We are back in a rhythm at the clinic after just two days. It is so wonderful to see some of the patients we cared for back in April and May again and celebrate with them all the progress they have made. The hospital doctors welcomed us back and thanked us for continuing to run the clinic. An orthopedic surgeon sent us a referral today on a complex patient and when I stopped by to thank him he said,” I knew I could count on your group to help her. You are all so wonderful.” Encouraging words like that from one of the doctors makes all the hard work worth it. We also received big hugs from the nurses we had become friends with. Marie Nichole, one of the head nurses, still wears the scrub top I gave her every day. Another great moment yesterday was receiving a referral from one of the doctors for a woman who had a new stroke. She had come to the hospital the day before we arrived. When we asked the family if they were moving her at all in bed they responded, “The nurses told us we have to roll her over every hour.” Hooray!!!!!! JoAnn’s inservice teaching about preventing bed sores was effective if the nurses are now instructing the families themselves.
We spent time this afternoon with all the young boys who hang around the hospital. Anyone with shoes that were worn was given new ones. Little David who I wrote about before, was thrilled with his new sandals and had a smaller pair of pants on today so could run better. He asked me often today for water and I poured many drinks into his mouth. We marveled at how children that young run free in Haiti. He appears to be about four. Does he have a family? Where does he sleep at night? He was so grateful for the attention and shoes today that he wanted to help us put all the clinic supplies away. He insisted on carrying big items, one in each arm, and would not allow us to refuse his help. He seems to have already learned at four that if you make yourself useful to others, you may find a way to receive what you need. We brought out a Frisbee and taught everyone the game. Little David was the best of all of them! Jane, another OT volunteer, blew up blue surgical gloves and made volleyballs for everyone to play with. We shared a box of Fruit Loops which no one had ever heard of. Even the translators enjoyed those.
We had a meeting with the main hospital administrators Monday afternoon and are working out details for a partnership to ensure the clinic can continue long term and eventually without us. I am encouraged, but know much work is still ahead.
We bought some sugarcane from a sidewalk vendor today to enjoy for dessert. We are finding the mangos and avocados delicious and found a new fruit of white banana tasty. It is still rather hot and humid, but I guess Kansas City was 105 today so I feel better! Granted you all have a/c, but we are managing fine with just our fans.
We have decided the Haitian beer Prestige is far superior to the Dominican beer Presidente and will now move on to rum tastings.
Bon Nuit!
Donna
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Donna - Haiti in the summer? Not as hot as I expected!
I am back in Haiti for the third time in four months. I feel a calm this time that I know is partly because things have become familiar and easy, but also seems to come from the city of Port au Prince itself. The chaos that existed after the earthquake has been replaced by the even rhythm of everyday life. The airport is more organized. Some of the rubble is starting to be removed. More sidewalk space is open for people to sit everywhere again and sell their wares. The hospital is quieter with fewer patients and no foreign medical volunteers in sight today. Except for us that is. What a welcome we received! Our translators were so happy to see us and the children full of smiles. Judeline is still staying at the hospital, but will be traveling soon with her mother to the US for follow-up surgery on her hand and rehab. She giggled when she saw us, and then looked nervous when she realized we would make her begin working hard again! She was happy to show us the progress she had made with her left arm and hand as long as we did not want to touch it and stretch those tight joints and tendons ourselves. She is able to walk with only one crutch now with assistance, but still tries to get her mom to put her prosthesis on for her. JoAnn did not let her get away with that today!
The previous teams have done a great job of organizing the clinic and our supplies. We have several rows of chairs now for the waiting area and a few chairs for the therapists as well. We have a new metal “check-in” table and a set of parallel bars created for us by college students from Canada from what appears to have once been a red iron door frame. We have two treatment tables and neither of them wobbles when a patient climbs up on them! We have a new supply of wheelchairs to give out as needed and found many supplies today we thought had been lost, but only misplaced. It was like coming back to your house after a vacation and finding someone had cleaned, redecorated and added great things. Unfortunately, the rains continue to take a toll on our tarp roof. There is a large hole in the center again, but it’s still standing.
