Double Trouble

   There have been instances throughout my time in Togo where the moment suddenly becomes surreal. It's when I'm doing something that has become 'normal' to me, but then I look around and realize, "whoa. I'm driving my own motorcycle in the 100 degree heat in a tiny country in West Africa. I'm dodging turkeys and donkeys while children loudly chant their word for white person as I enter the market where I will conduct business in a different language with a foreign currency in an outdoor market to buy a limited selection of food which I will then need to bleach before consuming.  How did this become normal?"

    I had one of those moments yesterday. To understand the background, let me tell you about the twins.

    The month of March was really tough at the Hospital of Hope. There were some days where it felt like everything was on the brink of insanity. We lost a lot of kids. There were a couple of cases where things fell apart unexpectedly, and it sometimes felt like we just couldn't win. At the very end of March, premature girl twins born at around 29 weeks showed up at the hospital hours after their delivery. In general, babies that are born that prematurely don't do very well here. We simply don't have the technology to support them when they're that early.

    I remember caring for the twins in their first few weeks of life. Weighing in at around 2.4 pounds each, they kept their doctors and nurses busy and as they dealt with infections, malaria, necrotizing enterocolitis, heart defects, feeding problems, and respiratory issues. I prayed for these babies, but I had seen other babies die from each of these diseases, and at multiple occasions, I wondered if I would find them in their isolette the next day.

   By the grace of God, the incredible medical staff, and a lot of nursing care, our girls recovered from issue after issue and kept getting stronger.

 

   


















   The tradition here is that babies are named after 8 days, so as the weeks passed by, we got to know H and H as well as their mama, R (who has given permission and loves me taking photos of her babies). R has told me that I can keep the second twin since she stops crying when I hold her and will drink her whole bottle for me. We've prayed together and laughed at the girls making funny faces and cooed over them while trying to get a picture of them smiling.

Sisters

   Now at 37ish weeks and weighing in at a whopping 4.1 and 4.7 pounds, our precious twins are positively fat and doing great. They are slowly starting the process of getting ready to go home. During my shift yesterday, I woke up R and sent her to go pump milk for the next feed. When mama left, I picked up little H off the mat on the floor to put her back in her crib, and I started talking to her.

   The moment hit me. Kneeling on the floor alone with my twins, I thanked God for the miracle I held in my hands and for the happy story that I had really needed. I kissed her soft hair and told her that Jesus and I both loved her very much. It was a moment so perfect that it felt surreal. I think every nurse has a few special patients that they remember forever, and these are two of mine. I'm sharing this story as a reminder to me of God's faithfulness and goodness. Also, they're just stinkin' cute, right? 

   My time in Togo is quickly winding down. I am so grateful for the opportunities, relationships, and experiences I have had here. Living life in a completely new way has taught me so much, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 10/10 would recommend... but only if you can bear the heat. 

Because they haven't heard,

-C-