Many of you received an email update from me in Liberia in which I asked for prayer for Bosco, a young man who sustained burns to 70% of his body surface after the generator he was filling with gasoline exploded (he was filling it while it was still running).
I received an email from one of the doctors still working at ELWA Hospital sharing the sad sad news that Bosco died on Sunday morning.
Even at the best medical center in the USA, his prognosis with such extensive burns would have been about 50-50. But he survived for six weeks. And we all thought he was through the worst of it all.
His wife was truly amazing - Felisha. She never left his side. She never complained. She would help him get into a big tub of warm water every morning and slowly peel off the sticky gauze dressings so that clean ones could be applied. This was a pain-filled, revolting task. There was a putrid odor that filled the room from the wounds. She cooked every day for him on the sidewalk outside that little room. And she always smiled when you came in the room.
I shared in the task of applying the daily gauze dressings. I would lay the sterile gauze on so gently after applying a thin layer of Silvadene - and he would still wince from the pain - but not complain.
I discovered that he was a Chelsea football fan at one point and brought him news of one of their winning games. It’s the only time I saw him smile.
I feel so so sad for Felisha and his family. They were all so hopeful.
It’s easy to shrug it off and say he lived longer than he should have. He didn’t have a chance. But I was with him and he was so alive so hopeful for so long.
I offer this little piece of cyberspace as a memorial, a remembrance to a courageous and perseverant man whose life was cut short. The Old and New Testaments are full of reminders to Remember. I remember Bosco. He death leaves a void, a hole, a gap which shall never be filled in the lives of his family and friends. I pray that his family will be reminded of the Big Picture, of the Resurrection, of the Hope to Come - but I’m sure that seems very very distant at this dark hour.
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1 comment:
Thank you for noticing and for loving. And for continually providing this mom in Oregon USA perspective. As I was lunching with friends this week their discussion went to naturopath vs MD and the minute details of hormones as we age and I finally had to say something about what a luxurious privilege we have to be able to focus on those things. To have choices about who we see and what we focus on. It's akin to going to the supermarket to buy cereal number of choices!
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