Father of Three Learns How to Care For His Children's Wounds

It’s a great thing that the medical ship gets to help so many people every day. It’s even better when one of those people walk away with the skills needed to continue caring for themselves or others once the ship has gone.
While the ship was in the village of Abam, there was a long line of people who needed wound care from the health care team. Among those was a father who had brought his three children, but he wasn’t about to leave without gaining some experience. He had been watching Hannah Thornton, a nurse in the clinic that day, care for and dress wounds and the moment it was his children’s turn, he grabbed a pair of latex gloves and was eager to get started.
Hannah took the time to show him how to soak the gauze, fold it neatly, and then took him through the principles of aseptic technique and proper wound cleaning. They set to work on cleaning his children’s leg sores and dressing them with antiseptic cream.
The father learned quickly and seemed pleased with his new skills, especially when children looking in through the windows of the building began to refer to him as ‘doctor’.
Before he and his children left that afternoon Hannah was able to give him a bag with bandages, antiseptic cream, and gauze. He will for sure be putting his new-found skills to practice as he continues to treat his children’s sores.