Smile

I don’t know his story, but I hear that he fell out of a tree. His name is Jeremiah, and he is only seven years old. Now his left femur is fractured as well as his left arm. He will be immobilized in traction for six to eight weeks.

I watch him, laying motionless in his bed. At least six weeks! I think to myself. I first think about the boredom. He has no TV, no Gameboy, no ipod, not even a book to read. Today, I make it my goal to entertain him.I want to make him smile.

Then, I begin to think about his health and strength. Six weeks of complete bed rest will cause significant loss of strength. In the United States, one of the nurse’s job for a patient like this would be to perform range of motion for the unaffected extremities. This means moving the right arm and leg in all directions to keep them mobile, flexible, and strong. I made this, too, one of my goals, although I wondered how exactly I would do it. I felt a little uncomfortable since he did not know me and I could not speak a lick of Swahili.

I stand at the bedside and introduce myself using the only Swahili phrase I know. I spot a weakly filled, slightly deflated green balloon at the head of the bed, so I pick it up and bop it at him. He turns his head and uses his arm to find the balloon and throw it back. I bop it again, only my aim is not very good, so it falls way above his head. Reaching and stretching over his head, he found the balloon and tossed it back.

Extension! I realized. He just extended his arm! I tossed it again, only this time a little more towards the foot of the bed. He reached down to find the green toy. Flexion! The next time, I bopped the balloon so that it landed on his left side. Reaching across his chest with his right hand, he continued playing our game. Adduction!

Depending on where I hit the balloon, I could get my friend Jeremiah to go through complete active range of motion with his arm. I could even get him to use his leg if the balloon landed towards the foot of the bed.  I couldn’t believe it! We found a way to perform range of motion while playing a fun game at the same time.

For the first time, Jeremiah smiled. His white teeth beautifully lit up his dark-skinned face. His beautiful white and brown eyes opened wide with delight. The joy I found in accomplishing my nursing skill in a fun way did not compare to the joy I found in simply seeing Jeremiah smile. I saw Jesus in that smile today, and I hope Jeremiah saw Jesus in my smile, too.