Me, My Nose and I

Just a quick blog as I can’t resist sharing my recent misfortune with the Amnesty community and beyond. Similarly to Patrick I have been struck down by an ailment, although speaking literally it wasn’t an illness that struck me but rather the accidental elbow of a very large footballer during a match last week.  I was left with a double fracture to my nose ensuring that my insensitive friends and family all thought I looked the spit of Man United legend Steve Bruce. 

For the last ten days I have been able to spend lots of time feeling sorry for myself in the ENT ward of Belfast City Hospital trying to get my nose returned to it’s fondly remembered original position. If you are anything like me, you will view even a minor visit to the hospital with the same enthusiasm as getting your car clamped but it’s been absolutely fine.  The hospital was spotlessly clean, bright and airy and I found the medical staff incredibly friendly and professional.

It was only while convalescing after my operation, however, that a deeper feeling of gratitude for my hospital treatment set in. In my newspaper I came across the latest news from Zimbabwe which quoted the latest horrifying figures of the deaths from the cholera epidemic and described in detail the depths to which this health emergency has fallen (full daily updates of this crisis can be found here on the World Health Organisation Website). 

As ever the Amnesty International community have been at the front line of efforts to achieve a full International intervention in Zimbabwe. However, it is vital that Human Rights activists continue to pile the pressure on governments and world leaders including President Obama so that Zambabweans can receive the same basic standards of health and sanitation that we take for granted. 

That only leaves me to thank the staff of the City hospital for giving me my old nose back and hope that I wasn’t the worst patient that they have had for some time!