Aging in the jungle

He had stopped the machete with the palm of his hand. Thankfully this saved his face, but his hand suffered as a result and he could no longer flex or bend his index finger. His chart said that he was just 15 years old, but I should have known better. When chatting about the event, he didn't give any excuses, just admitted he had been in a machete fight the night before. Two questions later and I learned this wasn't the first time. The first time also affected his ability to move his 3rd and 4th fingers on the same hand, and "could I fix that also while I'm operating?" I tried to make a joke about the repeat machete fights and he just stared back at me with his eyes reflecting a soul far older than his 15 physical years.

Life here is hard. The population ages so much faster than should be chronologically expected. I am beginning to realize that patients are at least 20 years younger than they look physically. They age so quickly here. But when I converse with a 15 year old and realize he probably never was actually 15; it breaks my heart a little.

I did not probe further into the causes of the machete fight, nor the life circumstances surrounding my patient. I do know that he walked two hours from his village in the mountains to get to our hospital. I worried was it safe for him to go home? There has been increased violence in our surrounding community over the past few months. Multiple murders, including teenagers/children. Most of this is reportedly drug related.

Sometimes a patient just sticks with you a little bit harder than others. This patient has been coming to mind daily, which I can do little more than pray when he does. Pray for preservation of his hand and his healing, of course, but more so that Jesus would chase after him.

Honduran special: Hard fought miles, the worse for wear but still running!

Much Love.