Borders and hospitals

I received word from home that my Irish grandmother is not very well and has been admitted to hospital. I decided it would be a good idea to travel home to spend some time with her (only possible with the generosity of my mother, who would pay for the plane ticket).

She is pictured here to my right in both photographs. I spent some time looking through this beautiful book of photos that my mother made me for my 30th birthday, thinking about my family and wishing I was at home with them. It is hard to be so far from home at times like this.

Unfortunately, a number of Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah border crossing were kidnapped by Bedouins living in the Sinai desert, prompting the other soldiers to shut down the border. They are refusing to reopen the border until their friends are safely returned. Noone knows if it will take days, weeks, or months.

In the meantime, there was another dramatic incident with my housemate who was extremely ill. I spent the night of the 16th in Shifa hospital with her, trying to find out what was wrong.

It was, honestly, one of the dirtiest places I've ever been in. However, I was assured that it was the place where she would receive the best care and that another hospital, though cleaner, would not offer the same expertise.

There was bloody cottons balls, used syringes, and used IV lines discarded on the floor or in open wastepaper bins in the triage area. The ward she was admitted to was like something out of a horror movie, with a single flickering fluorescent lightbulb, dirty floorcloths on the ground, and blood and other suspicious stains on the walls. I wished I'd had my camera with me to document. She was given a threadbare sheet for bedding, so I went back to the apartment to bring her blankets and a pillow. However, as I suspected, she hardly slept in those conditions. She saw cockroaches during the night.

This morning, my friend faced the difficult decision whether to evacuate to Israel, which was arranged on a truly exceptional basis, or stay behind in the hope that she could be treated in Gaza. I tried to support her as best I could in making the decision, without putting pressure on her, as she was very distressed.

In the end, to my relief, she decided to evacuate. We had less than 40 minutes to discharge her, and get her to Erez crossing and across the border. It was rather a stressful day but she is now in a clean and well-equipped hospital receiving the care she needs.

Meanwhile, I am hoping the other border will open soon, allowing me to get home to my family.