Legacy part 2: we were too late.... she died

Thinking of legacy right now. And what really counts. I once heard it like this: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”. Here is the second part of two legacy moments.  

She died.

Same age as my boy.

I met her on the one day that I arrived at that hospital. On that exact day. Being in a different country. Just dropping in.

The doctor hovered over her body and said:

"We know what to do. We have the skills and training. We have the doctors. We just don't have the tools.... it is a good month we have money to get through it"

Just following we went to clear not just one but three containers that were stuck in ports full of medical equipment for this hospital that I had a very minor part in getting to this place. All of a sudden these container seemed like maybe there was hope in saving this girl's life.

(here's a video that I made following this encounter at that exact time)

She didn't make it. That following morning after unloading and that very same doctor coming back and seeing all the amazing equipment that came out of those containers (he was so thrilled and struck by it all). It was amazing to see. When all the excitemnet had died down I asked about the girl we met only 24 hours before. He shook his head (it could have been a seen in a film).

For all we did we failed that girl. Why didn't we listen more, treat this as more urgent... why didn't I try harder. I had the choice.

I'm not trying to beat myself up, but these were many of the thoughts and feelings that this girl taught me in that precise moment riding in the back of that truck.

I'm not much of a crying person. But I remember those tears in that truck. Each one.

This weekend my colleague and good friend (godfather to one of my boys) sent me a photo of a few of those items that came out of those containers (incubators) that have gone on to help many others since.

Here's his post on looking back 9 years ago.

#Legacy

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I first visited the @hopehealthaction hospital in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 with @solon1975 following a donation of incubators for premature babies, and have been back a number of times filming for the hospital and for @walkaboutorg on wheelchair distributions. Some of the many highlights over that time include filming one of the first caesarian sections in the brand new surgery in 2013, and following spinal cord injured patients from the earthquake go on to complete in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. It’s been an absolute joy to be back here again this week. Seeing those same incubators in action, and meeting the same dedicated staff providing first class healthcare in a near impossible situation. Much of this week Haiti has been in flames yet their service never stops. . . . . #prospectarts #filmmaking #paralympics

A post shared by Thomas Williams (@_thomas_williams) on Oct 11, 2019 at 2:17pm PDT

Legacy part 1: “He helped my nephew when he was being bullied”

Thinking of legacy right now. And what really counts. I once heard it like this: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”. Here is part one of two legacy moments.   

I was in the pub earlier this week.

I was having a difficult meeting with a friend. Well at least it was for me. 

It was one of those meetings following a throwing, what I felt, was the proverbial ‘toys out the pram’ over a particular matter. The friend was simply following this up and taking me to the pub for a chat through.

I’m never a fan of these meetings.

The meeting went well. It was actually very amicable and I was able to express how I felt about the matter, he listened and then the conversations moved swiftly on.

As we did I shared about a recent tragedy of a 10 year old boy Charlie who is the same age as Reuben. He used to play in our house and his family are good friends of ours. He was fighting cancer. It was a two year battle. His mum and dad had documented the journey powerfully on facebook and Charlie’s fight involved the whole community getting behind him and even Crystal Palace Football Club. “Team Charlie” as we called ourselves. We all willed, prayed and supported the family as best we could. 

His loss on the 1st August shook us all. We were following, praying and supporting right to the final seconds. I still remember it vividly.

We lit candles as a family and community the following day. At his thanksgiving service the road through Southborough were lined with many people paying their respects (the Scouts, the football community, the school and others). 

It was somehow lovely speaking of him again and remembering some of these good moments. He had an infectious smile.

The meeting ended and it was time to go home. Just as we were about to leave the barman, with tears in his eyes, stopped us and said “I couldn’t help but overhear that you were speaking of Charlie Grist. When my nephew was being bullied at school that boy stood up for him”.

Thank you Charlie. 

#TeamCharlie