Donna

Were Baaaaack! JoAnn and I returned to Haiti just 8 days after we left. Walking through the airport we kept saying to ourselves, “Didn’t we just do this?” Upon exiting the airport, our driver was not waiting for us as planned. But directly in front of me was Ruben, a nice man who we paid to assist us the last time we arrived and our driver was not there. His eyes lit up when he saw me and he came and gave me a big hug and the kiss on cheek that is the traditional Haitian/French greeting. He waited with us again, and when it was obvious our driver was not just simply late, he offered the use of his cell phone. I tried to give him $1 for his service and he refused saying, “We are friends now. No, No.” While waiting for the driver he kept asking me in a roundabout way if I was coming back and if people from the US could bring things. Much gets lost in translation here as the Haitian people do not like to directly ask for favors. I have learned to just cut to the chase and ask “What is it you need?” His answer was, “a tent.” He said he and his siblings sleep on the ground and as he put it, “When it rains hard on you, it wakes you up and you cannot fall back to sleep.” It rains almost nightly here now as it is the rainy season and he said they are all very tired. JoAnn decided to bring a few tarps with her this trip, “just in case” and she gave one to him. The smile on his face reached from ear to ear. I now know we will have permanent friend and helper at the airport for years to come!

Walking through the hospital and into our clinic felt so much like coming home. The last 2 teams have grown the clinic and its services greatly in this short time and all the patients have progressed so well. Seeing Judeline donning her own prosthesis and walking herself to the outdoor clinic took my breath away. Alex, Emmanuel and Guibson our translators are now much more than that. They are true therapy aides and have embraced their new jobs with such passion. I taught Guibson what the phrase, “You have really stepped up your game!” means and he told me he has tried so hard to do just that. I told them all when I left that this could be more than just a translator job for them if they were interested, but I do not think they fully understood the opportunity available at that time. Over the past 2 weeks they have come to understand what could be. They asked the last team for books to learn more about the body and have begun memorizing the names of the major bones already. JoAnn and I brought them each a basic anatomy book and presented it to them yesterday. They were so pleased! What made my heart sing was hearing them describe that before we arrived they did not know that “therapy” existed. They have watched us work with Judeline since day one when she cried continually and refused to even sit up in bed on her own. “In just 3 weeks she is walking!” They said. They told us they see therapy as like a miracle and they love the idea of being part of making that miracle happen for patients. “It makes you feel so good inside to help people like this!” Alex told me. “That’s why we love our jobs.” I replied. They really get it now and they are hooked! They love being a part of this and tell us they eventually want to become therapists like us.

Saturday was a tough one emotionally. We said good-bye to Janean, Heather and Kirsten in the early morning and then walked into the hospital to learn that Luc Pierre had been discharged! The last X-ray from 3 days ago showed his lower leg bones displaced again despite the external fixator and it appeared the lower leg was still infected. He told the surgeon he really did not want his leg amputated so they told him to go home and return in 22 days! 22? Why not 7 or 100? We do not believe he will even be alive in 22 days with a displaced lower leg bone and an infection and can you imagine the pain he will suffer in that time. Emmanuel went to his chart and found his phone number for us, but there was no answer. Alex and Emmanuel told us they were touched by the tears in our eyes and could not understand why the Haitian doctors did not care about Luc the way we did. Like I said, they get it now!
Later in the day, I went to walk with Anise and found her sitting in the main hospital lobby. We walked to our outdoor clinic and she sat to rest while we worked on Judeline’s hand. When I realized it had been at least 2 ½ hours since I found her, I asked if she wanted to walk back to her room as it must be time for Isaac to eat. When we got there she did not seem to have any interest in feeding him. When I asked her when the last time she nursed him was she answered, “I feed him when he cries.” I asked her if I could hold him and picked up this limp and flaccid little baby. He still has an IV drip, but did not seem to have the energy to cry or even move his arms. I did not see any rooting reflex or apparent desire to feed and realized this baby was failing. Through the translator I came to realize that Anise thought the IV was feeding Isaac and she did not need to nurse often. This is her first baby and it appears no instruction is happening from the nursing staff at the hospital. I told her Isaac needs to eat at least every 2 hours and that the IV was doing very little for him. She and her husband seemed very surprised and I am not sure fully believed me. I tried to teach her that her milk was what would make him grow strong and her husband told me he was concerned that Isaac had lost weight since he was born. I spent much time teaching but we are never sure what gets through and what is lost in translation. I am praying often for Isaac and hope he can hold on until Monday and we can teach even more then. JoAnn and I decided we need to have a conversation with Josiane about options and the need for more aggressive breastfeeding instruction with the new moms. Judy sent several new outfits and an adorable hat as a gift for Isaac and we need to make sure he grows big and strong so he can fit into them!
It is so hard not to bring our expectations of American standards of medical care down here to Haiti but watching a 70 year old man suffer and die in severe pain, or a newborn baby die should not happen anywhere. Prevention of suffering and healthy babies must be the minimal standard anywhere in a civilized world.