I hope so.

A few days ago, I (Faith) went on the monthly voyage to Jimma (3 1/2 hr trip) to pick up medicines and other supplies for our clinic. Many times, we transport patients who are in need of surgeries or medical care beyond our small clinic's capabilities. There is a large hospital in Jimma that can provide most medical procedures. Our car was filled with people who had waited a long time to be treated, and were excited about the possibility of finally getting the care they need. But one of our passengers did not share in the excitement. It was a mother who was going to pick up her son. She would bring him home to die. We had taken the boy to Jimma a few months back, and he was not getting better. When we took him, he looked like a normal 16 yr. old boy, but now he had withered into a frame of bones and skin. He was unrecognizable. I can imagine the horror and shock his mother must of had when she first saw her son. This boy who just a few months ago still had life and vitality now had the look of death all over him. I did not see them again until we picked them up to go home a few days later. It was strange to see the change in her. It was almost if she was the one dying. Her face portrayed such pain and agony. While her son smiled and joked, obviously already coping with death, his mother clung to him with fear and sadness in her eyes. She held on tight to her emaciated son all the way back to Chiri. When we asked if she wanted to go to our clinic or just take him home, they both said in unison, "Home. Take us home." I imagined her taking her son and placing him on the bed. I imagined her holding up his small frame while she fed him. I imagined her trying to comfort him by saying, "It's alright, you are home now," although really it was she who needed comforting. I imagined her holding his hand and kissing it and crying over her son. I imagined all these things. I wonder if that is what really happened...I hope to see her again. To see if she is okay. Maybe I will hear of the boy's death and have the privilege to go visit her during mourning. I hope so.