Day 12

Hello friends, family, and newcomers. Welcome to or welcome back to my blog where I am documenting the process leading up to and during my first humanitarian mission to Eldoret, Kenya.

Today, Thursday, April 10th, marks the conclusion of our mission. I can hardly believe I'm writing these words. Although I attempted to envision how this day would feel, nothing could have truly prepared me for it.

We woke up at 6:15, got dressed in our white polos again for the closing ceremony, and headed downstairs for breakfast. I was thrilled to find oat porridge today, as I could enjoy it with my bananas and honey. I also had hard boiled eggs, sausage, and yogurt. Becci and Dr. Spivak joined us for breakfast and then walked us out to wave goodbye.

Upon arriving at the hospital, we were incredibly surprised to see them join us! They spent a few hours with us in the morning, which made me very happy. We changed into our scrubs, and to my surprise, I was the team lead today alongside Dr. Anastasia, which meant I got to conduct the morning meeting. This was enjoyable. As team lead, my responsibilities included overseeing the operating rooms to ensure they ran smoothly, checking on the wards during rounds to see if the team required anything, and addressing any needs in the clinic.

I began my rounds in the wards by speaking with Dr. Lado, informing him to message me if he required any assistance. I discussed several patients with him to ensure they were receiving the necessary care and that everyone was aligned. I also checked on post-operative patients and confirmed that those scheduled for surgeries today remained NPO (nothing by mouth).

I then proceeded to the operating room because the three-year-old I had been helping to care for was undergoing her second, very extensive surgery today. I wanted to be there for as much of it as possible. I found her in the waiting area with her grandma and was able to carry her into the operating room, which was very special. She was understandably upset, so we sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her until she fell asleep from the anesthesia. I laid her on the table and left the team to prepare her for surgery.

I realized I would need distractions since her case was going to take some time, and I couldn't stay in there all day. I caught up with Becci and Dr. Spivak as they were preparing to leave, and we had a mini photoshoot. .5 photos have been a major theme of the trip, so we took some playful .5 photos. Karim snapped a humorous .5 forehead photo of Becci and me, and then Dr. Spivak captured a picture of the three of us taking a .5 photo. After the pictures, we said our final goodbyes for now.

After that, Karim and I found the perfect distraction as we got to return to the kitchen today to learn how to make chapatis! This was truly one of the coolest experiences. The dough was already prepared for us, so they showed us how to roll it out and cook it. Lucy made rolling them out look so easy, but I'm afraid I wasn't a natural and ended up with more oval-shaped chapatis than circular ones. We shared many laughs over our attempts at making circles, and it was hilarious. I then handed the roller to Karim and joined Lucy in cooking the chapatis. We placed the dough on an iron skillet to dry them out first. Then, we stacked several on top of each other, added oil, and spun them, flipping them until each one was cooked. Lucy even let us make more dough to learn that process as well. I was surprised by how simple they were; you need flour, oil, warm water, and salt. That's it—you mix it all together, let it rise, and then form them into their respective bunches. We took many pictures with everyone from the kitchen and truly had a great time.

After finishing in the kitchen, I went back upstairs to check on the case and ensure that everyone involved was doing well and that everything was proceeding smoothly. Rooms were active, and cases were being completed. I noticed the little girl's aunt pacing outside, so I gathered one of the surgeons and the social worker, and we took the aunt and grandmother outside to update them since the surgery was going well and they were preparing to close. This conversation was one of the most challenging moments I have experienced on this trip. It was the first time I stepped away from a situation and cried. I spent some time alone outside, allowing myself to feel everything, something I hadn't done until that point.

After shedding a few tears, I visited Beyond Fistula to see what they had available. I had previously ordered some bags, aprons, and other items, but I wanted to explore what else they had in the shop, as they had been busy over the past few days. They had some really interesting items, and I ended up adding scrub caps, jewelry, magnets, and small decorative dishes to my order. I love that most of the gifts I will be bringing back home to friends and family come from Beyond Fistula and that the money I spend supports this incredible institution and the women who work and live there. I gathered all my items and took them back to the conference room.

