Ang Maya’s Almost-Permanent Ring

It’s probably hard for anyone who hasn’t done it to imagine what it’s like caring for 50+ children every day – the cliche “never a dull moment” has never been truer!

For example, the other day Ang Maya had a stainless steel ring stuck on her finger! Nobody seemed to know where the ring came from, but she put it on her finger and her sister Bina pushed it down until it stuck.

Bonnie Auntie’s brother Ti was visiting, so he helped Bonnie with the ring removal project – they tried seven different lubricants, finger compression with a straw – even finger compression with dental floss, courtesy of Google, but nothing worked. The ring was just too small.

Then, as often happens in Nepal, a miracle happened. The morning following the finger incident, Bonnie had to go to Patan Hospital to pick up a lab report. Coming out of the Lab was her good friend Dr. Basynet talking to the head of the Emergency Room. When Bonnie said “Namaste” they asked if they could help her with anything.

Bonnie: “Yes, as a matter of fact I have a stainless steel ring stuck on someone’s little finger.”

Doctor: “I’ll call maintenance and get back to you”.

Within an hour, Uma had brought Ang Maya to the maintenance department and the ring was snipped off with a special tool – hurray – we may need to get that tool for the Ama Ghar First Aid room!

The whole process from the beginning took 24 hours. Ang Maya was a good sport and Ti Uncle kept her laughing.

What next? Or maybe we shouldn’t ask…