Swedy

Swedy is my hero. Also known as my favorite Zambian. Also known as the charge nurse in the pediatric ward. Throughout my stay, he was the one person in the hospital that cared about the children, would discuss their care, and bring concerns to my attention. He has more clinical judgement than any of the doctors in Macha. He and I cried together when children died. And we would sit and discuss diagnoses and treatment of the difficult children while the doctors would just shrug their shoulders and say I don’t know. Last week he had me test him for malaria since his stomach was so upset. When it came back negative, he told me it was likely from the stress of worrying about the pediatric ward since the doctors are so bad. Swedy is so concerned for the children that he often comes back to check on the ward at night when some of the bad nurses are on. But that’s not why Swedy is my hero.

Swedy is an orphan. His father died of TB and from working in the copper mines when Swedy was 8 years old. His mother died a few months later after being sick for many months. She most likely died from AIDS but at that time testing was not done in Zambia. He and his brother and sister moved in with his uncle, who raised him. Swedy went to nursing school and is working in Macha to support his sister and brother through college. He says hes also going to support his uncle’s children. He says that when he hears children cry for their mommy or daddy he wishes he had a mommy or daddy to cry for too. He told me that he could not wish that his parents were still alive because then he would not be the same person he is now. He asked if I was an orphan too. It was then that it really hit me how common it is to lose a parent or be an orphan here. About one quarter of the children on the ward were orphans. And Swedy gives me hope that they will live beautiful, successful lives.