The Problem with Morphine

Mahululu Village, Uganda

Story by Marcella Mercer. Photos by Emmie McMinn.

James Michael is frustrated.

Even as Shadrach’s illness worsened over the years, James has always been patient. He insists that all the doctors who have treated his son have done a good job. The long wait times and gaps between Shadrach’s various treatments caused him no regret.

Back home, Shadrach hobbles over to his father at least a dozen times a day, clutching his stomach and wailing. Each time, James scoops up his son and holds him until he quiets. There’s a soft, sad smile on his face as he waits for the tears to stop, if only for the moment.

James Michael, Shadrach’s father, shows one of the bottles of morphine that were prescribed for Shadrach’s pain.

But today, things have changed. Shadrach started crying and complaining at 1 a.m. last night and he hasn’t stopped since. Neither the boy nor his father has slept more than a few winks. Shadrach must be held to keep his sobs at bay.

Now, James’s mouth creases into a frown. This is too long for his son to be suffering. He pounds his fist into his open palm to emphasize his words.

“The morphine is no longer working,” he repeats. There’s nothing he can give his son to soften the pain.

The doctors have tried to up the morphine dosage three times, but it doesn’t seem to have an effect. James is done with it. The doctors should give him something different, he says. He tried to call one in Kampala earlier in the day to get advice, but ran out of cellphone minutes midway through the conversation.

Now, he has to figure that issue out before he can start again with his other problems. In the meantime, his son will keep sobbing.

James says Shadrach has only asked three times about what is happening in his stomach to make him hurt so much. Each time, he had to tell him, “I don’t know.” This disease is beyond his understanding, his control.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not going to try whatever he can to fight it.

Shadrach’s mom holds him outside of their kitchen. Shadrach has not been sleeping because of his pain, so his parents carry him throughout the day.