Scars

"On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do those scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived." - Chris Cleave, Little Bee

This is Benjamine before surgery, all smiles!

Benjamine on screening day, before coming onto the ship.

We see so many patients here, especially our plastics patients, with scars covering large portions of their bodies. They are not seen in a positive light. When they come to the ship, they don't sit around and compare their scars, telling stories of adventure and toughness that led to this "battle wound", as we sometimes do back home. They hide, they try to cover these burn contracture scars with a blanket. The scars are disfiguring, they limit movement, they prevent a normal lifestyle. The scar is the enemy. It may be the reason why they can't walk normally, or eat without drooling, or participate in school without being outcast. Our patients tell us what they hope to be able to accomplish after surgery. Some say to they'd like to be able to write, some to wash their clothes, to be able to play games with their friends. These things seem so simple, and yet we can't imagine a life without them (although it might be nice not to have to wash our clothes..). 

Baby Frida with one of the wonderful nurses, Lindsey!

After these surgeries, our patients will have better range of motion, will be able to move their arm or leg in a way they couldn't before. They can move their neck and chin and close their mouth. They will no longer be a slave to their scars. They will have new scars as these wounds heal... But the scars have a whole new meaning. They tell a story of where they have been, of what they have endured and persevered. They represent their strength and courage. They are beautiful. I am thankful for these scars because it means they have healed, they have overcome. They are alive and they are a blessing. I know that I feel blessed by each one of my patients' lives, in different and beautiful ways.

I love this quote from the book Little Bee, we have it up on the wall in the dressing change room. There is so much significance and beauty in this message. I challenge myself, and anyone reading, to see the beauty in every scar. On others you come across each day, and also on yourself. Learn of their survival, listen to their life story, and be blessed by each encounter.

Gaella after surgeries having fun with the cameras :)