Contrast

I recently got an order for a Hello Kitty birthday cake for 2 American girls living here in Accra. They are turning 3 and 7 on Saturday and their parents are throwing them a big party for 50 people. I researched Hello Kitty images online and looked at Hello Kitty cake after Hello Kitty cake before coming up with just the right design. And after 5 hours of work this morning the cake is finally done along with 25 cupcakes!


Eli was licking his chops just looking at the cupcakes, especially now that he's gotten the hang of eating more solids.



But while I was decorating the cake this morning, I got a call from my friend Gilda who had awful news. Her driver did not show up for work yesterday and was not able to be reached by phone so we had a feeling something must have happened because this was not like him. He had told us about 1 1/2 weeks ago that his 6-year old daughter was hit by a motorcycle but that she was ok and just had a broken arm. Well, this morning he reported to Gilda's for work and told her that his daughter died yesterday due to internal bleeding that was not diagnosed initially when she went to the hospital. We were both so shaken up by this news and so frustrated that something could have been done about her internal bleeding after the accident and maybe she would not have died. But, here in Ghana, your medical care is only as good or as comprehensive as you can afford, and so I can't help but wonder if the family could not afford the extra exams it would have required to diagnose the bleeding. Or perhaps it was just incompetent medical care but either way it is a tragedy that will definitely be on our minds. And, as I was decorating this cake this morning for a 6-year old going on 7, it struck me as such a contrast to the fate that met this Ghanaian young girl and her family. As one 6 year old will be celebrating her birthday with a big party, another one will be buried this weekend.