Stacia Neale, Fundraising Operations for HealthyKids International (HKI), is blogging on her experiences as she accompanies the SickKids No Boundaries team to Ethiopia to oversee the filming of a documentary. Read all her posts here.

I think for all of us, Thursday was probably the most impactful day in Addis Ababa. So many things happened that it’s hard to believe they all occurred in the same 12 hours.

While the Orthopaedic and Ear, Nose and Throat teams went off to begin their scheduled procedures, Graeme, our videographer, and I shadowed Carolyne Pehora, a registered nurse at SickKids. Addis Ababa University had requested her to teach a class on paediatric surgical care to a group of nurse educators. Interestingly, none of these educators – who were all very engaged in Carolyne’s class and asked lots of questions – have ever actually been to Black Lion Hospital, located right across the road. It was wonderful to watch the students in this class interact with Carolyne and participate in discussions. Carolyne is a new teacher and these are new students, so it was a great opportunity for everyone to learn from each other.

When Graeme and I returned to the surgical floor of the hospital after a few hours, the tempo of the day definitely picked up. Both SickKids teams were deep in their procedures and the recovery room was full. At the same time, there was an emergency developing in the OR waiting area as a man began to suffocate while waiting for help. The SickKids No Boundaries (SKNB) team worked in conjunction with the Black Lion staff to get him the help he needed in the nick of time. While this is ‘all in a day’s work’ for the medical professionals, it was the first time I have been immediately involved in a situation like this. It was incredibly stressful. I helped as much as my non-medical skills would allow and was inordinately grateful to be surrounded by those who could help him.

Members of the SKNB team ended up saving three lives that day. The first was the man who was suffocating. The second was a small child who had swallowed a watch battery that was corroding in his esophagus. The third was the removal of a large seed that had been aspirated into a young girl’s lung, causing it to collapse. In addition, the Ortho team ended their last surgery in the dark, operating by flashlight after the sun went down (Black Lion needs new OR lighting badly).

It was an extraordinary day that would have ended differently on many fronts had the SKNB team not been there. Apart from saving lives, the most amazing thing that happened was teamwork. Even while the crises were occurring, lessons were taught, questions were answered and techniques were refined. These events were amazing proof that HealthyKids International programs are making an immediate and vital difference, and the day made an indelible imprint on my life.