Tribute to Hope

It must have been the toughest day of my life, for sure. Never before in my
missions at Doctors without Borders had I assisted to a bloodshed of such epic
proportions. Hundreds of men had been killed before my very eyes and there was
nothing I could do about it because I only had two hands. My still being alive was
nothing short of miraculous, but I didnt know whether to take it as a blessing or as
a curse. The past few days had been reeking of death; death was all around me and
maybe it was on its way of settling down inside me, as well. Maybe my thoughts
were nonsensical back then; I am a doctor, I am supposed to save lives and I am
supposed to rejoice the triumph of life under any given circumstances. But being
alive only to see so many others die isnt something you can live with indefinitely.
I had brought in my tent a young Jordanian woman, Leyla, who was in labor and
who complained of excruciating pain. My portable ultrasound showed that her baby
was in real danger, presenting a nuchal cord that is, the umbilical cord wrapped
around the neck. She would have needed a C-section straight away, but how was
one supposed to perform such an operation in those conditions? I didnt even have
any anesthetic left, not to mention the utterly unsterile environment. I could do
nothing but help her deliver naturally and hope that the poor creatures guardian
angel would be around for her.
The previous day I had vainly tried to save Leylas husband, who had been shot
in another calamitous onslaught. His wife held his hand during his last minutes of
life and tearfully promised him that their child would have a different fate. I was
wondering how this woman could take so much suffering in so little time. Her
stamina puzzled me and aroused in me an earnest admiration.
At last, I heard the baby cry. I was having quite a difficult time doing so, with all
the grenades and the uproar outside the tent. It was a baby girl that looked just as
normal as every new-born the minute after I disentangled the umbilical cord from
her slender neck. Alas, poor creature! At least you were spared for now...
Leyla took her daughter in her arms and, after blessing her for the first time, she
kissed her forehead and tears started streaming down her face:
My good lady, please, do me the greatest of favors! she said to me
beseechingly. Take the child with you and leave her wherever you think it proper!
Shes doomed if she stays here. War will kill her sooner or later, as it does with all of
us. I told you the last words her father heard from my mouth on the dying bed. I
beg you, Maam, help me live up to my promise! I dont want to put a burden on
your shoulders and ask you to keep her yourself take her to an orphanage, to an
abbey, wherever in this whole wide world shes safe, but here! Do so, my good lady,
and may Heaven preserve you here and in the hereafter!
I said nothing but took the baby from her mothers arms into mine. Three weeks
later, I was a knitting a bib with the inscription Hope...
My mother said all that in a husky voice, evincing those many sleepless nights
when she had watched at my elder sister Hopes bedside. Hope had been fighting
leukemia for the past few years, but she imperatively needed a bone marrow
transplant in order to survive. After listening to my mothers story with bated
breath, I understood why none of our family members was a suitable donor. I also
understood why mom vehemently refused to have another baby for his or her stem
cells to be harvested and given to Hope so as to help her body make new blood
cells. But what for?

Shortly afterwards, to our despair and grief, Hope passed on. It was as if she
an innocent tiny soul had been doomed to perish because of war, even being so
far away from the battlefield and the carnage. My sister, Hope, might have died, but
one thing I know for sure: though I cant bring her back to life on Earth, I can make
hope dwell in my heart, in your heart, in the hearts of the oppressed, in the hearts
of all those who yearn for a better world. In memory of Hope, I hope that one day,
peace will find its way to our world and will never leave again. And making it
happen lies within my duties.