Back in Haiti!! April 2015

Arrived in Haiti after an exhausting night of traveling. Nothing like the red-eye flight. Although better than overnighting in Miami, I have to say.
We've been to 2 orphanages, and as usual had an amazing time. Haiti of course never disappoints when it comes to incomparable experiences. We had a dance off at the first orphanage (they request we not use the name of the orphanage with any social media, so I'm honoring that) with the kids. Of course, the kids won hand down. They painted wooden cars and puppets, as well as designing their own t-shirts. We also left several suitcases of clothes, school and medical supplies. They were so sad when we left. I reallly hope to return there in the future.
The second "home" (Harvest for Humanity) is home to about 15 children. They don't like to be called an orphanage because they really try and provide more of a home atmosphere. They have also built a large greenhouse in an effort to become self sufficient and even have a contract with a local grocery store chain to sell them romaine lettuce. This is the first orphanage that I've been to that has a pool. And an actual clean, working pool at that. We also had the chance to walk down the hill and meet with a little Haitian family living near the home. They are so friendly and happy. And inspiring.
And for today, I bought more Haitian souvenirs that I absolutely don't need. Several paintings, some small wood containers, keychains - just to add to the already large pile at home. The trip to the Iron Market was memorable as always and I was able to pick up the voodoo candles that Haeli requested.
Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, we'll be going to mass in the morning, and then hopefully having a relaxing afternoon and then packing for our beach trip to Moulin Sur Mer. Hopefully I'll have internet and can write another post before leaving Haiti. I'm always inspired and moved by the people of Haiti and their spirit of survival and hope.

Ian and Cathie in Haiti February 8th-17th, 2014

The Citadelle in Cap Haitien - amazing!

The Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince

Wow, what a cutie!!

Our first day at the orphanage. Ian was so great with the kids!

Madison and Haeli in Haiti!

Arrived in Haiti yesterday after overnighting in Miami. And amazingly, all of our luggage arrived as well. We made our first orphanage visit of the trip today to Food for the Poor. It was so awesome to have Haeli and Madison there and see how easily they connected with the kids, and also how much the kids loved the attention!

denise luxe

There is a post from February 8th with a photo of Denise Luxe (or rather her thighs, both with external fixators). She was one of the first patients I taught to do her own pin care. On this trip, she had both the ex fixes removed, and this is a photo of her walking the next morning. I never saw her without a smile on her face. I'm also posting a photo of the Operation Smile team (although a few are missing -sorry).

I returned home from Haiti on April 21st, but am now only able to write about the rest of my experiences. I sat down to try and write more of the experiences I had while there, but anything I wrote just seemed to so inadequately describe my feelings. I imagine that's still the case, but I've been able to gather a few thoughts since then, and will at least share those.
I'm also posting a photo of my fantastic translator, Edner. I worry about him everyday. The sad fact is that right now in Haiti, even those with some kind of skill are unable to find employment. Edner worried everyday about the day that the field hospital would close (last I heard, the end of May). and he would be unable to feed his young son and wife.
I've been to Haiti a total of 7 times since 2004, two of those times since the earthquake. It seemed like every year I went, there were small sign of progress - some functioning traffic lights, more police presence, improving conditions in many of the orphanages, a youth group picking up litter - I know it may sound inconsequential, but those small things are big in Haiti. But I honestly don't know if Haiti will ever recover from the blow dealt by the earthquake. We visited Port-au-Prince and I didn't see any sign of the billions of dollars that have been raised/promised to Haiti. And since there is really no functioning government, and no one else to take the lead, I doubt the Haitian people will ever benefit from that money. I truly hope I'm wrong, but as we drove through the streets, there was a sinking feeling that has not left me. On the Miami to Dallas leg of my trip home, I was in the very back of the plane, and everything I saw just seemed to come crushing down on me. I started crying, and didn't stop until just before we landed. I think the flight attendants thought I was crazy.
The field hospital in Fond Parisien was still very busy, but there wasn't as many acute medical issues on this trip (except for the multiple patients from the community with motor vehicle/motorcycle accidents, burns, incarcerated hernias - a mixed bag of everything). Our orthopedic surgeons removed a total of about 40 external fixators, which was great, because then those patients could finally get up and move around. One of my responsibilities was to help the patients who were ready to be "discharged" - but how do you discharge someone who is living in a tent? A few of the patients had relatives who they planned to move in with, but most had nowhere to go. It became a real emotional drain when I would get the discharge paper with the patient's name who was medically cleared to leave the hospital. On one occasion, I found the patient - a 9 year old with now healed skin grafts - in his tent with his 3 other younger siblings, and their grandmother who was their caregiver. I found out that both the parents had been killed in the earthquake, and the emaciated grandmother, who looked like she could barely stand up, was trying to care for these children. All I could think of was that these kids will soon lose their grandmother, adding to the already staggering number of orphans living in Haiti. I gathered as many supplies as I could for her - a couple of tents, cots, clothing, food, and a cooking kit to give her before she re-located to the refugee camp down the road. My heart sank as I watched the tap tap pull away with her, the kids and all the supplies. It felt so hopeless.
There was one night where I had found a secluded place on the veranda of one of the classrooms so I could skype with my kids. Some of the young boys from the "unaccompanied minor" tents walked by and came up to listen and watch out of curiosity. Most of them have spent much of their lives in orphanages, and consequently speak English since most of the orphanage caretakers speak English. They started talking to my kids and teaching them some Creole words. My son Ian, talked to several of the boys and answered many of their questions. After almost 20 minutes of this, we said goodbye and they then wanted to see the photos on my computer. My screensaver photos kept coming up - vacation photos, birthday parties, holidays, sporting events, etc... They were all fascinated, but I have to say that I felt a bit ashamed at seeing the obvious disparity in our lives. After a few minutes, I quickly shut down my computer. The next morning, I emerged from my tent to find one of the boys - he had to be about 7 years old - waiting for me. He ran up to me, grabbed my hand and asked me in the most serious way if I could take him home with me when I leave. I leaned down and gave him a hug, and could hardly get the words out to tell him why that would be impossible. I returned to my tent to cry and skipped breakfast that morning.
It was experiences like those, and seeing the continuous stream of people being discharged to a refugee camp with no running water and no electricity that made me unable to keep writing. There were so many other heartbreaking stories, but they're so personal and painful, that I haven't been able to talk or write about them. I just fear for the people of Haiti and the second wave of death that will come from disease, malnutrition and the complete lack of action to help Haiti rebuild. The Haitian people have always been resourceful and resilient, but they need the world's help more now than ever. I hope they won't be forgotten.

