All of our VVF ladies cannot go outside; as outside is up 4 flights of steep ship stairs, to get from hospital deck 3 to the first outside deck 7 and having had fragile repairs, stairs are a no go. so instead each day, hopefully even a few times a day our ladies walk in the corridor, the only change of scenery they get from the ward. It truely is a wonderful sight them all walking up and down, sometimes catheter bag in hand, sometimes not; all with a hospital gown as a top and a colourful piece of fabric wrapped around their waist as a skirt.
Llamatou, our amazing translator that is the only one to speaks all of the northern languages (she is a successful VVF patient from benin, who now serves the ladies each year) leads the parade, maraca in hand, true african voice singing out, clapping along to all of the familiar praise worship songs.
Sometimes if you time it right as you decend to deck 3 when not in work (i also live on deck 3) you can hear the songs greeting you on the stairs and see the ladies taking part in this wonderful sight; sometimes i even join the end of the line and make a circuit up and down the corridor with them, before carrying on with my day.
It's one of the many memories that will stick with me for a long time to come.
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