Our new guest house, in the home of Caroline and Henri, is just lovely. It is 3 rooms of beds and a bath, with a large outdoor patio and eating area surrounded by tropical plants and flowers. It is less than a mile from the hospital in a dense, wooded, park-like setting. It reminds me of Central Park in New York. An oasis of nature and calm in the midst of a busy urban area. Tina and Oreo their sweet dogs greet us in the evenings and Cassie the kitten chases the lizards. We have learned the lizards in the morning are dark green, and the ones that come out at night look almost albino they are such a pale green. And there are no tree frogs here to keep us awake with their mating calls all night!
We visited the JP-HRO camp to speak with their medical director today. JoAnn was very disappointed that Sean Penn was not around. She is still kicking herself for not going with me the last time and missing his great smile. What a marvel of organization they have created in a small area serving over 50,000 people. They are in this for the long haul and it’s obvious how hard everyone is working. We also visited with the heads of Healing Hands for Haiti and learned the Red Cross has awarded them funding to build a major rehabilitation and prosthetics center over the next 18 months. We are so excited for them. They were serving the people of Haiti for years before the earthquake and I know this will enable them to provide the services in a way they had only dreamed about before.
Best Haiti moment today: The hugs and smiles from the translators and children at the clinic. It was like seeing family again.
Saddest Haiti moment: A new little boy of about four I had not met before was wandering around outside the hospital. He is wearing pants too large for him, so he must hold them up while he runs. He has a pair or sandals with the front piece torn off one foot that he carries most of the time and occasionally is able to re-attach. After tripping over the broken piece for about the 10th time today he stopped in front of me, looked so frustrated, and simply pointed at them as if to say “I could really use another pair of shoes lady!” In my feeble creole I said “lundi” meaning Monday. He shrugged his shoulders, picked up the broken rubber front flap, grabbed his pants and moved on. One of our previous volunteers Mary, had sent many pairs of sandals with me for the children, so we decided Monday will be “New Shoe Day.” I will also use one of our Velcro straps to create a belt for him. With new shoes and a belt, walking or running can be effortless for him again. Isn’t that how it should be when you are four?
Donna
The previous teams have done a great job of organizing the clinic and our supplies. We have several rows of chairs now for the waiting area and a few chairs for the therapists as well. We have a new metal “check-in” table and a set of parallel bars created for us by college students from Canada from what appears to have once been a red iron door frame. We have two treatment tables and neither of them wobbles when a patient climbs up on them! We have a new supply of wheelchairs to give out as needed and found many supplies today we thought had been lost, but only misplaced. It was like coming back to your house after a vacation and finding someone had cleaned, redecorated and added great things. Unfortunately, the rains continue to take a toll on our tarp roof. There is a large hole in the center again, but it’s still standing.
Our new guest house, in the home of Caroline and Henri, is just lovely. It is 3 rooms of beds and a bath, with a large outdoor patio and eating area surrounded by tropical plants and flowers. It is less than a mile from the hospital in a dense, wooded, park-like setting. It reminds me of Central Park in New York. An oasis of nature and calm in the midst of a busy urban area. Tina and Oreo their sweet dogs greet us in the evenings and Cassie the kitten chases the lizards. We have learned the lizards in the morning are dark green, and the ones that come out at night look almost albino they are such a pale green. And there are no tree frogs here to keep us awake with their mating calls all night!
We visited the JP-HRO camp to speak with their medical director today. JoAnn was very disappointed that Sean Penn was not around. She is still kicking herself for not going with me the last time and missing his great smile. What a marvel of organization they have created in a small area serving over 50,000 people. They are in this for the long haul and it’s obvious how hard everyone is working. We also visited with the heads of Healing Hands for Haiti and learned the Red Cross has awarded them funding to build a major rehabilitation and prosthetics center over the next 18 months. We are so excited for them. They were serving the people of Haiti for years before the earthquake and I know this will enable them to provide the services in a way they had only dreamed about before.
Best Haiti moment today: The hugs and smiles from the translators and children at the clinic. It was like seeing family again.
