For those of you who've made attempts at learning Creole you'll be familiar with Creole Made Easy by Wally Turnbull. Well, I met his daughter Elizabeth on the plane. It was great talking about Haiti, and how she grew up at the Baptist Mission. It turns out that she's now working on Marketing for small NGOs just like Haiti Village Health. I think she's now become my new best friend.
It's a small world out there!!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 22nd...on my way home
For many of the team, it was a day of sadness. Leaving their new-found friends and Haiti behind. For me, a day to reflect on all that had been accomplished and to further consolidate this process of networking with the other organizations.
We boarded a small plane in Jacmel which flew us the 15 minute trip into the Port au Prince airport. We were soon at the International terminal, on our way back to our homes.
I was able to contact my good friend, Etienne Bruni, who runs an orphanage in PAP and he paid me a visit at the airport. I've visited his orphanage several times before and he does an incredible job with the children. Unfortunately, the last 6 months have been a very difficult time for his orphanage and finances are very tight. It was sad to hear his stories of struggling to provide meals for the children. The orphanage has great potential, but once again sponsorship is the key to keeping it running. I was able to give a small contribution to help, but hopefully soon a larger partner will be able to provide long term support.
So....my trip was coming close to an end. Did I do all that I had set out to? Yes, and more. With the help of Verbo and the Haitian Timoun Foundation I was able to arrange more meetings with both government official and civilians to get a much better idea of the political situation regarding healthcare in the country. By visiting the smaller rural clinics and speaking with the young doctors in their internship year, I can now understand their needs and their struggles.
My next step is to work on a proposal for the Ministry of Health. This would include our program for education with foreign NGO groups, as well as the Dokte chak semann or rotating doctor program which would get young interns further into the remote areas, but also allow them to work alongside foreign visiting medical teams. A website will follow after that to link NGOs working in the Southeast area of Haiti. I've already partnered with two other organizations, Haiti Connection and Medical Mission Exchange to consolidate our information rather than duplicate.
It will be a busy summer, and though I will not return to Haiti until November, I feel the networking that I'm building is key to better long term health care for the Haitian population.
Stay tuned for updates.
We boarded a small plane in Jacmel which flew us the 15 minute trip into the Port au Prince airport. We were soon at the International terminal, on our way back to our homes.
I was able to contact my good friend, Etienne Bruni, who runs an orphanage in PAP and he paid me a visit at the airport. I've visited his orphanage several times before and he does an incredible job with the children. Unfortunately, the last 6 months have been a very difficult time for his orphanage and finances are very tight. It was sad to hear his stories of struggling to provide meals for the children. The orphanage has great potential, but once again sponsorship is the key to keeping it running. I was able to give a small contribution to help, but hopefully soon a larger partner will be able to provide long term support.
So....my trip was coming close to an end. Did I do all that I had set out to? Yes, and more. With the help of Verbo and the Haitian Timoun Foundation I was able to arrange more meetings with both government official and civilians to get a much better idea of the political situation regarding healthcare in the country. By visiting the smaller rural clinics and speaking with the young doctors in their internship year, I can now understand their needs and their struggles.
My next step is to work on a proposal for the Ministry of Health. This would include our program for education with foreign NGO groups, as well as the Dokte chak semann or rotating doctor program which would get young interns further into the remote areas, but also allow them to work alongside foreign visiting medical teams. A website will follow after that to link NGOs working in the Southeast area of Haiti. I've already partnered with two other organizations, Haiti Connection and Medical Mission Exchange to consolidate our information rather than duplicate.
It will be a busy summer, and though I will not return to Haiti until November, I feel the networking that I'm building is key to better long term health care for the Haitian population.
Stay tuned for updates.
Thursday, May 21st Final Clinic Day
Well, our last day in Clinic. Mona and I joined the FOTCOH team for the final morning, and was it ever a busy one.
In the end, over 2100 patients were seen at the clinic. A large portion of these will be followed at future clinics for well baby checks, diabetes and hypertension.
After a long morning, Mona and I got together to wrap up some clinic issues.
My work still wasn't over, I met up with my good friend Michael Rigel and his wife Georgette. They have a ministry in Jacmel and will soon be attending a missions course in Florida.
The final meeting was later in the evening with the organization Fomavend'h. This group of Haitian professionals are working to establish a clinic in the small village of Casse, just outside of Jacmel on the route to Marbial. I had visited the village earlier in the week with the team from Healing Hands. It was a great opportunity to learn more about their organizations, and perhaps link them with another sponsor so that their dreams can become reality.
After that long day, it was time for bed and soon time to bid farewell to FOTCOH and Jacmel.
