Every Helping Hand: One Night in FAME’s Emergency Department

One evening, a seven-year-old girl, playing as children do, accidentally swallowed a coin.  What followed was anything but ordinary. When she walked toward her mother with tears in her eyes, unable to speak, her mouth filled with saliva, her mother quickly realised something was wrong. With worried neighbours by her side, she rushed her daughter to FAME, hoping to find help. In moments like these, when a child cannot speak and every passing minute feels longer, where else can a family turn?

At FAME’s Emergency Department, the evening was already unfolding under immense pressure. Four other critically ill patients needed urgent attention, and staff numbers were running low. Among them was a patient who had suffered a cardiac arrest, prompting a Code Blue call for additional staff from other wards to assist with CPR.  Dr. Matthew Spotswood (our Australian volunteer and critical care specialist), Dr. Gabriel and senior nurse Kizito were also called from home to join the team. Their arrival brought much-needed support, particularly as other critically ill patients still required ongoing attention. With so many lives depending on the team at once, every helping hand mattered.

Meanwhile, an X-ray confirmed that the coin was lodged in the little girl’s throat. Removing it safely required putting her to sleep. Two more anaesthetists were called and responded by leaving their homes to join the team. One cared for the little girl while the other helped care for the other patients. Amid the urgency, the team worked carefully, and the coin was successfully removed.

Just 30 minutes later, the little girl was back from the procedure room, playing a game on her emergency bed and smiling as though the frightening evening had never happened. The tears that had brought her to FAME had given way to laughter, and the worry that had filled her mother’s heart was replaced with relief.  To truly understand the joy on her mother’s face, you would have needed to see the fear in her eyes when she first arrived at the gates of our Emergency Department.

This is what we are here for. The moments when a family is frightened, when a child needs urgent care, and when the difference between fear and relief depends on how quickly help can be found. We are grateful to our dedicated medical team and to everyone whose support makes it possible for families in our rural community to access the care they need, right when they need it most.