Isabellah

For the past three weeks I have been seeing a patient named Isabellah. Isabellah came into the hospital after being treated by another hospital following a car accident. She had a broken femur and deep lacerations down her right leg. At the other hospital she had been sown up and then she transferred to Tenwek. Dr. Galat and Josh performed her surgery repairing her broken femur and also opening up her laceration to get it clean. Under the sutures they found that her tissue was barely alive. She had to go back to the operating room 2 additional times for cleaning and skin grafts before she as released for rehab. I met her on rounds and she immediately took to me. When ever I would walk past her room she would yell out "Jesska." Then I would go in, say hello, pray with her, and let her know that I was looking forward to working with her. She has been a patient that expects me to pray with her and definitely keeps me accountable to that.
Isabellah is a confessed believer. She attends an African Gospel Church- the predominant denomination here. She speaks of the Lord freely. She also comes from a family that seems to be well off. She has given me gifts often of bananas and sugar cane. She has pedicured toe nails and has been well fed.
In a previous post I mentioned that Isabellah has been the source of some of my greatest joys and frustrations on this trip. She has brought me joy in the fellowship I have with her as a sister in Christ. It is a blessing to pray with her and to be able to encourage her in her faith throughout her recovery.
Unfortunately though, Isabellah is spoiled. Her pain tolerance is incredibly low. She does not take ownership of her own body but rather expects others to do everything for her, including make her better. I feel like I have been trying to instill work ethic and determination into her for the entire time I have treated her. I have become very frustrated with her because she just will not move her leg. Trust me, she can. I have nicknamed her Drama Queen. Frequently when we first started to get her out of bed she would act like she was fainting so that we would let her sit down. Her screams can be heard in the next building when I even start to move her leg. She is afraid of pain- she is not actually hurting (because I am not actually moving it) she is just afraid of it hurting. I do believe there is a Biblical principle here. Isabellah is paralyzed because of fear. She continually tells me that "this isn't my fault." My reply is "the fact that you won't be able to walk later will be your fault." Isabellah believes that she didn't deserve what happened to her so therefore she shouldn't have to endure the pain of recovery.
So often I feel like my sinful nature isn't my fault- I can't help that I sin, I'm a victim. Therefore it should just be taken away supernaturally. The reality is that I must endure sanctification and be grateful that the Lord wants to make me better. But I must trust in the Lord that the pain of sanctification is making me better- even though it hurts.
"Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12: 10-11
My time with Isabellah has also tested my ability to truly love her. Loving Isabellah doesn't mean that I am always nice to her. Often I have been stern, real, and called her out on her laziness and excuses. It is amazing to see how the bond of Christ remains strong and we can always laugh and "be friends again" at the end of a session. Often she has said she misses the "old Jesska," meaning the nice one that spent 2 hours with her just to convince her to get out of bed. The great thing is that she understands that I have changed strategies to cultivate independence in her. In the course of our three weeks together she has cried, her father has cried because of her screaming, her roommate has cried because she thought I was torturing the poor girl, she has threatened to sue me, and her mother has realized how spoiled her daughter really is. Her mom greets me each day outside the ortho ward with cheek to cheek kisses (which we have head butted several times b/c of my unfamiliarity with the custom) and a smile, she understands that I am truly there to help no matter how much it may look otherwise.

Currently Isabellah is on the upswing. Her skin grafts are healing and she is slowly starting to achieve some muscle contractions. She still has one skin graft remaining to be completed then she will be discharged to go home. She is walking on her own for about 50 ft. She continues to want to lay in bed all day and complains the entire time she is sitting up, but she is making progress. She has taught me a new kind of patience and love. With her progress I have seen glimpses of a new strength in her, my prayer is that the source of that strength grows in the power of Christ.