The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1977, Síða 34

32
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
AUTUMN 1977
JUNIOR INTERNE
By Larus A. Sigurdson
"I wept bitterly because I had no shoes,
until I saw a man who had no feet. "
—Arab Proverb.
It was my first day on the children’s
surgical ward at the Winnipeg General
Hospital, and my first duty was to do a
dressing on a little girl called Lasha, in
the corner bed. Nurse Charlotte
Counsell was waiting for me with a
surgical tray.
Lasha looked up and the moment she
saw me in my white uniform, she
screamed. She grabbed the nurse by the
neck and clutched her tight with her
small encircling arms and continued her
loud, piercing screams.
I stood at the foot of the small bed and
waited, and looked around. On the walls
were pictures of children at play. In the
bed were toys and a beautiful sleeping-
beauty doll. Beside the doll was a large
birthday card, and on the card were the
words “Happy Birthday”. These words
seemed so cruel, and heartless, but were
not meant to be. She knew it was not
going to be a happy birthday, because
she had seen men in white uniforms hurt
her, and she knew I would also hurt her.
I watched as the nurse gently loosened
the desperate little arms from around
her neck. Finally, her head was on the
pillow and I saw a very beautiful baby
girl with tousled blonde hair, and large
round blue eyes drenched in tears.
Finally, the nurse pulled down the
coverings, and then 1 saw a pathetic
sight that still remains with me after all
Picture taken on the Winnipeg General Hospital grounds. On the far right,
Nurse Charlotte Counsell. On the far left, the Junior Interne, and the sad little girl to
his left, is Lasha.