Saddest Haiti moment: A new little boy of about four I had not met before was wandering around outside the hospital. He is wearing pants too large for him, so he must hold them up while he runs. He has a pair or sandals with the front piece torn off one foot that he carries most of the time and occasionally is able to re-attach. After tripping over the broken piece for about the 10th time today he stopped in front of me, looked so frustrated, and simply pointed at them as if to say “I could really use another pair of shoes lady!” In my feeble creole I said “lundi” meaning Monday. He shrugged his shoulders, picked up the broken rubber front flap, grabbed his pants and moved on. One of our previous volunteers Mary, had sent many pairs of sandals with me for the children, so we decided Monday will be “New Shoe Day.” I will also use one of our Velcro straps to create a belt for him. With new shoes and a belt, walking or running can be effortless for him again. Isn’t that how it should be when you are four?
Donna
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
July Update
It is the first week of July and thanks to our amazing volunteers, we have been able to staff the clinic without interruption since April 5th!
We were concerned mid-June when one of our volunteers had a death in her family and had to cancel. Another volunteer stepped up to take her place, only to have to cancel herself one week later when her father had a stroke. It was Sunday, June 27th and we had only Jean, a PT who would now be at the clinic for two weeks alone. How would she be able to handle the 25 people a day who were arriving for treatment? What were the odds we could find another therapist who could travel on 5 days notice to assist her? Astronomical at best.
And then I received an e-mail Monday morning from Anne, an OT who had booked a trip to Haiti leaving 7/4. She was traveling with her sister to help at a convent, but wondered if there might be a need for an OT somewhere in Port au Prince. She did an internet search and found us. When she heard our story and needs, she paid a hefty airline change fee and volunteered to stay and work at the clinic with Jean until July 17th! Would you believe she also lives in the same city as Jean and they worked in the same hospital 30 years ago? Once again, whatever we need continues to fall into our laps.
We do not have a team yet for 7/16 to 7/31 but after the events of last week, I feel confident that everything will once again work out. (Still, I will sleep better once it has all fallen into place!)
Bondye Bon—God is Good.
We were concerned mid-June when one of our volunteers had a death in her family and had to cancel. Another volunteer stepped up to take her place, only to have to cancel herself one week later when her father had a stroke. It was Sunday, June 27th and we had only Jean, a PT who would now be at the clinic for two weeks alone. How would she be able to handle the 25 people a day who were arriving for treatment? What were the odds we could find another therapist who could travel on 5 days notice to assist her? Astronomical at best.
And then I received an e-mail Monday morning from Anne, an OT who had booked a trip to Haiti leaving 7/4. She was traveling with her sister to help at a convent, but wondered if there might be a need for an OT somewhere in Port au Prince. She did an internet search and found us. When she heard our story and needs, she paid a hefty airline change fee and volunteered to stay and work at the clinic with Jean until July 17th! Would you believe she also lives in the same city as Jean and they worked in the same hospital 30 years ago? Once again, whatever we need continues to fall into our laps.
We do not have a team yet for 7/16 to 7/31 but after the events of last week, I feel confident that everything will once again work out. (Still, I will sleep better once it has all fallen into place!)
Bondye Bon—God is Good.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Kim and Tyler Day Six.
We have just finished our sixth day at the therapy clinic. Words really can't describe the week we just lived. The Haitians are wonderful people and they have been so kind and helpful to us. They really appreciate the teams that are coming to the clinic. We have seen quite a few orthopedic and neurological conditions (including three cases of bell's palsy which I found a bit unusual) and we have seen some interesting conditions as well such as the young man who came in with right and left foot drop from tuberculosis. We were able to find a brace for his left foot but then we were not able to place his foot back into his shoe with the brace. My son has feet the size of a clown so he was more than happy to give his tennis shoes away. It was great to see how much better he walked with his new brace and he loved his new shoes. Others have come to the clinic to seek medical advice because you must pay for medical services in Haiti and many can't afford care.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Kim and Tyler -- Louisville Kentucky to Port au Prince
We have just finished our second full day of work in the therapy clinic at the Haitian Community Hospital. My eighteen year old son Tyler is with me as are two physical therapists. We have been fairly busy so far. The patients are so happy to see us. We have seen a lot of fractures from the earthquake, five stroke patients, two patients with bells palsy and an assortment of aches and pains. They have ranged in age from three to seventy. We have a pediatrician from one of the missionary groups coming to work with us tomorrow to consult on some of our cases. I am excited about that because he brought some prednisone with him which may be helpful with our bells palsy cases. I have needed splints on several occasions and we have enjoyed getting creative with the bits and pieces of splint supplies. Tyler is using the candy we brought to entice the children in therapy to reach and stretch a little bit further.
