Sarah + Ebola in Sierra Leone

{2011 just standing in fields of wheat at Meagan's wedding}

One of my best friends, Sarah, is heading to Sierra Leone to help with Ebola. She is a R.N. and we have been friends since high school. We bonded over craving milkshakes during field hockey practice. This led to trips to Friendly's where I would drink an entire milkshake before my meal arrived and no longer be hungry, and Sarah would laugh at me. Our field hockey "careers" definitely did not last, but our friendship did. (As well as our mild to extreme dislike for the snobbery at our high school.)

 {2013 our beloved group of high school friends at my wedding}

{2006 "Senior Week" at Outer Banks.}

 { NYC trip circa 2009 - me, Sarah, Alecia}

You are headed to Sierra Leone to help with Ebola. What organization are you going with? How long do you plan to be there?
I am going with International Medical Corps, and right now the plan is to be there for 3 months.

So when I first found out you were actually applying to go, I freaked out. Now I'm over that (mostly), but what do you say to people who think you're crazy for going?

I still think it's funny that you were so freaked out, since I asked you about applying before I actually did it, and you said, "Yeah, go for it!" I actually don't think that anyone has told me to my face that I'm crazy. My mom's coworkers (Sarah's mom is also a nurse.) are pretty freaked out that they're all going to get infected by way of me infecting my mom when I get back. I just roll my eyes at that. Fear is a wild beast. I guess the bottom line is that we're all made and gifted differently. We don't have the same fears. I don't fear ebola, but I am afraid of parallel parking. How dangerous is it? It's definitely something to be taken seriously and respected. The danger, I suspect, is somewhat proportionate to where you are living in the world.

How dangerous do you think Ebola is?

It's definitely something to be taken seriously and respected. The danger, I suspect, is somewhat proportionate to where you are living in the world.

How is Ebola treated?

From what I understand, treatment is mostly aimed at managing symptoms rather than treating the cause. For example, patients may have fever, vomiting and diarrhea, or they may be bleeding internally. To replace what they're losing, you give them IV fluids. But then you have to be careful because a patient may continue to bleed from his or her IV site for days. So you try to manage that with pressure dressings.

Is there a high need for volunteers?

Right now I'm really not sure about the need for volunteers. Weeks ago I saw reports that medical staff were desperately needed. We'll see!

{photo credit: Google images}

What other countries have you traveled to and lived in doing mission/aid/service work?

I lived in Haiti for about 3 years. Other than that, I spent about 5 months in the Philippines, and I've made a few week-long trips to Honduras and Peru in high school and college. 

What do you anticipate Sierra Leone being like? What are you most excited for, and what are you dreading? 

I hope it will remind me a little bit of Haiti but with it's own customs and attitude. I expect it will be hot. :-) Other than that, I don't go into it with many expectations. I am excited to see a new place. I'm not sure what to dread yet! Probably the suit. I'm claustrophobic and I am a little bit worried about feeling trapped when my goggles start to fog up.

When you were in Haiti you helped with cholera. What was that like? Do you think the Sierra Leone situation will be similar to that? Or more/less intense?

I'm not sure I could ever quite explain what cholera was like. I was already living in Saint-Marc when cholera happened. A lot of what I remember most is from the beginning when nobody knew what was going on or what to do about it. Masses of people just showed up to medical facilities, so you put them wherever you found a space, whether that was on a table, bench, a piece of cardboard, or the ground. I took pieces of trash off the ground to tie IV bags up to a tree. Then when we finally went home, we would boil our clothes and wash in bleach because we didn't know how easily it spread. I do still wish that I had a picture of us stirring our scrubs with a broom handle in a giant black kettle we borrowed from YWAM.

The situation with ebola will be somewhat different. This time I'm going to the disaster instead of it coming to me. There will be training and organization (like beds for patients!). I'm thinking we'll have electricity, which will be a big plus on the nightshift! But I do expect that there will be a lot of similarities between the two situations. It's still a contagious disease epidemic. I think it will be less frantic but more intense. Cholera is cured a lot easier.

What is it about nonprofit/mission work that you love?

I don't know that I necessarily have a love for mission/aid work. It's really kind of amusing and ironic that I'm voluntarily going out with a big humanitarian organization. For years I've made it clear that I am not a humanitarian. Something I noticed when hosting medical teams in Haiti is that there can be big differences between "missionaries" and "humanitarian aid workers." I always joked that the difference was that humanitarians have no heart. (This is a gross generalization and I mean no offense - I do know some caring, genuine aid workers.) What I really enjoy is the medical work I get to do in these places. As a child, I was a very dedicated Dr. Quinn fan. I always wanted to be her, and this is kind of like that.

Any advice for someone toying with the idea of trying it out?

My advice: try something! Go somewhere and see what you think. You may love it or you may hate it. It's definitely not for everybody (especially if you like being clean and well-groomed). But I think a lot of people believe they can't do something until they get put into a situation. If you want specific advice, let me know! :-)

Just how hot will it be in Sierra Leone?

It will be hot! It's really close to the equator. And, from what I've heard, it's really humid.

Can we send you packages?

No packages. But you can send emails! ;-)