Aug
25
2017

Spirit of Joy - Reflections from Tenwek Hospital

By Lindsay Grotting

 

LindsayWorkingCataracts

Lindsay Grotting is an ophthalmologist who finished a uveitis fellowship in 2016.  Her husband Andy finished orthopedic residency about the same time.  They recently spent 9 months at Tenwek Hospital (2016-2017) and Lindsay was a great help in the eye department, teaching the team a lot about uveitis.

The Grottings recently returned to the states so Andy can begin a sports medicine fellowship.  Tenwek would love to have them both come back.  Believe it or not there are a lot of “football” injuries in Kenya that Andy could attend to, and the Ophthalmologists say they need Lindsay back in the eye department!

During their stay at Tenwek, the Grottings reflected on their experience.  Here is one such reflection….

 

“How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy. To act lovingly is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others, which in turn makes one feel joyful. I believe we are called to the duty of delight.”  - Dorothy Day

Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya, located 4 hours west of Nairobi, is a 300-bed hospital drawing patients from all over Kenya. The hospital is run by Kenyan administrators and has roughly equal numbers of Kenyan and North American physicians and staff.

I am grateful to be learning small incision cataract surgery from Ben Roberts and David Sawe, two of the finest surgeons and teachers I have worked with. These patients usually start out with “hand motion” or “counting finger” vision as a result of their advanced cataracts, keeping them and usually another family member home-bound. To be able to restore their vision, and ultimately their independence, is a privilege. My fellowship training is being put to good use as well, and I have a small population of uveitis patients that I am treating here. In the midst of the exceptional pathology that presents routinely to the Tenwek clinic, I actually welcome the familiarity of the chronic inflammation patients.

Miracles happen at Tenwek daily. Limited resources result in immense successes. Blind people see. Lame people walk. Grace abounds within the clinics and operating rooms. However, our days are not without trials; infections, failed surgeries, and unrelenting pain exist throughout the wards. There are people who cannot be simply mended. However, the Tenwek staff knows that we are called to bring more than physical healing to our patients. And thus, they cultivate “a spirit of joy”. Physicians and nurses here continually demonstrate tremendous patience, utmost kindness, and sincere joy with a quiet understanding of the limitations of our environment. Their outlook is infectious and gives us strength to do it all over again the next day. We hope to bring back this spirited attitude to the States with us - when fatigue and frustration set in, when our unlimited resources and expert skills still fall short. We are not only called to “fix” our patients, but we are called to do it with a spirit of joy.

 

Written by Lindsay Grotting