What's in a Gift?

If you ask Wikipedia, it will tell you that "Anne Frank is a German-Dutch diarist of Jewish heritage and one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust." If I had the opportunity to edit her Wikipedia page, I would introduce her as "a teacher for mankind and one of the bravest and most hopeful young women of our time." I remember Anne speaking to me through her diary in the fifth grade- and I had admired her ever since. As years went on, I remember wondering, "how could a young girl be so in-tune with the meaning of life?" Even more unthinkable, "how could she be so optimistic while being a victim of such atrocious acts of persecution?"

While bed-ridden this weekend due to the wrath of the unwelcome COVID virus, Netflix was a trusted friend, introducing me to the new movie: My Best Friend Anne Frank. The vantage point of this movie is from Anne's good friend, Hanneli Goslar. (Warning: movie spoiler ahead). When offered the opportunity to leave the concentration camp with her father and sister as an exchange for German prisoners of war, Hanneli readily refuses in an act of self-sacrifice. She will remain a prisoner one more day (or maybe more) so that she can continue to provide food for her friend, Anne. She later gives Anne her most prized possession, a ring that she is supposed to save for when she meets her "one and only." But instead, Hanneli recognizes that this may be the one and only moment to show Anne that she truly loves her before Anne dies. Today Hanneli is ninety-three years old and lives in Jerusalem; she is a living tribute to Anne Frank.

Here at Loma de Luz there is no blood blank and no ready supply of blood donors continually being pestered by telemarketers from blood donation agencies. Every once in awhile, there will be a plea for a blood donation in our WhatsApp group, and inevitably someone volunteers to donate. We try to ask family members and friends of patients to donate first because we can only donate every two months. About a week ago after a long and busy call shift I was casually asked by our lab technician what my blood type is. When I replied, "O positive," her eyes lit up and she asked me if I could donate blood as a patient was in need of a transfusion. I will be honest- the first thought that went through my mind was, "the last time I donated blood, I passed out, and I'd rather not go through that again. Not to mention I am already tired and most likely dehydrated." The nurses laughed at me in good fun when I said I needed to go home and eat and drink something first just to be safe. But, I agreed and surrendered myself to the prick of a rather large needle. Good news- I didn't pass out this time!

As I pondered the words of Anne Frank and her friend's heroic act of self-sacrifice, it begged the question, "why do people donate blood?" Surely, one doesn't give blood for the free granola bars and Oreo cookies or the occasional free T-shirt. Rather, people donate blood because they recognize that someone's life depends on that simple act of giving. In giving one's blood, another receives life. So though we may suffer the stick of a needle and the side effects of a temporary drop in hemoglobin, the health of another is simultaneously restored. It is in giving that we receive.

In my time here at Loma de Luz I have witnessed a lot of giving. This past week when I contracted COVID, many people made me dinner and brought me medications and teas to help keep me comfortable. A visiting urologist came to give his time and talent to perform surgery on a handful of patients who otherwise would never have been able to undergo surgery. A patient of mine gifted me lunch from our "comedor" after noticing that I had been working through the lunch hour to get through the long list of patients for the day. A woman from the Netherlands helped pay the hospital bill for the premature infant for whom I've been caring after she herself went through the emotional and financial stress of giving birth to her premature baby.

In the words of Anne Frank, "no one has ever become poor by giving."

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Now let me introduce you to Angela- a beautiful baby girl born a tad-bit too early. You may remember her from a few blog posts back as the baby who was born prematurely and legs first. The first thing you might notice is her diaper is way too big for her body, but that's the least of our concerns! Today she is 2 weeks old. She is off oxygen support, gaining weight, and feeding from a bottle instead of through a tube. Taking care of Angela was a sharp learning curve for me as I do not routinely take care of 33 week-old premature babies. I quickly realized those things that I took for granted in the US: 24/7 specialized newborn nursing care, an expert neonatologist, humidified air/oxygen, an accurate scale, the ability to measure a baby's urine output to name a few. And though we didn't have all of these things available here, the team came together to help little Angela grow. 

It took a week for "baby girl" to finally receive the name Angela. Angela comes from a Greek word which means "messenger of God." I am not sure why her parents chose Angela for her name, but it is a fitting one. Angela has been a messenger to me, teaching me some valuable lessons in her two weeks of life- mostly humility, patience, flexibility, perseverance, and hope. Above all, she has taught me about the fragility and the beauty that is God's gift of life. I am reminded that His gift of life is just that- a gift. When we recognize life as a gift, then it becomes clear how we should anticipate, receive, and nurture it until its very end. I am grateful that Angela will have the opportunity to continue becoming the person God created her to be and to be a messenger to all of those she encounters in her future.