Reanimacioni

I had planned to write this next post about the Close of Service conference which is scheduled in Korca next week. As I said before, plans change. “Reanimacioni” is the Albanian word for Intensive Care. I saw that word for the first time by the elevator in Spitali Hygeia in Tirana on Tuesday evening.

A few minutes after I walked into my apartment in Korca for the first time in more than two weeks, my cell phone rang. It was Fredi, who rents inexpensive rooms to Peace Corps volunteers who stay in Tirana and provides all manner of helpful services for volunteers as they learn to navigate the busy capital city. He told me he had just learned that Catherine had been taken to Military Hospital. This is the hospital that all ambulances take patients to in Tirana. I immediately called the Peace Corps medical officer and was told that she and the country director were on the way to the hospital. I tried to call Catherine. A short while later, the medical officer phoned to say that Catherine had been hit by a car and they were having her transferred to one of the new and well staffed private hospitals in Tirana, Spitali Hygeia. I had noticed the large, modern building when we rode the bus into town on Friday. I think I pointed it out to Catherine. The country director got on the phone and authorized me to leave my site and come to Tirana. That was nice of him, but I was on my way, whatever. I walked past the city center to the furgon stop and caught a ride with the same driver who had driven me from Tirana in the morning.

Several calls on the long ride back told me that Catherine had been hit by a car when crossing a busy street while walking back to Fredi’s from her close of service dentist appointment. The older lady who had hit her had actually stopped to help. This is unusual in Albania where any accident will result in protracted hassles from the police. She had contacted Fredi by calling the last number dialed on the cell phone. Fredi called the Peace Corps office and then called me. At first, she did not seem severely injured, but was confused and combative and then lapsed into coma. Rather than have me take a bus or a cab across Tirana to the hospital, the country director arranged to have a Peace Corps car meet me outside the US Embassy which is on the furgon route into Tirana. This was both worrisome and appreciated.

The Peace Corps programming and training officer was in the car. As we drove to Spitali Hygeia, he told me the Peace Corps office in Washington, DC, was contacting Catherine’s family and would make decisions about medical evacuation, if necessary. He offered to let me stay at his apartment, if I wanted. We met the medical officer and her Albanian assistant at the hospital reception area and took the elevator upstairs. The neurosurgeon spoke with me, and, after gowning and washing our hands with disinfectant, led us in to see Catherine.

It was a scene I have seen many times before, but never from the perspective of a loved one. She was unresponsive with tubes in her nose and mouth. I held her hand and stood there as long as they let me. After half an hour, increasing levels in the chain of command of the ICU nurses asked me to leave. I resisted until the ICU medical director explained that they wanted to limit stimulation and would I please leave now. This seemed a bit strange since stimulation is a main treatment of arousal problems, such as coma. Otherwise the medical care seemed fine. I tried hard not to be confrontational. This is a bit of a stretch for me. Perhaps I have learned something in the Peace Corps. Maybe it is just old age.

The next day, Catherine’s daughter arrived from Germany where she works at a hotel in the Alps. I had only met her once before when she visited Albania before starting her new job. Several of our good friends from our group came to Tirana to offer help and moral support. Many others emailed and texted kind words and a willingness to help in any way needed. Thank you very much, it meant a lot.
Many Albanian friends from Korca , Permet, Thane and Tirana called and some came to the hospital, although few were allowed in to see her. All were shocked and concerned. We have two groups of nuns in Korce and Bolivia, the Precca Society, Greek Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish friends busy praying. We have remarkable coverage. Inshalla, Catherine will have a rapid recovery and be incredibly angry that she was taken out of Albania before she could finish her service. She had planned to travel to Leskovik on Friday to do her breast cancer presentation for a group of women at the medical clinic and then travel on to Korca for the conference.

The Peace Corps office in Washington decided to transfer Catherine to a hospital in London. I don’t know much about this institution, but I have asked knowledgeable friends back home for their opinion. Meanwhile, Catherine moved and responded a bit when they allowed the level of sedation to decrease slightly. Other family members are meeting us in London tomorrow afternoon. We’ll see how things go. I am hopeful, but realistic and considering rehabilitation possibilities in the US. We will have to consider PC preferences, and I have to respect that I am not family and really have no say in the matter.

The day of her transfer, the country director drove us to the hospital for a last visit on the way to the airport. Her site mates from Permet came with us to see us off. Catherine’s host family from Thane was at the hospital, the father, two daughters and a son-in-law. They wanted to see Catherine, even though I had told them repeatedly when I phoned the night before that they would not likely be allowed to see her. I don’t think the authorities realized how close Catherine is with this family or maybe they judged them by their worn clothes, not realizing that they had worn the best clothing they owned. They were obviously hurt and felt a lack of respect that is probably the most significant offense in Albanian culture. This was assuaged by taking the whole group to coffee in the hospital café. There were many toasts to Catherine’s speedy recovery. I promised them we will return to visit them in Thane and made their youngest daughter promise to work hard in school, as Catherine would want. We parted at the hospital entrance and headed off to Mother Teresa International.

The country director was kind enough to grant me administrative leave to follow Catherine through her initial treatment. This is extremely considerate, since, again, I am not family. I have up to 45 days, which saves me from the prospect of early termination. I appreciate that. I have projects that I wanted to complete before leaving Albania, but there are other priorities for now.