T-ball, tether ball, softball… duck!

Hello all you blog readers!

This is Nancy the Nurse reporting in from St. Joseph’s Health Center. Ahhh yes, spring is here! Bring on the sunburns and mosquito bites.  Ok, I may be jumping ahead a bit… The mosquitoes are still wearing their winter coats, but the sun is blessing us with longer hours and warmer weather (after the big spring storm, anyway). The Lakota children at St. Joseph’s Indian School are now riding their bikes, participating in track and dodging facial blows from the tether ball, baseball, basketball, T-ball, whiffle ball, football, and golf ball.  Life is good!

The flu season had a short run and not too furious.  Around 30 of our Native American children ended up with the flu this winter.  High School sports took a toll on knees and fingers. It seemed there were more of these injuries than usual.  Most of the Lakota students have healed nicely, but there are a few still in physical therapy.

Bones aren’t the only thing breaking around here.  We’ve had too many broken pair of eye glasses to count!  They just don’t make ’em like they used to.  Oh wait, I guess those goofy- looking, thick plastic frames are coming back in style…  We’ll have to encourage more children to choose that kind. J  The eye doctor’s receptionist keeps a kind, but frozen smile on her face every time we bring in a pair for repair.

So what else is going on at the Health Center?  We are seeing students with strep throat, colds and an occasional stomach virus.  We had a student who needed an appendectomy this fall and another one this spring. I hope we are done with that!

We are also finishing up the children’s dental work at Dr. Daily’s office in Chamberlain.  That makes the children VERY happy.  So, that’s a little summary of the last several months.

So what can we expect the next couple months before school is out? Although safety is a big priority around here, there will likely be another broken something or other, a scraped knee or elbow and a set of stitches across someone’s skin.  Did I say life is good? IT IS!

Enjoy your spring everyone!  And remember to duck if you see a ball coming your way.

Nancy the Nurse

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 90 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future. View all posts by St. Joseph's Indian School