Haiti Feb 2010

The minute I saw the destruction and desparation from the Jan 12 earthquake in Haiti on TV I was overcome with the desire to go help! I just wanted to DO something! After mentioning it to my mom, she said - talk to Brenda Cooper, they are going! The HaitiHelpers group from our church has been to Haiti 22 times in the last 10 years. They were planning a trip in March, but moved it up a month due to the earthquake. Once I decided to tag along, I started thinking about how inadequate I was for such a time and immediately started working on covincing Chris that he needed to come with me! Praise God, he actually said yes! He was the perfect person for such a trip, with extensive trauma and combat experience!
Chris' and my office both made wonderful donations of supplies/money for the trip. And AGC pediatrics said we could come raid their sample closet. Cindy, my nurse used to work there an said they always had a ton of antibiotics! What a dissapointment when we opened the cupboards to find - NOTHING! Not a single antibiotic, only a few allergy meds. But Dr. Joyave gave us about 3 big boxes full of infant formula! It was so heavy though, that Chris and I honestly considered not taking it! As we started preparing, ordering meds, supplies and shopping for items to bring, the reality of the trip settled in and I started having nightmares about never seein my kids again. So many people were genuinely worried about us going down there and there was continual talk of the danger, escaped convicts and the terrible conditions. It didn't help that we also had to go over our wishes if something were to happen to us with my parents!! But alas, Feb 11 arrived and at 4:30 am we left for the airport!
Right away the miracles started happening! Between the 14 of us who went, we had close to 40 bins, 25gal each, of meds, food and supplies. You could take 2 bins up to 50# free, but each additional was $100. Some of our group got in a line where 2 Haitian men were working and when they found out what we were doing, they waived the extra fee for about 7 bins! (of course, Chris and I were not in that line!) Anyway, we made it safely to Miami and then on to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Paul, an EMT from Rome that came with us, barely made it to the plane in Atl! And we would forever be looking over our shoulder for him, to make sure he didn't get left behind! He loved to explore!
We spent the night in DR at a very nice hotel, 4 to a room. Sebastien, a 4th year podiatry resident, was already there, having had to fly early from Philladelphia to avoid a snow storm! He was an amazing asset to our team, even without many foot/ankle cases, he is fluent in French, from Belgium and an overall great guy! Also along, was William, who served as photographer and interpreter, also fluent in French. His photos are amazing and you should check them out at whaun.com. Another great guy. In Miami we also picked up Kettlie Daniels, a psychiatrist from Ohio, who came to the states from Haiti at age 10. She also spoke Creole, although she stated not fluently. She has been working for the last 4 years to get two of her teenage half-sisters out of Haiti and to the US with her. The legal process and paperwork had been daunting. She was also and amazing person to get to know, full of sarcasm and good nature! Loved her!
Anyways, Friday, we drove our 3 rental vans to a different very small airport in Santo Domingo to hopefully catch a flight over the Jacmel, Haiti. Brenda had set up a flight through Cape Air that was donated to get us across. They had agreed to take all the people but did not have enough room for all our cargo. The first plane left about 10am with half our crew. I stayed back with Chris for the second flight. Brenda had set up another airline to fly our cargo that was to arrive at 3pm, but had not been able to contact the pilot fo 48 hours. It was amazing how many people just stopped to talk to us waiting around, and when they found out we were going to Haiti, would do their best to help or suggest others for help. William and Michael (Cooper) ended up staying last to see if the cargo plane would show up. One private pilot we met -- Luis Robles, was a frequent pilot for Bill Clinton, and has flown Angelina Jolie to Haiti. He wanted to help, but unfortunately had to have things arranged in advance. It ended up though, that the cargo plane never showed and the 2 guys left had to stay nother night in the DR. Mr. Robles ended up putting them up in his apartment and taking them to dinner! They arranged for another flight to take them and all the bins first thing Sabbath morning, for a fee.
We arrived in Jacmel Friday afternoon on the small Cape Air plane with a wonderful pilot named Spencer! He was so nice! At the airport in Jamel, the Canadian military was set up. Apparently the Canadian Governor General (like prime minister?) has parents from Jacmel and sent aid out right away. We went to a meeting with one of the Canadian doctors trying to organize all the medical teams coming into Jacmel. She wanted us to go to another city about an hour away. But after relaying this to our group, we decided to stay together rather than split up, and things had already been planned/set up for a few clinics locally. We all stayed at the Hotel Marabou, which is owned/run by an SDA couple, the Pierres. Wonderful, beautiful people! Because of the earthquake, no one is allowed to sleep inside their homes until May1 due to possible aftershocks. So everyone had a tent outside their home for sleeping, and we had to set up our tents in the courtyard of the hotel. We were still given a room to store our things, shower and dress in. The Pierres had hired a few local Adventist girls to take care of the cooking and cleaning while we were there. We were spoiled, with at least 2 hot meals daily. Of course, we will always remember Connie, one of our nurses from Rome, who goes on at least 2 mission trips a year, but always refuses to eat any local food! She survived the week on snacks from home!

