Well in the spirit of Thanksgiving in the US, I will list the many things we have here to be thankful for here in Haiti. In no particular order. First of all, I am thankful for the security we have in this area. Despite the turmoil in the valley around Port au Prince, we still can operate here in relative security. Second, I am thankful for the support of the community. If I have any problems, they are quick to help and they often make sure to let me know how much they value the clinic. Third, I am thankful for the work and dedication of our Haitian staff. They are always here and cheerfully attend to the patients. They work together well. The nurses have really grown into their roles and the community has welcomed them here. Here are before and after pictures of a leg wound caused by an axe while splitting wood that Mis Vitanie sutured.
Fourth, I am thankful for people that have helped so much. Like my Dominican friend who is always available to help with banking, transportation, and any paperwork we need to be able to operate through the DR. The man in Fond Parisien who is able to bring medications across the border for us. Without him we would not be open now with the road to Port blocked. I am thankful for the man in Port who has helped so much with buying medications and supplies in Port. He can’t do much now, but if the road reopens he will help again despite the dangers he faces in traveling around Port to find things for us. Also I am thankful for our friends in the DR who are happy to let us stay at their house and make us feel very welcome. Fifth, I am thankful we can still find some level of hospital care for patients who need it. The little hospital in Fond Parisien continues to operate and is able to do emergency C sections. Everytime I send a patient with OB complications I am tremendously thankful for this. To tell them to go home, or watch them suffer here without being able to help doesn’t bear thinking about. Sixth, I am thankful for our health. When we first came to Haiti it seemed we were getting sick every month or so. This year has been much better. Seventh, I am grateful for the support from North America. Without it the work here simply would not be possible. Thank you for your prayers, messages, and donations. Finally, and most importantly, I am thankful to God for always making a way. Everytime things seem to get worse, we are still able to function. Given the difficulties here, this is a miracle. Several stories from the last month. Fre Enok is a deacon in Fond Parisien. Last February his son had an accident and broke his leg. He was able to go to Port and have it surgically repaired with rods placed in his leg. After the road to Port closed, he was not able to go back to have the rods removed. I checked with Haiti Air but they are out of the country again. So our ambulance brought him to Thoitte and he was able to find a vehicle there to take him to Jacmel. This is probably a 12 hour drive over the worst roads you can imagine, but he was able to get to Jacmel. The hospital there was able to remove the rods and I helped him get back to Fond Parisien. The boy who went to Fond Parisien for emergency abdominal surgery is still in the hospital there. I spoke with the surgeon. He had a perforated bowel and needed 2 surgeries. Without our ambulance promptly taking him to Fond Parisien, he would have died. Due to the infection in his abdomen they aren’t able to close the wound yet. He developed a clot in his leg. The hospital sent the dad to me to see if we had coumadin, a blood thinner, as they didn’t have this. Unfortunately that is not something we carry. But I did have an old vial of heparin. So I went to find the dad. On a muddy trail beside his field I tried to teach him how to do subcutaneous injections and the importance of him walking every day. He said he would send it to the hospital. That is post operative health care in Haiti. One day Mis Yollette called me into her room for a young woman. She was skin and bones, very malnourished. She had a 2 month old baby at home but couldn’t breastfeed due to malnourishment. She was having a hard time finding food and complained of her belly hurting. I gave her medication for parasites and amoebas and multivitamins. I also gave her money for food. She came to church that Sunday so I told her to come to the clinic the next day with her children. We treated them for parasites. I gave her a little more money and had Fre Willy take her up the street to where his wife was making food. They gave them 2 meals to share that I paid for. The first time I saw her she was so weak she could hardly walk. Sunday after church I saw her again and she is looking a lot stronger already. Well, so it goes here in Oriani. We do the little we can and God works with it. Rumor has it the road to Port might open today. I pray that it does, because the farmers here depend on selling their produce down the mountain. And it would be great to buy things from Port again. Thank you again!
