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.

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.

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

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.

Lynn OT, Catherine PT, and Sandy PT

Our impression of Haiti began in the air and is evolving daily. We are in awe of the country's beauty and the devastation it has suffered. We were oriented by Mary Beth and Jeff after arriving on Saturday, May 22nd. The patients we have seen are so gracious and appreciative. Many travel by one or two tap-taps or walk to the clinic for therapy. We generally give a home exercise program and find that these have been done religiously. Family support is incredible; each patient has at least one family member that is devoted to their care. The translators warmly welcomed us in the clinic and are providing essential communication for the clinic's operation. This is our first opportunity to use the Internet as weather conditions dictate connectivity. Stay tuned for more...

Mary

Darn! Why did I come here and have to follow Jennifers Blogs. She is the funniest person ever and now I have that pressure. After looking thru our photos from the last few days, I have reflected on all the good that has come from this trip. My first day, I hit the ground running. It took a couple days to figure out the System, NOT! There is no System. All you need to know is how to be a Doctor, Administrator and how to do Physical Therapy. Actually the Hospital Administrator, Josian, really knows the ropes and can do anything. We did not pull that card so many times not to be able to ask again. We have had the best environment in the Clinic this week with all the Feng Shui type arrangement of equipment. The Translators have been wonderful and feel like our Boys. Sometimes you encourage, keep them on track, track them down, threaten or just beat them silly (not really). Just like your own Kids. With out them, we would not have as much fun or be able have fun with the Patients. It was pretty funny trying to persuade one Patient that as I did Soft Tissue Release I discovered that he was white underneath the dark skin. He did not know that he had been born a white child. I know this is almost as good as Jennifers but, I will stop now and pick up again tomorrow.
It is my last day in Haiti and I am already sad to leave all of my new Friends and the good that I know I can do. Jennifer has been here for 2 weeks so, she feels the same but, ready to get back to her Loves in the US. The MU Professors come in this Morning for the "Orientation". I am excited for that. I wonder if MU pays for their travel. As for me, my lovely Husband has held down all of his Jobs (Parent, IS Director etc.)so that I could be here. Today I will measure the feet of the Lost Boys so I can send shoes back to them and see what our Translators would value most (Wet Wipes I am pretty sure). I will post again.

Comfort and Music- Jennifer

Here on Day thirteen, Mary introduced me to two amazing comforts: How to freeze your water bottle at night so it's frozen the next day for your water, and the fact that our seats in the Arnoldmobile recline a little bit so you can chill on the way home. There is a big group staying at the guest house now. Forty-five people from a mission in the US. So, last night I was the expert at where the restrooms are, and where the hidden light switches are, how to find the water, and things like that. I hatched a plan to tell them how mean Dr. Bernard is-- a real tyrant, and not to look him directly in the eye. I tried to convince him it would be fun to be like Hitler for a day. I'm sure he will follow through. I showed him how you can see his house and the pool on the GPS and he was amazed.
Today we continued the ongoing of our legacy of bringing American Slang to the clinic. Today's glossary includes: "Take a load off", "What the heck are you doing", "Chillax", and "That sucks." So the guys went around saying, "that socks!!" Translator Quotes of the Day: "Cats and dogs will be raining tonight!" and "Jenny-fer will be gently to you."
I exchanged addresses with two of my female patients today. They are so sweet and so beautiful and we love each other. They are fighting so hard to recover from their serious injuries. I told them that even if it takes twenty years, they need to come to my doorstep and stay at my house. One of them is named Elita, and she asked me if I could give her something to remember her by and I told her I would. Then Mary and I sat around racking our brains for something we could make her or give her. In the process of doing that, the "lost boys" (five or six children that befriend us daily) saw us playing with a few colored paper clips and immediately wanted to construct something with these interesting new objects. We showed them what they were used for, but we were struck by how these children's brains are so active, creative, ingenuitive...moreso than priveleged children in the US, and how noteworthy that is. What a lesson.
Guibson is continually and tirelessly recruiting patients for us. He is worried that if we don't grow as a clinic, he will not have work. Today he hit the jackpot with a four year old boy named Junior that lives near him who has a below-the-knee amputation. He has no crutches, so for two months he has been hopping on one leg. He is excellent at it, but we gave him a pair of crutches to use for when he gets tired, and we showed him how to make his limb stronger and ready for a new leg! We are in the process of connecting Junior to a prosthetist because I know he will be one of those who instantly puts it on and runs around.
I've decided they need more music here. At night, in the tent cities, I am told there is lots of music, singing and dancing. I think music heals the soul and I want some big name musicians to set up on the street and play free concerts here right in the middle of town. I see how popular my ipod is with the young men and young patients here, how they want music that lifts them up, and empowers them. They know the words to popular American music and they crave it. It is this hunger and perseverance that will rebuild and heal things here. It can only get better, that's for sure.
Haiti Dum Dum Sucker Flavor of the Day: Sun-dried Fish
Craving of the Day: cottage cheese and pineapple
Haiti Myth #212: You should use caution when passing on the left, when on a curve, when on the side of a mountain.