My Day
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
I don’t think that I can really put these emotions down in words, but I will try to share them anyway.
It was a long 10 hour drive to Mount Frere to the hospital, the whole way I have been milling over the thought about having the privilege of being able to attend a mission, thoughts that I have milled over for years and during the hundreds of hours that I have toiled while pushing my self to the limit in order to bring awareness and raise funds for such a special group of children who have touched my life and that of my family so deeply.
On walking into the hospital the first person that I saw was a young girl, slowly sauntering towards me, her eyes looking down at the floor, but occasionally glancing ahead, As she got closer I could see her grotesquely twisted face, the shame that she carried with this burden, I looked at her and the tears just welled in my eyes and I thought if all that I have gone through could just be enough to help change that child’s life I would be eternally grateful.
There were three other children sitting on the bench in the foyer, all part of the group of kids at the hospital for the Operation Smile mission, each carrying their own facial burden, but there was hope in their eyes, tomorrow their lives might change forever, but as they are all aware, it is no guarantee or promise as they might not be able to undergo surgery due to illness or complications on the day. I walked over to chat to them, the one girl in her teens with a facial tumour asked about the mission. I briefly explained the process that she would go through and the screening pre op and there are no promises, she held my arm and said: “I have lived so long like this, and I pray each day, tonight I will pray again and ask, please God my tomorrow be my day?”
I squeezed her hand and turned and walked out into the cold darkness quietly sobbing to myself. Why? These beautiful innocent children, and yes, I still feel her internal pain as I stare at this screen as it lowly blurs. Please let tomorrow be her day.
