By Sr. Teresa Hogan, MMM                     Ireland                            28.02.2026

I take mirrors for granted – and even peep in every now and again!

I cannot remember when I first looked in a mirror, nor if I knew it was myself I was looking at as a small child! Mirrors are so much part of life in Ireland it is like asking me when I first saw a dog – I just don’t know. One of the great joys of living in foreign countries with people of vastly different cultures is learning what is not familiar, even strange, and very new to them. I remember an incident where a mirror was a very new experience. Let me share this with you.

Sometime in the mid 80’ in Turkana Desert in Kenya the Flying Doctors came to our mission in Kakuma to operate on the many patients we had assembled. The majority of these surgeries were on young children with hydatid cysts. One little girl, called Nakubusian, of about four years of age had a very large invasive cyst so the medical team agreed to take her in the plane to the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi for more complex surgery. They were flying off next day, so we had a big rush to get clothes and provisions for the mother, Akiru. We would drive ourselves in a little blue Daihatsu to Nairobi with Akiru. Unfortunately, the plane could only fit the small child.

At crack of dawn, I set out with another Sister, Sr. Andre Brow. Akiru and plenty of drinking water, some food and all the warm clothes we could find for both on the long safari of over 700 kms. for their stay in Nairobi. Akiru was understandably anxious and we tried our best to assure her that we would reach the very same place as the plane – though of course much slower! We made a few stops along the way to stretch our legs, get a soda, and put on another layer of clothing. In Nakuru we decided to go into a hotel and get dressed up more fully as it was getting decidedly cool for travellers from the Turkana desert! We asked the hotel owner if we could use a bedroom although not staying to tog out and she graciously allowed us to do so.

I was on my way into the room when I heard a very loud shriek : “Oitakoi! Oitakoi! Kareca, ayong ya, ayong ya!” I came rushing in to find Akiru in front of a full-size mirror almost hysterical and shouting aloud the words above which translate in English as:
“ Whaaat it’s me there! It’s me there” ….!

I rushed over and stood beside her and then she also recognised me in the mirror. I must have looked exactly as she saw me in real life as she calmed down a lot and even smiled and again said out loud : “Oitakoi! Oitakoi!”

We reached Nairobi and managed our way through the chaotic traffic to reach the Kenyatta Hospital where Akiru and little Nakabusian were reunited on the 7th floor and where she was warmly greeted by many other people from Turkana having specialist surgery. The journey back several days later was very sad and difficult as the little girl did not survive the operation. Our medical missionary work brought great joy and fulfilment so often, but we also saw immense suffering as parents lost precious children. Sadly, Nakabusian did not return with us.