As I waited at the entrance of the hospital for the rest of the members to arrive, we received curious stares from those that were entering and leaving the hospital. Once everyone arrived, we all walked into the hospital. Luckily one of the RUSVM staff members, Isha, who is a huge supporter and participant with Josh Project knew her way around the hospital and guided us through the hallways of the hospital and to the pediatric ward. If there is one thing that I am sure of, it's that a smile can be understood in any language and across any culture. I think the staff could see the excitement in our eyes and eagerness to help. I met Sister Woodly and Nurse Spencer initially and our group was given a quick tour around the ward. There was an area for the teenagers, the babies/toddlers, and then an area for those that fell between these two ages.
There were a total of 10 children there this day. Two teenagers, four babies/toddlers, and three children between these ages. For this visit, we took a stack of coloring books and individual crayon boxes to distribute to the children there for the evening (until our Josh Kits arrive on the island, we will be donating items such as these). There were several parents there visiting with their children. At first I think they were all a little unsure of who we were and what we were doing there, but once we all started interacting with everyone, you could just feel everyone relax and really start to enjoy themselves.
It was a lot of fun to talk to the parents and let them know about Josh Project and our hopes to bring comfort to the children at the hospital as often as possible. The children, eager to finish a picture and show their new friends their artistic talents, jumped right into their coloring books and started doodling. I was able to learn their names, what grade they were in, and what brought them to the hospital. One young lady stood out in particular. She was one of the two teenagers there that evening (the other was a young man). The young lady picked up one of the babies that was crying from her crib, found some tissues, wiped the tears and runny nose clean, and walked around with the little baby girl. Instantly the baby relaxed and calmed down. The young lady did this for another baby that was there as well (not as upset as the other baby, but did not have any parents visiting at that time as well).
I can't even begin to describe the feelings that this visit brought to me. I felt satisfied knowing that we had finally made it to our destination with Josh Project. To really bring our hard work to life to all the members that were able to attend was so exciting. But what really put me on cloud 9 with the entire experience, was just seeing the children take their thoughts towards their coloring books and talking to all of us. They seemed to briefly forget where they were and redirect their focus, and hopefully think about something not related to the reason they were at the hospital.
I can only imagine what our visits with Josh Kits will be like when we can give the children a plush "Josh" toy to have as a companion while they stay at the hospital. I can't wait to experience this moment.
Something to work towards with the pediatric ward is an idea that was suggested to me by Isha. The pediatric ward has a large, bare wall that Isha suggested we turn into a Josh Project creative corner for the children. Off the top of our heads we thought of it as a place for the children to hang colored pictures, share their feelings, hang photos of our visits, and even having a part that is painted with the cool chalkboard paint and having chalk near by for them to utilize too. I'm really excited to offer this idea up to the nurses and administration. I hope they are receptive and interested in our idea.
As we walked out of the hospital and to our cars, I had a moment of panic. I only have a year and two months to get things done. It sounds like a lot of time, but I have a feeling it is going to fly by. I hope that I can get all that I want done and really leave a lasting impression and legacy with Josh Project and with the JNF hospital staff. And when it is my time to leave St. Kitts and head back to the states for my clinical year, I hope to turn Josh Project over to an individual as driven, passionate, and willing as myself and know that the organization is in the best of hands so RUSVM's Josh Project can continue to bring comfort to these truly amazing children.
(The following pictures are pictures from previous visits not the one described above...definitely too cute to not share again!)
