The epitome of loneliness

May 12th, 2009

During my visit to the internal medicine ward, my nurses talk to me about one of their patients. They ask me if I can organise transportation for a man who has come from another hospital in Kitchanga. They tell me that we cannot do anything for him.

I visit the man who lies still in his bed. He looks exhausted. He is extremely thin and has big lumps on his neck. The nurse informs me that the man has cancer of the lymph nodes and that the doctor has told him that there is nothing more we can do for him here.

It is true. We have absolutely no way to fight this. With the nurse’s help, I ask the man where he’s from. He tells me that he is from Kitchanga. He arrived a few days ago on the back of a moped, looking for help. I tell him that we can get him home again tomorrow if a Médecins Sans Frontières car is headed in that direction. Where would he like to go? The man says that he lives in a camp for displaced people. Does he have family there? No, he’s been separated from his family. He lives there alone.

I can just picture it. This man will die completely alone in his little hut in the camp. Isn’t that the epitome of loneliness?

The next day I bring the man to Kitchanga. I take him to the hospital there and ask them to help him and to search for his family. I don’t want to leave him alone. They agree to do this. I shake hands with the man and wish him the best of luck.

He doesn’t speak French but I hope he understands what I have said. Pffff. With a heavy heart, I get back in the car.

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