Broken Hand.

Only a few weeks ago my boys team played our KICS school team. The game went well with my boys team coming out with the win. I think it was 5-1. The game was on Tuesday and I did not see the boys until the following Saturday. It was part way through the day before I noticed John Pierre, one my boys, had his hand wrapped and kept holding it as if he was in pain. I called him over and took at look at what was going on. To my surprise his hand was obviously broken leaving the bone right behind his pinky finger bowing upwards. He winced in pain any time I touched it. We went straight to King Fiscal Hospital, the main local hospital in Kigali. Being it is the main hospital in Kigali they actually do have an emergency room. Now it is nothing like an emergency room in America, but at least they take emergencies and try to provide some form of help. We sat in the ER for a good long while.
Finally after about two or so hours he got an x-ray, which just confirmed even more so his hand was broken. The doctor then informed us, unlike in America, we should return in a few days, on monday for surgery. So... John Pierre had to wait two more days for help. The surgery he was suppose to have would require them putting him under anesthesia and would take about one hour where they would straighten the bone and put a pin in his hand. So, monday came and I showed up at the hospital after school around 3:30. JP was suppose to have had surgery around 10, but he was no where to be found. After searching for him, I finally found him outside where he told me the doctor had said they only do emergency surgeries on monday. My mouth dropped because in my head I had thought a broken hand was an emergency, but I guess not. He was then suppose to return on Wednesday for his surgery. So... John Pierre had to wait two more days for help. Wednesday arrived and JP was suppose to have surgery around noon. Once again, I arrived after school to check on him and to see how he was doing and once again I found him outside. This time the hospital staff had forgotten to inform us he was not suppose to eat the whole day before his surgery. NO ONE told us this. This time we were to return thursday for his surgery. So.... John Pierre had to wait one more day for help. Thursday arrived and I was pretty confident this time all would go well and his hand would be taken care of. With great confidence I showed up at the hospital like usual at 3:30 to see how JP was doing. This time unlike the two times before I found JP sitting on a hospital bed in the adolescent in his jeans and t-shirt.

I asked him what was going on and he said he did not know. I then went and found a nurse who informed me that I had to sign a second of kin consent form in order for JP to have surgery performed on him. At this point, you are probably where are his parents in all of this and why they were not there to sign off for his surgery. Well, the short story is that JP's dad died in the genocide about fourteen years ago. JP's mom got pregnant with him right before the death of his father and she survived the war. John Pierre fourteen years old, the genocide happened fourteen years ago. Now JP lives with his mom and mom alone. I have never talked to nor seen his mom. She did not even one try to contact me or show up at the hospital therefore making me the second of kin guardian to John Pierre and able to sign in her place for his surgery. So... once again, John Pierre because of not having the right paper work signed had to wait one more day for help. Finally, on Friday, I showed up ready for one more hang up in the process and found that JP was finally in surgery. I found his sweet friend and one of my best players sammy sitting by his bed waiting for JP to come out of surgery. After about an hour, he finally did. We spent the next few hours just sitting beside and with JP as he recovered. To pass the time together I set up the movie X-Men on my labtop. About three hours after surgery John Pierre was finally released, cast and all. Now two weeks after the surgery, JP and I will go this Tuesday to have the cast removed and to see how his hand is healing. He is doing great, but misses being able to fully play soccer all the time without Momma Jenny telling him to be careful or having him sit out.