Médecins Sans Frontières - Bad luck? Or the best of luck?

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF258713

Date taken / Date Recorded 31/01/2019 12:00 AM

Country South Sudan

Commissioning section MSF-HONG KONG

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 6m0s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 545.33 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist English super:

Who is in control of one’s life?

One typical afternoon in this Emergency Room
I was helping a naughty boy remove the pebble he placed in his ear

This little girl fell off from a tree while she was trying to pick some mangoes
Everyone was examining her right forearm attentively
Is it a bone fracture?
Is her arm alright?
I was puzzled listening to their conversation

Seems that it is more than just a bone fracture…
I think I have to do a checkup for her
Examination in Progress

After a thorough examination, I noticed signs of an internal bleeding
She needs an operation immediately!
Operating

The internal bleeding in her abdomen had already amounted to 2 liters
According to her body size
It was equivalent to about two-thirds of the total blood volume
During the operation
The power suddenly went out
Luckily, I always wear a head torch during operations just in case

After the surgery
Her blood pressure returned to a normal level
But her hemoglobin level was still too low
A blood transfusion would be the key to saving her life

We have confirmed that the girl’s blood type is O negative
The blood types of her father and uncles were not compatible at all
What about her mother’s?
She needs to stay home because she is breastfeeding a newborn baby
How could she possibly give up her daughter’s life for the newborn?

Her condition is critical
We must have the mother here for a blood transfusion
Understood!
But our home is very far away from the hospital
It takes six to seven hours back and forth even by car
There’s nothing we can do but wait

Here I am
Please arrange a blood test
The result is out… It’s O negative!
However…
Oh my god!

If Awek has already contracted the hepatitis B virus from her mother
Then I won’t need to worry about the infection risk
Unfortunately, it turned out that she had not been infected with hepatitis B virus

We have two options now
Option 1: To arrange a transfusion of O positive blood
Although antibodies would be produced
Immediate adverse reactions are not likely to happen
But she would need to receive special antibodies treatment when she gets pregnant in the future
Otherwise the foetus would be in danger

Option 2: To proceed with blood transfusion from her mother despite a hepatitis B infection
Hepatitis B virus can however cause cirrhosis and liver cancer
I was very unwilling to let Awek and her kids in the future bear such risks
Therefore… I made a risky decision
Which was to continue monitoring her condition
I would not consider a blood transfusion unless her condition got worse

The next day
Her condition was still stable
She also slowly regained her consciousness
In the morning staff meeting
I called upon everyone
To step up and help if anyone had O negative blood
Sadly, none of the forty people did

But when the afternoon staff arrived
One of them had the right type for Awek!
It was a bit unbelievable
Had luck really, finally arrived?

The donor’s name was Jacob
I couldn’t help giving him a big hug
Yin Ca Leec! (Thank you!)

After the blood transfusion
Around one week later, Awek had fully recovered

Yin Ca Leec! (Thank you!)

Sometimes you may think that luck is far away
In fact it has always been by your side!

Bad luck? Or the best of luck? - ENG

Bad luck? Or the best of luck? - ENG