Antoinette

I wanted to write a little bit of Antoinette's story because I don't want to forget her.

I worked the night shortly after she was admitted. She came to the ship with her mom and little brother. Not for surgery, but because her face was being eaten alive by a condition caused by a sand flea/parasite (oversimplified). The base of her nostrils was disfigured and the area between her nose and upper lip was sloughing away. That night I instructed her mom to apply the ordered cream over her entire body except her face (just in case of scabies). She then spent a few weeks here receiving a very specific antibiotic to kill the effects of the parasite, and medicated cream. We saw improvement every day. By the time she was discharged, areas of her skin had grown back and wounds were crusted over. She will, however, need to see a plastic surgeon in the future. The best part though, was to see Antoinette come alive when she was here. When she arrived, she was very quiet and withdrawn. Throughout her stay she opened up more and more as she regained her self-confidence. You can just see it in her eyes and that beautiful smile of hers!!

A different girl left from the one who came.

Antoinette, may you never forget the love you felt while you were here, Jesus' love for you, as we will never forget you.