Sabbath we went to one of the local SDA chruches which was being held at the school due to damage to the church. It was all in French/Creole so I didn't understand a thing! I found it interesting that they counted everyone who attended, and then also asked for a show of hands of who studied the lesson -- and counted them also! After lunch we spent the afternoon organizing our supplies and meds and getting things ready for clinic the next day. We decided to have the first one using an old house on the other side of the courtyard and let the local church get the word out. After we got tired of organizing (by no means were we done) we decided to take a walk and look around. Guerry and Cadet were two locals that were also hired to help us out and be translaters! Cadet was constantly saying "It's so nice to meet you!" And Guerry, who was a theology major at the SDA university in Port Au Prince which collapsed, was very friendly and turned out to be the perfect sidekick/translator for Chris. Initially when we got into Jacmel, we really didn't notice much damage at all. But our walk definitely changed our perception!!! It seemd every 3rd building or so was collapsed. Tents were everywhere. We made it to the ocean, trash was everywere, people were washing their cars and mopeds in the water, bathing and washing clothes in the water, and kids were flying trashbag kites on the beach. apparently a tidal wave occured after the earthquake and made a huge mess, not to mention probaby sweeping away animals and people. One of the boys told Will that his parents were both killed in the earthquake and he was living with an aunt. We met a lady ranting and raving on her steps as we walked by. Will was able to talk to her and she was mad that we didn't bring her any food. He explained that we were doctors and brought medicine instead, and told her about our clinic. She then told him that her husband had been trapped underneath her home, and was still there!
I survived the first night in Haiti with Chris in our $15 Walmart tent that wa 5' by 6'! Quite cozy! The weather cooled to the low 60s at night. Sunday morning we ate and then got ready for our clinic. People started lining up outside the gate. We divided 3 rooms into 5 using tarps. Cindi and Paula, nurses, ran the triage station as people came in, as did Paul. They each had a translator and did an amazing job. Pretty soon they were ableto get the non-serious cases what they needed (vitamins!) and send them right back out. We had a few sick folk, several steroid injections, and one or two that got IV fluids. Sebastien did some wound re-dressings but there were obviously no fresh injuries from the earthquake. Overall my biggest complaint of the day was vaginal itching! We gave out tons of Diflucan for yeast infections! We did have a few ladies that kept coming back through the clinic - one even changed her clothes! Apparently everyone stayed around after being seen and they were comparing with eachother what they got outside! That morning a young girl named Debbie showed up and I was told she was the Pierre's niece. Her name was Debbie and she was 16. She'd spent 7 years in New York with her dad, going to school bu because of custody issues with her parents, who were divorced, she had ended up back in Haiti for the last year or two. She spoke wonderful English and Creole/French. She was an amazing help to me and had an even better attitude! I never saw her tired or stop smiling, she never complained once. She told me she wanted to be a doctor someday. Unfortunately she has lost 2 years of school! She was desparate to get back into school.
We ended the clinic about 3:30pm, we think we saw about 250 patients.
After the clinic we took another walk to see the big tent city. This was a soccer field full of tents, I think about 1200 people or families there. The first to greet us were the kids! they all shouted "Blanc!" which means white in French. They wanted to touch us. Then when we got out our cameras, they all wanted their photo taken and for us to show it to them! We went through a maze of tents and found the common area for cooking, cleaning, bathing. It was pure filth. A group of kids were jumping rope. Somehow, we all got "roped" in!! No pun intended! The pure joy and laughter left thoughts of tragedy, devastation and ruin far from everyones minds.
On Monday we went to a little town called Pasket (about a 10 min drive) for a clinic out of the local church. The patients here were much sicker and we saw about 300. We went from about 9am to 3pm, then the church members cooked a meal of spaghetti with ketchup! About noon we found out about another miracle -- Kettlie's sisters were cleared to go home with her! During a break I had said to Debbie, I wish she could come with us too, so she could resume her studies. I don't remember my exact words, but she turned to me and said,"Really? Thank you! That means so much to me!" I didn't think it was a big deal. Later that evening, Debbie and I went with Michael and Cadet to a local park with a smaller "tent city" set up. He showed a Jesus movie on a sheet with a projector, everyone gathered round. The kids were all around us, I wanted to pick up this little boy who was getting picked on, but he was soaked in urine and smelled so bad! He sat next to me though, and I gave him and some of the others all of the snacks I had with me. It began to rain and everyone scattered. As we were leaving, Debbie said to me, "Do you think the others are ok with me going back with you?" My heart sank. Quickly I tried to think of the right words to explain to her that was not what I had meant and how difficult that was. She had answers for everything -- she had a passport, the papers, a plane ticket from a few weeks ago! I thought that I had cleared it up, but as she left the hotel that night, she told me she was going to work on the ticket! Later on I explained the situation to Kettlie and she agreed to talk to her.
