My Friend Farouck

DSC_3266 copy, originally uploaded by Photo2217.

Does it hurt? I always wanted to ask him that question. What does it feel like to have a metal plate sticking out of from your beautiful smile? Out of your jaw? Does it get to cold? Does it get warm? Does it hurt? And then I realized I didn’t even really have to ask those questions. Four surgeries later, if it didn’t hurt at that particular moment, I’m sure that sometime in the short span of his eleven year old life, it had hurt. Hands down, he’s known hurt.

There are times when I would sit with his mom and we would look at one another and just know that the path to recovery had been grueling. She had the dark circles around her eyes to prove it, and the rolled up wet tissue to stamp it. She worried for him. She panicked for him. She felt helpless for him too.

On the day he went in for surgery, she sat on his bed, in the corner, not knowing what they would do to her little boy. Logically knowing that he was fine and the doctors and volunteer medical team were totally in control of the situation, but also trusting/reminding God that He had her baby in His arms. I walk over to her to give her a hug, and she began to cry. She just let it go, and all I could do was hold her and try not to cry myself.

Days before his surgery, we became friends and on the actual day of his surgery, I knew that this was a special friendship. I spent the beginning of the mission in his ward. Learning, teaching, laughing, playing, and talking.

Farouck has returned once for a follow up appointment. His surgical wounds have fully healed. The medical team gave him a complete release and as far as we know there will not be any reason he’ll have to return to see the doctors. Because of certain complications that he has he may not be able to have a prosthetic jaw set into place but for the most part will live a bit disfigured but will be able to do all the things an average eleven year old likes to do. We visited with one another after his doctor appointment and parted sadly soon after. While I sat with the family I notice how his mother sends over long glances towards him and shines with pride.
I wasn’t sure if I would ever see him again and sure enough a day after the World Cup finale the Rufino family arrived on the dock. After a very long and frustrating morning of running errands all over downtown Togo, my patience and energy were officially drained for the day. I thought to myself as I got out of the car, I want a quick lunch a good shower and I want to just chill out. When out from the canopy comes running Nacimento, Wahub, and Farouck towards me. We met half way and I wanted to cry. It was so good to see them and how happy/healthy they all have been. What a surprise. What an amazing surprise. They came all the way from Benin to say hello before I left to go back to San Francisco. We spent the next few hours of the afternoon catching up on life in Benin and all the fun things the boys have been up to. Farouck (the first of many photographers in my school) took many photographs that day and I will soon share those with you too.

He’s home now. It’s been weeks since he first came for the screening. He’s trying to enjoy some normalcy of life and he’s also hoping to attend school when it starts again. His mother mentioned that the teacher has permitted him to sit on the last session of the school year to catch up on lessons he may have missed while he was recovering here in Togo with us. He is a great help to his mother and little brother who also had received surgery on the ship.