He also has been entertaining the “lost boys” and there are usually about 8-12 of them hanging around him. Today we brought an extra gallon of gatorade for them to have. It is so sad to hear a child tell you that he is hungry and thirsty. We are going to acquire some shoes for two of them because their shoes are completed filled with holes on the bottom. They also found out that I have band aids so we covered many of their cuts.
We spent time with the missionary groups that were here this past weekend. They included us in all of their service work. We helped to pass out fifty pound bags of rice and we played with some children at an orphanage. It amazes me to see the joy and appreciation the Haitains have given their extremely challenging living environment.
I have found out the hard way that it can take three days to dry our clothes around here (hand washed clothes may I add). The first two days they hang in the bathroom and remain completely moist because there is so much humidity in the air. The third day I got smart and hung them outside only to start the whole procedure over again when the late afternoon five minute storm hit.
He also has been entertaining the “lost boys” and there are usually about 8-12 of them hanging around him. Today we brought an extra gallon of gatorade for them to have. It is so sad to hear a child tell you that he is hungry and thirsty. We are going to acquire some shoes for two of them because their shoes are completed filled with holes on the bottom. They also found out that I have band aids so we covered many of their cuts.
We spent time with the missionary groups that were here this past weekend. They included us in all of their service work. We helped to pass out fifty pound bags of rice and we played with some children at an orphanage. It amazes me to see the joy and appreciation the Haitains have given their extremely challenging living environment.
I have found out the hard way that it can take three days to dry our clothes around here (hand washed clothes may I add). The first two days they hang in the bathroom and remain completely moist because there is so much humidity in the air. The third day I got smart and hung them outside only to start the whole procedure over again when the late afternoon five minute storm hit.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Seven Weeks! So many successes and such immediate challenges.
Two months ago today, Jo Ann, Eliott, Judy and I arrived in Fort Lauderdale and excitedly began repacking bags in our hotel room so we could fit more crutches in them. Who knew there were entire rooms filled with crutches already awaiting us in Haiti!
The Global Therapy Group clinic has been open for seven weeks now and is already seeing 20 to 25 patients a day. The teams who followed us did such a marvelous job. They expanded on what we had started and began new ideas of their own. One team created an outreach program to a nursing home behind the hospital and began holding group exercise classes there a few afternoons a week!
Our immediate problem is that we are coming to the end of our scheduled volunteers. Our last team leaves June 19th and as of today, I have no team in place to follow them. The idea of the clinic sitting empty for 2 weeks makes me so worried and sad. Patients will come each day and no one will be there. Will they ever come back? Will they just assume the volunteer therapists have now gone like all the other medical teams?
I have some therapists scheduled for July, August and early September but need many more. I have had lots of email inquires from volunteers asking for more information, but few have made a formal commitment to dates. I just keep trying to have faith and put one foot in front of the other each day. (Or one finger in front of each other as most of my work for this project concerns sending hundreds of emails!) I keep waking up at 4:00am worrying, say a prayer, and then try to go back to sleep.
Jo Ann and her husband have been busy working on our website and hope to have it up and running by this weekend. Try typing in www.globaltherapygroup.org soon and hopefully pictures of some of our wonderful patients will appear.
Judy has volunteered to host a fundraising event for us at her family’s new venue in south St. Louis called “The Warehouse”. Save the date for July 17th at 7:00pm. It will be a great party with music and a silent art auction featuring photography from an artist who just spent a month in Haiti.
Things have come together over the past 2 months in such an amazing way. We just need to find a way to keep it going!
Donna
The Global Therapy Group clinic has been open for seven weeks now and is already seeing 20 to 25 patients a day. The teams who followed us did such a marvelous job. They expanded on what we had started and began new ideas of their own. One team created an outreach program to a nursing home behind the hospital and began holding group exercise classes there a few afternoons a week!