On Tuesday we were back in Pasket,another 250-300 people showed, still with real needs, another lady with high fever and vomiting, a 1 year old actively seizing -- febrile seizure. But the most memorable, was my last patient. I noticed a young woman standing around holding a little baby. l love babies! I went over to have a look, not really thinking of it as a patient. The baby was tiny, I mean TINY! Debbie quickly translated for me as I asked the girl questions. She was not his mother, mother had died in childbirth. The baby was 6 days old. The girl was the mother's cousin and had a 4 month old of her own that she was breastfeeding. But this baby had not eaten anything since birth. We re-questioned -- NOTHING! I ran over to tell Chris and he suggested an immediate IO (interoseous line -- into the bone) to hydrate the baby. Quickly we unwrapped to baby to do an exam, and amazingly, he did not look that dehydrated, good pulse, although skin and bones! His umbilicus was fully healed and there was a button tied around him with a piece of thread (superstition we found out). More questions -- how far along was mother when she delivered? 6 months,they said, but who really knows. Cousin had tried to feed him but he wouldn't breastfeed. They had, however, gotten him to drink some water somehow. He had been peeing. Suddenly I remembered the bin of formula. Mrs. Pierre had wanted to take it to the hospital but we had held off -- this was why. But we had no bottles!!! Then I recalled a few boxes of ready made formula and I ran to get them -- opened a box -- YES! Nipples to attach were included! I put the bottle to the babies mouth but nothing. After a few minutes I opened his mouth with my fingers and suddenly he began to suck - really well!!! He drank a whole ounce! We went over the importance of frequent feeding with the cousin, but decided in the end to carry the whole bin of formula to their home. It turned out to be just up the road. Their home was a hut with dirt floors -- the front room held up with sticks and the walls were sheets and bits of fabric. The back room was more solid, maybe concrete. An older lady came forward and stated that she was in charge of the baby. His name was Dawlence. I went over how to mix the formula, hygiene measures and how often to feed the baby. They had no questions. We left praying that they understood.
On Tuesday evening I was Brenda told me that Kettlie was in her "prayer closet". She had decided to take Debbie home with her. Turns out she did have a passport, a greencard, and a plan ticket that just had to be changed! Debbie's mother was at the hotel that night signing papers to give guardianship over to Kettlie. Kettlie has 5 children of her own, plus now her two teenage sisters -- so she says, what's one more? Amazing how God works, even through what you think are MAJOR faux pauxs!
Wednesday was the day to get back to the DR. Initially we had no way out. The plan was to wake up at 4am to catch a bus to Port Au Prince and then another bus over the border. But Tuesday Brenda got an email from someone she had contacted 3 weeks before who just had gotten her email. They were willing to fly us out. We were to be at the Jacmel airport at 10am, first plane out at 11. By 12pm we were getting antsy. At 12:30 a man showed up looking for 13 doctors. He was a pastor, their contact man. He wanted to make sure we were there before they came. Finally at 2pm the first group left in 2 planes. Brenda had said -- all women out first, but I wanted to stay with Chris, so Paul went with them (AND DEBBIE!). We thought about 3 hours before they would be back for us, but by 5pm I was losing hope. At 5:15 the pastor returned -- "I have bad news" he said. They couldn't find any fuel but they would be back first thing in the morning. Oh well, I thought -- let's go check on the baby! So we did! It was dark, about 7:30pm when we got there. They brought the baby out and he was sleeping, I could see his chest moving, he was dressed in a newborn sized pink sleeper, way too big! I asked how many times he'd eaten that day -- 3, last time was 5 hours prior. I went over again how they needed to feed him more, every 3 hours, then realized - they probably don't have a clock! I asked Chris how much he needed his watch - and he gave it up without question. I also gave them my headlamp, since the only light there was one candle. I watched the lady feed him and she stopped when he fell asleep after 1/2 oz. I encouraged her to wake him up and make him eat and he did -- finished the bottle. What a blessing to see them again! Thank you AGC!
Wednesday night was the only night I had trouble sleeping -- I think my earplugs were worn out and the neighbors played music all night long. But we were up and at the airport at 7:10am! When the first plane arrived at 7:30 we all were smiling, until the pilot came up to us and said -- "I have bad news!" He was only there to pick up his wife, a nurse volunteering at the hospital, and fly directly to Miami. The second plane did come, but could only take 3! Chris, Michael and I were on, and luckily William and Sebastien didn't fly out until Friday and were more flexible. But despite riding backwards on our luggage as seats -- we all made it home!
Thursday was the longest day ever, as I couldn't wait to get back to my babies! I thank God for an amazing experience and most of all for the peace he gave me throughout. I pray for the people that we came in contact with and hope that we made a small difference in their difficult lives. Most of all, I pray that they will be turned toward HIM.
I want to thank all of you who sent donations, supplies, and most of all, kept us in your prayers. God has used all of you in a mighty way.