in a month, hoping the wound would have healed, or at least gotten smaller.
Today, as usual, he started crying as soon as mom opened the door to my clinic and started to walk in. I looked at him, smiled, put my hands behind my back, and said, "See, I'm not going to touch you. You lift up your shirt and show me." Reluctantly he did. The wounds were all healed, and I told him so. I asked to see his leg, which almost made him cry again, but I promised not to touch. That wound was healed, as well.
When I told him he didn't need another operation, he looked at me with the kind of disbelief you don't usually see in a 5-year-old. And then, cautiously he flashed me a smile. I then said, "No more surgery, no more hospital, no more injections. You can go home." Then he smiled a big smile, showing his beautiful huge dimples in the process. I proceeded to hand him a frangipane blossom, which for some reason I had brought with me to clinic today. They are a favourite flower of mine, and are blossoming beautifully right now. Their fragrance is amazing. When I handed it to him, he actually laughed. Mom looked me in the eye and said, "Thank you for saving his life."
There are many days when I cry out of sadness or frustration over one patient's story or another's. I have plenty of patients in hospital right now who are worth shedding those kinds of tears for. But this time I shed tears of joy.
We serve, Jesus heals!
5-year-old Dipesh was another one of our burn patients. We treated him a few months ago in hospital, and I have seen him in clinic a few times since then. He was one of those kids who screamed every time you even looked at him, let alone made any move to touch him. While in hospital he had been quite sick with high fevers for awhile, and we had wondered if he would make it. Many in that situation don't. But he did, and he eventually went home. He still had some wounds that we thought would need grafting, but for various reasons he went home without that being done.
When I saw him in clinic a month later, there was still a wound that needed grafting, so we brought him into hospital and did the surgery. Only some of the graft took, but we decided at that point to send him home and see him again in a month, hoping the wound would have healed, or at least gotten smaller.
Today, as usual, he started crying as soon as mom opened the door to my clinic and started to walk in. I looked at him, smiled, put my hands behind my back, and said, "See, I'm not going to touch you. You lift up your shirt and show me." Reluctantly he did. The wounds were all healed, and I told him so. I asked to see his leg, which almost made him cry again, but I promised not to touch. That wound was healed, as well.
When I told him he didn't need another operation, he looked at me with the kind of disbelief you don't usually see in a 5-year-old. And then, cautiously he flashed me a smile. I then said, "No more surgery, no more hospital, no more injections. You can go home." Then he smiled a big smile, showing his beautiful huge dimples in the process. I proceeded to hand him a frangipane blossom, which for some reason I had brought with me to clinic today. They are a favourite flower of mine, and are blossoming beautifully right now. Their fragrance is amazing. When I handed it to him, he actually laughed. Mom looked me in the eye and said, "Thank you for saving his life."
We serve, Jesus heals!
We help you serve by our prayers and thanksgivings. "There" with you.
ReplyDelete