Our immediate problem is that we are coming to the end of our scheduled volunteers. Our last team leaves June 19th and as of today, I have no team in place to follow them. The idea of the clinic sitting empty for 2 weeks makes me so worried and sad. Patients will come each day and no one will be there. Will they ever come back? Will they just assume the volunteer therapists have now gone like all the other medical teams?
I have some therapists scheduled for July, August and early September but need many more. I have had lots of email inquires from volunteers asking for more information, but few have made a formal commitment to dates. I just keep trying to have faith and put one foot in front of the other each day. (Or one finger in front of each other as most of my work for this project concerns sending hundreds of emails!) I keep waking up at 4:00am worrying, say a prayer, and then try to go back to sleep.
Jo Ann and her husband have been busy working on our website and hope to have it up and running by this weekend. Try typing in www.globaltherapygroup.org soon and hopefully pictures of some of our wonderful patients will appear.
Judy has volunteered to host a fundraising event for us at her family’s new venue in south St. Louis called “The Warehouse”. Save the date for July 17th at 7:00pm. It will be a great party with music and a silent art auction featuring photography from an artist who just spent a month in Haiti.
Things have come together over the past 2 months in such an amazing way. We just need to find a way to keep it going!
Donna
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Catherine, Lynn and Sandy: Amazing time in Haiti since May 22
We realize that our time in Haiti will come to an end this weekend and feel we are just beginning to hit our stride. Yesterday we had 24 therapy sessions with both inpatients and outpatients - both referred by doctors and others who have received care at the clinic. Catherine is thrilled to see children with disabilities who have been referred to the clinic by doctors and their friends, while Sandy and Lynn have taken on the inpatients with strokes and other acute conditions.
Judilene, the youth with the BK amputation and reflex sympathetic dystrophy has made great strides, now ambulating with her walker independently AND tolerating a splint on her left wrist (she would not even tolerate light touch of her left hand). Last week a reporter from a Dallas newspaper came to the clinic last to photograph Judilene in therapy with Sandy and Lynn in hopes that this story might generate support for the care of earthquake victims.
We continue to see a stream of patients who have not been seen since the earthquake and who continue to present problems associated with immobilized limbs. But we also see people with more recent trauma who are as eager to restore their body function for their jobs, ranging from sellers in the market to professors who lost their job because the university is demolished. Daily we benefit from the blueprint provided by Donna and those who have helped assemble this busy clinic before us.
What we did not expect during our trip here was the opportunity to travel to downtown Port-au-Prince near the epicenter of the earthquake to see the miles of collapsed buildings. Major facilities used the government, business, and educational sectors supporting the community lay in rubble across the city. These sobering sites are contrasted to the magnificent views from the mountaintops that we were able to see during our Sundays off from the clinic. Haiti is absolutely beautiful; the people are caring and appreciative; and the experience here is indescribable.
Along with Donna and others in the Global Therapy Group, we see that our efforts are truly making a difference and we hope to sustain these efforts while the Haitian people regain their footing and open their own therapy clinics in this beautiful country.
Judilene, the youth with the BK amputation and reflex sympathetic dystrophy has made great strides, now ambulating with her walker independently AND tolerating a splint on her left wrist (she would not even tolerate light touch of her left hand). Last week a reporter from a Dallas newspaper came to the clinic last to photograph Judilene in therapy with Sandy and Lynn in hopes that this story might generate support for the care of earthquake victims.
We continue to see a stream of patients who have not been seen since the earthquake and who continue to present problems associated with immobilized limbs. But we also see people with more recent trauma who are as eager to restore their body function for their jobs, ranging from sellers in the market to professors who lost their job because the university is demolished. Daily we benefit from the blueprint provided by Donna and those who have helped assemble this busy clinic before us.
What we did not expect during our trip here was the opportunity to travel to downtown Port-au-Prince near the epicenter of the earthquake to see the miles of collapsed buildings. Major facilities used the government, business, and educational sectors supporting the community lay in rubble across the city. These sobering sites are contrasted to the magnificent views from the mountaintops that we were able to see during our Sundays off from the clinic. Haiti is absolutely beautiful; the people are caring and appreciative; and the experience here is indescribable.
Along with Donna and others in the Global Therapy Group, we see that our efforts are truly making a difference and we hope to sustain these efforts while the Haitian people regain their footing and open their own therapy clinics in this beautiful country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
