Eimear Working with Donna 5/13/12

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Donna and I have had a great week working at the clinic. It has been awesome working with Donna. Sometimes we are lucky enough to meet such amazingly positive and inspirational characters. People like Donna tend to bring out the best in us. It's been a pleasure Donna, thank you!

It was our mission this week to try and communicate with Michel Martelly, the Haitian President. He is a former musician known as "Sweet Micky". Martelly was sworn in as president on 14 May 2011 following the Haitian general election. The following day, the incumbent Prime Minister, Jean-Max Bellerive resigned to allow Martelly to choose his own Prime Minister. Martelly was quick to pledge reforms the post-earthquake reconstruction process.

In August 2011, Martelly announced a plan to reinstate the nation's military. This plan was met with controversy as many human rights activists were concerned about bringing back a military which had been responsible for many atrocities in the past.

In September 2011, Martelly formed an advisory board that included business executives, bankers, and politicians such as Bill Clinton, that he hopes will improve business and economy in Haiti.

Martelly underwent bilateral shoulder surgery in Miami last month. He developed a pulmonary embolus post surgery. This left disaster struck Haiti without a president or prime minister for some time. He is back now and we figured that he must need some good shoulder rehabilitation. Unfortunately, after some research through the small circles of elite Haitian society, we found that he already had a therapist, perhaps he had flown somebody in from the US. We had hoped to personally convince him to support our organisation by giving us some desperately needed funding or a new premises to open a more permanent clinic. It was a long shot, but worth a try!!

On Monday, Martelly will be officially opening a great big set of stairs that connects two levels of Petionville. It happens that it is right beside our clinic. I have an elevator speech prepared just incase! Here's hoping, fingers crossed! Although, I'm a bit skeptical that I'll get past the security gaurds...let's see how far Irish charm can actually get you....!

We met lots of patients at the clinic this week. I have really enjoyed working with the wide range of disability and injury that we see here. We tend to get up to 3 new patients a day with the remainder attending for ongoing rehab. We see about 10-12 patients per day. One of our new clients is 6 year old Dayens who presented with Cerebral Palsy. We sent him home with a sketch of a standing frame, in the hope that his family may be able to build him one. Haitians do seem to have particularly good ingenuity. The following are pictures of a young lady who suffered multiple orthopaedic injuries to her arm in the earthquake. She was fitted with an external fixator by palpation with no xray. She finally received an xray in April this year. We had her bring it to us. Unfortunately, there is very little callus formation around the distal radius and ulnar fractures. Her wrist range of movement is very impaired, with little hope of improvement. Despite her injuries she has returned to work and appears to be managing well.

I don't have long left in Haiti. I'm excited to escape the mosquitos, hectic roads and humidity. I really look forward to climbing a mountain, or having a surf, or ripping up a trail on a mountain bike. However, I will be sad to say goodbye to Andrew, Frantzo, the clinic and the Hudicourt family. I do regret leaving when there is so much work for me to do here.