In the end, over 2100 patients were seen at the clinic. A large portion of these will be followed at future clinics for well baby checks, diabetes and hypertension.
After a long morning, Mona and I got together to wrap up some clinic issues.
My work still wasn't over, I met up with my good friend Michael Rigel and his wife Georgette. They have a ministry in Jacmel and will soon be attending a missions course in Florida.
The final meeting was later in the evening with the organization Fomavend'h. This group of Haitian professionals are working to establish a clinic in the small village of Casse, just outside of Jacmel on the route to Marbial. I had visited the village earlier in the week with the team from Healing Hands. It was a great opportunity to learn more about their organizations, and perhaps link them with another sponsor so that their dreams can become reality.
After that long day, it was time for bed and soon time to bid farewell to FOTCOH and Jacmel.
Wednesday, May 20th Lavallee de Jacmel
Wednesday was another busy day. Mona and I got up early to head up to the mountains of lavallee de jacmel. It's about one hour from Jacmel through some beautiful countryside. The coolness of the mountain air was refreshing from the heat of the city.
We visited the hospital started by Dr. Charles Rene of New Orleans. He is from the region and still continues to visit 3 times a year with medical teams. As his teams do procedures in general surgery, obs/gyne and ophthalmology we wanted to visit to establish a referral process for patients in the area.
Later that day we returned to the city. While having lunch downtown we met the board of Pazapa. A day school for children with disabilities in the area.
Next meeting was with 2 new medical students sponsored by Pastor Placide and Lifeline Haiti. As they will start univeristy in the fall, I thought having some input from our doctor Mona, a haitian trained physician would be useful to them.
Next stop was the orphanage "We can build an orphange" home of many children infected with HIV. Lia Van de Donk supervises and from the smiles on the childrens faces we could see that she was doing a good job.
A quick stop at the office of Haitian Children's Home and we picked up our worm medications donated by an organization in Port au Prince, to do our deworming campaign in both Bod me limbe and Labadie later this month.
Back to FOTOCOH for a little break, but then a few hours with Mona just further planning the clinic. It's been a great two weeks working with her. On team missions we're some overwhelmed with patients that it's difficult to take time to plan. We've developed a list of health indicators that we'll follow in the clinic, will hire a new Agence Sante or Community Health Worker and Mona will increase her clinic time from two to three days per week. I just hope the donations come in to match this increase in services.
We visited the hospital started by Dr. Charles Rene of New Orleans. He is from the region and still continues to visit 3 times a year with medical teams. As his teams do procedures in general surgery, obs/gyne and ophthalmology we wanted to visit to establish a referral process for patients in the area.
Later that day we returned to the city. While having lunch downtown we met the board of Pazapa. A day school for children with disabilities in the area.
Next meeting was with 2 new medical students sponsored by Pastor Placide and Lifeline Haiti. As they will start univeristy in the fall, I thought having some input from our doctor Mona, a haitian trained physician would be useful to them.
Next stop was the orphanage "We can build an orphange" home of many children infected with HIV. Lia Van de Donk supervises and from the smiles on the childrens faces we could see that she was doing a good job.
A quick stop at the office of Haitian Children's Home and we picked up our worm medications donated by an organization in Port au Prince, to do our deworming campaign in both Bod me limbe and Labadie later this month.
Back to FOTOCOH for a little break, but then a few hours with Mona just further planning the clinic. It's been a great two weeks working with her. On team missions we're some overwhelmed with patients that it's difficult to take time to plan. We've developed a list of health indicators that we'll follow in the clinic, will hire a new Agence Sante or Community Health Worker and Mona will increase her clinic time from two to three days per week. I just hope the donations come in to match this increase in services.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19th
My, it's funny how the days start to blend together. I think I'm just so exhausted now it's difficult to think straight. The day started with FOTCOH clinic. Mona and I were off though mid-morning to meet with Verbo and the local government representative. As you can probably see, this week has been full of meetings. I've got plans for where I'd like the network to go but without the co-operation from the local government our work won't have the impact we want. The delegate gave us an overview of the governmental system, and in the end pointed us in the direction of MSPP which is the ministry of Public Health. This meeting was arranged for this evening. In the meantime, we met with Danny Pye of the Haitain Children's Home. Danny is a wonderful man and does such an amazing job living in Haiti and having 20 of his "own" Haitian children to support. As he is rooted in Jacmel, he is a much needed source of contact on the ground. We are presently planning a dental trip to Jacmel in the fall, and a school trip from Bermuda in February. So that left us with our meeting with Dr. Delouche this evening. It took us some time to come to some starting points as to how the Network can work with the MSPP. Education and the Dokte Chaq Semann program were starting points. Next step is to make everything official by submitting our plan to his office. It is so important to have MSPP aware of all the activities in Haiti. Through the network, we are trying to encourage this active participation in the governmental aspect of Health Care. Yes, it will likely slow things down for us while getting their approval but at least they will be fully aware of our desires and maybe this project can be a tipping point for all NGOs working in Haiti. Far fetched, yes, but why not dream big! Ptit a Ptit. You've got to start somewhere!! |
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Monday, May 18th
I was able to connect with the Healing Hands team again today. They were visiting Bassin Bleu, which is one of the major tourist attractions in the Jacmel area. It is also home to a new school under construction by Linda Heston for Hands Helping Haiti. I was able to visit with Linda's local assistant Elyssee for a tour of the grounds. The school is scheduled to open in the fall with 6 classrooms. Linda presently runs 1-2 medical outreach clinic on site during the year with plans for a medical clinic in the future. |
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Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 16th
Sunday is a day of rest. Well, most of the day was. This was the opportunity for the team to enjoy a day of R&R at the beach...just 15 minutes east of Jacmel at TiMoulage. It is a beautiful area, but I long for my beach at Isle Caramel near our village of Bod me Limbe in the north.