I returned to the hospital and did another round of the wards, which had already been completed, to ensure everyone was still doing well. I checked on the operating rooms; most procedures were finished, but two were still ongoing, with one more scheduled to be completed after the closing ceremony. I needed to quickly change for the event, so I went to the women's locker room, put on my jeans and polo, and headed downstairs to where the ceremony would take place. Before going down, we adjusted the counter, with Karim setting it to 000, so we could surprise everyone with the final number at the ceremony. I was eager to see it since I didn’t know the total either.

When we arrived at the closing ceremony in front of the hospital, we were welcomed by the Beyond Fistula choir and the Gynocare staff choir. Both performances were incredibly beautiful and moving. After the songs, several speakers highlighted the successes we achieved over the past week, expressed gratitude for everyone's efforts, and reflected on how wonderful the week had been. After Dr. Abbas's speech, I joined him, Dr. Carolyne Mabeya, and Samuel, one of the nurses at Gynocare, to announce, on behalf of Campaign52, a nursing scholarship for a former fistula patient in honor of Carolyne. This moment was truly special as nursing has profoundly impacted my life, and becoming a nurse has been one of my greatest privileges. Contributing to someone's future and enabling a former patient to pursue their dreams as I did is an incredible feeling. Nursing is a calling; it's about showing up with compassion, courage, and a deep sense of purpose. It's about listening when others can't, advocating for unheard voices, and healing not just with our hands but with our hearts. In caring for others, we often discover the most powerful parts of ourselves.

After the speeches, each person was invited to receive a certificate of participation and a bag filled with beautiful gifts. This thoughtful gesture from the Mabeyas was truly kind. I have gathered so many wonderful paintings, certificates, and memorabilia that I plan to create a dedicated wall to display everything in one place. Once everyone received their certificates, we announced the total number of cases, which amounted to 212—104 surgical cases and 108 colposcopies. This is truly remarkable, and I am incredibly proud of everyone involved in this mission. We celebrated with cake and gathered for a large group photo. We then took time to capture more pictures together and bid our farewells. Saying goodbye to the people I have grown so close to over the past week was difficult. I anticipated it would be, but it was hard to imagine not being here in the coming days now that the campaign has concluded. I felt immense happiness. I have met amazing people, cared for incredible women, witnessed life-changing events, experienced transformative moments, heard heart-wrenching stories, and been part of something much larger than myself. I also feel a sense of sadness and longing to return. There are still many women to help, much work to be done, and sustainability to build. That's the beauty of it—the beauty of having something so hard to leave but making the return so worthwhile.

After saying our goodbyes, we went upstairs, gathered our bags, and prepared to leave the hospital for the last time. Karim and I took some final photos in the hallway of miracles. In a miraculous moment, my little friend was just leaving the recovery room, allowing me to see her and her aunt one last time, give her a hug, and wish them well during her recovery. It was a sweet bit of closure as I left the hospital that evening. We loaded the vans and returned to the hotel, where we had one final dinner together. After dinner, we enjoyed one last tea party in the common area. We stayed up and talked for a few hours, and Dr. Hull and I said our goodbyes to the Dubai team, as they are leaving very early tomorrow morning.

As I conclude this final day here, I experience a multitude of emotions that I find difficult to process or describe precisely. However, one certainty remains: this won't be my last year here, and I eagerly anticipate returning. I've discovered a family and a home in this place. To those not sharing this experience with me, it might seem dramatic, but I aspire to move here and devote my life to the mission GynoCare is striving to accomplish. The women, those at the hospital, and the beyond fistula program have transformed my life in just one week, and I wish to spend the rest of my life here transforming theirs. Thank you all for following my journey, and I look forward to sharing updates as I prepare for 2026. Until later :)

All Love,

Meg