aftershock

2 nights ago while drifting into sleep, I felt my cot sway back and forth. I wondered if I was dreaming, but the next morning several people were talking and saying that they had also felt it. It's no wonder the Haitians almost refuse to sleep or even enter into the buildings here.
A group (H.A.R.T.) came in for the last couple of days and fitted many of our leg amputees for prosthetics. Many of them have been waiting for weeks and it was so exciting to see them walking for the first time since the earthquake. As soon as they were fitted for their new leg, a physical therapist would work with them on how to get up and down steps. These people adapt so well, and most were walking around the camp by the afternoon. Really heartwarming.
I can't believe that I only have 2 more days before I leave on Wednesday morning. Haiti is the kind of place that after you've been here a day, it feels like a million years. But when it's time to leave, you wonder how the time went so fast.
It's very late here and I'll be getting up with the sun, so I'll make this short. I'll post photos tomorrow if time allows.

crutch races

Today the surgical team began removing external fixators. They were able to get 16 of them off, and it looks like they'll be able to get all of them off by next Monday. We continue to get patients from the community. Today we had to transferred out 3 patients - an infant with seizures, a man with severe burn injuries and a young boy who needed specialized surgery in Miami. We're slowly discharging patients and decreasing the size of the hospital. We also held an immunization clinic today for most of the kids in the camp. Me and another nurse, Sarah, along with the pharmacist here gave about 100 immunizations. It was a great experience and very rewarding. Even though most of the kids cried when they recieved their shot, the parents all thanked us. The kids then all received a toy afterwards, so they quickly forgot about the pain of the shot.
It hasn't rained for the last 2 nights, so the camp has finally dried out. And it's as hot as ever during the day. I've always loved being in the sun, but I have to say that I've had my fill of it at this point. It seems like when it hits about 2pm, there is nowhere to escape from the searing heat.
There are two huge white tents that have been built to house certain patients - unaccompanied minors, those with non-healing wounds and other patients who are at high risk for infection. It's the only totally waterproof tent in the camp, as well as being very open and airy. So the other patients have a bit of tent envy going on. They also hold a big group physical therapy session in the white tent everyday. I went to watch it yesterday and found 2 cute girls - both of who have had amputations. They were racing each other back and forth and laughing so hard that everyone was watching and cheering them on (see photo). It's those kind of heartwarming moments that make it totally worth being here, and they're images I'll never forget.
I continue to help discharge patients. I'm averaging about 3-4 discharges a day. We always give everyone who leaves a tent, cooking kit and soap and other essential supplies. I also give them money for transportation for wherever they're going. Many are returning to Port-au-Prince, and others choose just to relocate just down the road at the refugee camp. It makes me so thankful for what I have to see how many people truly have nothing. I'm also glad that the camp is able to at least help them make a start. The camp also employs many local Haitians to cook, help manage the warehouse and translate. They have also trained one of the locals to be an x-ray tech, and he works independently without needing any help from the international staff. We also have the local Haitian nurses helping us staff the triage area.
The group of nurses that I'm in charge of are awesome. They are so willing to do anything I ask. Of course as always in Haiti, the only sure thing is that nothing is predictable, and so we very often have to change assignments or pick up new duties as the day wears on. They never complain and are doing such an amazing job with all of the patients. It makes me proud to be nurse. There are times when I've wondered if I should have done something else with my life - but right now I wouldn't want to be anything else but a nurse. Oh - did I mention that the rats are the size of small cats here?