Meet Keily Johana. She is a beautiful little 11-year-old with wisps of blonde hair that she has bedazzled with colorful beads. Keily and her mother traveled to Antigua from Jalapa, Rio Blanco, a mountainous region that boasts the most beautiful crystal clear waters from the flowing Rio Blanco.
Keily’s mother heard about Faith in Practice and the surgeries in Antigua from Armando, their community leader, in May of 2022. More than a year later, Keily and her mother made the trip to Obras, which took over 5.5 hours and four bus transfers!
Keily was born with a club foot, making it impossible for her to get to school because she had to walk there on cobblestone roads. Her schoolmates tease her so much that her mother takes her out of school and teaches her at home. Keily is also very proud of her big brother and smiles when she talks about him, he is 19, and he takes very good care of her at home.
Keily is one of the first patients today and she sits in pre-op with her mother, gently crying on and off while watching all the commotion around her. She stops crying when Nurse Samuel from Obras comes to sit with her to get her IV ready. You can see he is smiling with his eyes even though his mask covers his mouth. Keily seems to like and trust Samuel while he sits and comforts her.
After her surgery, Keily is wheeled to PACU, she wakes up crying and asking for her mother. Even though she is standing by Keily’s bedside, she does not recognize her until she pulls down her mask. Keily stops crying and rests easy, hugging the soft stuffed frog a nurse put on her bed after surgery. We will see Keily tomorrow when she meets with her Physical Therapist.
~ Wendy Kirsner
