Scholar Spotlight

Michael

We’re happy to share these excerpts from letters sent by Michael, our Gretta Scholar in Uganda.

Meeting the other Gretta Scholars to me was so great.The knowledge at bachelors degree has exceedingly improved my approach to patient care.

Last semester, when we were in one of the government hospitals here in Kampala, we were working [the night shift] and I was in the pediatric ward. I saw a man rushing in with his child on his chest shouting, “Musawo, musawo omwana wange afaa.” Local meaning, “Nurse, nurse my child is dying!” At 9:00 pm there was no staff on the ward. The child had severe bronchopneumonia. So I resuscitated the child, put him on oxygen, gave antibiotics, encouraged the mother and father to remain calm as I and my colleagues were doing our best to save the life of their baby. At 11:00 pm there was still no staff. Then midnight came and the rapid breathing and chest in-drawing subsided.

The mother and father started asking me, ‘[nurse] what was wrong with our child? Is there hope for our child will live?’ So I answered, your child has pneumonia and it was difficult for him to breath that is why we put him on oxygen, and the drip is to correct dehydration as well administer drugs. We saved the life of the newly admitted child as well as others in the ward that needed continuous care.

That is just among the hundreds of stories I could share.

TGF has provided the knowledge I needed most.  The distance of my journey is clear, and above all, TGF has made it possible for me to be the first child in my family to reach university. Long live The Gretta Foundation and long live nursing.