Meet Ghanaan

It’s a Thursday afternoon, and the Orthopedic Clinic has just started. The waiting room seems to have suddenly filled up. Many of the little ones have been here since the morning. Moms, dads, and sometimes grannies do their best to entertain the children. It’s hard to explain the wait.

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital doctors seem to keep going; these children will get the help they need. Any parent will tell you it’s worth the wait.

Eight-year-old Ghanaan waits patiently at her mom’s side. This budding gymnast might have her cast removed today.

“I was doing cartwheels at my Ma’s house, on the grass, and then one of my cousins’ dogs ran me over!” she exclaims.

Strawberry, the mischievous Jack Russell, is still in the proverbial dog box as far as Ghanaan is concerned. The fall was terrible.

When mom, Aneeqah, arrived at the scene, she knew instantly that they needed to go to Red Cross Children’s Hospital without delay.

“The arm was totally skew, so I knew we had to go to the hospital. And when we got here, they said it had broken in two places. Thereafter, they pulled the arm into place and put it in a cast.”

It’s a very adult thing to do, to distance ourselves from the closeness of the pain.

The tension and fright are still discernible in this mother’s voice despite her attempt at objectivity.

For little Ghanaan, her innocence has no means of dulling the truth. “It was super sore,” she says.

Even though the medical team at the Children’s Hospital administered an appropriate dose of ketamine to help with a degree of anaesthesia and pain relief, the pain and trauma of the whole experience will not easily be forgotten.

Ghanaan is pensive as she waits her turn in the Plaster of Paris room.

On average, the POP room sees 40 patients per clinic. With the building of a new Orthopaedic Unit at the Children’s Hospital, the POP room will be used to apply and remove plaster casts to immobilise bones and joints after surgery or fractures. Casts are also used to gradually correct deformities such as Clubfoot. The POP room will host a specialised Clubfoot clinic every Friday at the Children’s Hospital.

The room currently, is small, with only two beds alongside each other and little space to breathe.

Would a bigger and better Orthopedic section make a difference to their experience?

It’s not just the children being brave; it’s the parents, doctors, nurses, and everyone who shares the common purpose of ensuring the best outcome for all. It’s easier to be brave when you can breathe. Maybe one of the most significant benefits of this development will be giving everyone space to breathe through their worst moments and back into safety, health, and the brightest dreams of their future.

Help us build Orthopaedic patients a 30-bed Orthopaedic Unit at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. 100% of your donations will go directly towards the project.