TEAMworks China - Christmas morning in China

Saturday morning we met the staff at the hospital and began unloading all the goodies we brought for them since this would be Macey and Julie's last day at the hospital. They were beyond excited to see and learn about each item and immediately got to playing, examining, and organizing them!

Soon after, our first patient arrived and the staff got to witness Macey working her casting magic. They were thrilled, the kid, not so much... We therapists were searching for snacks and iPads to take the child's attention off casting, but apparently this is not how they do it in China. We also saw a few other kiddos from earlier in the week and introduced them to fitting a child to a wheelchair. Once again the staff was enthralled, the kid, not so much. The male staff was mesmerized by the tools. We may just have to ship them some allen wrenches when we get home.

We had one last lunch with our new friends complete with 20+ dishes. Someone even went to another restaurant on the way, and brought us dumplings to the restaurant! We presented them with their gifts and said some kind words about each of them. They are each very special to us!

After lunch we regrouped for a trip to the countryside for a home health visit. We were to see a child who hadn't been out of bed in 10 years due to multiple fractures in both femurs and tibias, that were repaired via placement of intrameddullary nails. We weren't sure what to expect, but were amazed by this child and his family. After one visit to the hospital for an OT/PT evaluation where he stood for the first time and was given a home program, he was walking up to 25 feet with a home-made walker. His family had also constructed push up bars and a bolster from items found within their community. We were welcomed with a full meal and 2 treasure tea which was all delicious! The mother informed us that she is known for her cooking and her children only eat food she makes! We all left feeling very inspired by this family and their dedication to this wonderful little boy.

We were spent at the end of the day. Amanda's friend, who is from Texas, made us an American dinner of bar-b-que with homemade chocolate chip cookies. What a wonderful way to end the day!!!!