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Heyo!

Today was a giant whirlwind of emotions ranging from sadness and grief to happiness and celebration. to start off the day, the little girl who had all of the complications was not doing so well. she had four seizures over the course of the morning and was showing signs of some brain damage. To sum it up, she was not looking too good and might not make it. we kept a close eye on her and finally a neurologist from the children's hospital across town created a treatment plan with the Mongolian nurses.

On the other hand, the patients recovering from surgery all looked great! a little baby who was practically blue due to his heart defect was all pink and smiling with bubbles. the first operation patient was up and walking down the halls, and the little girl from two days ago was sitting up and eating. they all looked wonderful and it made me happy to see all of them go through this process and come out looking awesome.

Another happy thing today was that the head cardiologist at the hospital received a national award for her work. there was this whole giant ceremony and in her humble fashion, she turned the glory to the American team, when really it was her work as well. she also told us that she did not accept the award for the glory, but for some financial support for the health care system in mongolia. she is so sweet and I think she deserves this award.

Sadly, today was my last day in Mongolia and I leave early tomorrow morning. this trip has taught me so much, not only in the medical field, but also to be happy with what we have. the Mongolians do not have very much, but they are always happy, always smiling, and always so generous. even with what little they have, they still came and brought gifts to the team, which were not asked or needed of them. they have taught me to be generous with what I have and always to remain smiling. see you soon!

-Bekah A