Two Months of Challenges and Honors Donna

September and October brought excitement weekly for the Global Therapy Group. Both the good and the bad kind!
On the good side, Jo Ann and Donna were chosen as Alumni of the Year by their alma mater Washington University in St. Louis PT program and presented with an award in September. It was a wonderful honor, but also an opportunity to spread the word about our clinic and the need for volunteers and funding. Donna was excited to fully book our schedule of volunteers for 2010 by mid-Speptember and be able to open up dates for 2011.
The fall has also presented some challenges. A severe storm in late September tore the entire roof off our clinic. Our volunteers then struggled working in the hot sun all day. Thankfully, a PT friend traveling to Port au Prince brought us a new large tarp the next week, but it was then torn off during another storm! Luckily, the tarp was found and will be re-attached soon. Our container of donated supplies and equipment arrived after sailing from Texas, escaping the "black hole" of customs in Haiti, being delivered to the wrong place and lost for 4 weeks, then delivered to our hospital but sent back as it was labeled incorrectly. It finally arrived the day after the severe storm and had to be unloaded in just one day due to all the mix ups. Now cholera is in northern Haiti. We are monitering it closely and hoping it remains contained there and does not spread into Port au Prince.
We are hoping for a few weeks in succession without a crisis so we can begin to recruit help for fundraising, website development, accounting, etc. In spite of all the challenges, our volunteers continue to treat 16 to 25 patients each day and receive new ones weekly. People are improving in their function, have less pain, are able to return to work and are more independent. The volunteers all tell us what makes this an unforgettable experience for them, is watching the people of Haiti rise above all the challenges they are presented with. They are our role models and we know we can rise above our troubles as well!