Doctor Mona and I left mid-afternoon for a meeting with a representative from the city. We discussed health issues in Jacmel and how the government and city contribute to health care. Understanding the issues, and connecting with the local population is key to helping Haiti in the long run. This meeting led to two others, arranged for later this week.
It's great having Mona with me, as I work further on setting up the Health Network in Jacmel. Her understanding of the local system helps faciliate the types of projects I will be able to work on in the future with the health network.
I won't comment further on what the government needs to do to improve it's services, only that if change does not come from within Haiti most of our foreign contributions will only be band-aid treatments to this impoverished nation.
Doctor Mona and I left mid-afternoon for a meeting with a representative from the city. We discussed health issues in Jacmel and how the government and city contribute to health care. Understanding the issues, and connecting with the local population is key to helping Haiti in the long run. This meeting led to two others, arranged for later this week.
It's great having Mona with me, as I work further on setting up the Health Network in Jacmel. Her understanding of the local system helps faciliate the types of projects I will be able to work on in the future with the health network.
I won't comment further on what the government needs to do to improve it's services, only that if change does not come from within Haiti most of our foreign contributions will only be band-aid treatments to this impoverished nation.
Saturday, May 16th
Village de Casse and Tetkole
I was fortunate to make contact with Gail Buck of the Healing Hands Team in Port au Prince. Jan Groves and her team were in Jacmel on a rehab mission. They were travelling to a small village just north of Casse, that I wanted to visit so myself and Mona tagged along for the day.
The road to Casse was a difficult one to say the least. It's actually not a road after all. It is the river bed. After 90 minutes and 10 river crosses we did reach the village. The villagers were waiting at the top of the ridgeline. Unfortunately it was after 1 pm when we arrived and the skies were looking dark. The problem with travelling along the river bed is that the water levels continue to rise throughout the day, and flash floods can happen quickly if there is a heavy downpour.
The group was a bit torn with it's decision about what to do. In the end, four members of the Healing Hands team decided to stay the afternoon and spend the night in the village, along with a Haitian physician.
We handed off our water bottles and any granola bars that we had, with one flashlight and left them to start their busy clinic.
The rest of the group continued back the riverbed. The water levels were already rising and our tap tap got stuck. Luckily, the other tap-tap driven by Tour Haiti operator Cyril Pressoir was behind us and was able to gentle give us a nudge. We did have the UN landrover accompanying us but unfortunately they didn't have a winch. After 2 somewhat forceful taps we were out.
The remainder of the Healing Hands team had stayed in Jacmel to work at Tetkole...a day program for street kids. We joined them once we returned to the city.
Little did the rehab team know what they were getting into. They seemed quite releaved when Doctor Mona and I joined them. In the end, we saw about 110 people with mainly primary health care problems.
At the end of a long day, we joined the Friends of the Children of Haiti team at the Cyvadier Hotel.
It was a long day and I learned several important points....#1 don't attempt to cross riverbeds in Haiti in the rainy season #2 be well prepared for any medical missions and ensure you plan for the patient population you will see
I was fortunate to make contact with Gail Buck of the Healing Hands Team in Port au Prince. Jan Groves and her team were in Jacmel on a rehab mission. They were travelling to a small village just north of Casse, that I wanted to visit so myself and Mona tagged along for the day.
The road to Casse was a difficult one to say the least. It's actually not a road after all. It is the river bed. After 90 minutes and 10 river crosses we did reach the village. The villagers were waiting at the top of the ridgeline. Unfortunately it was after 1 pm when we arrived and the skies were looking dark. The problem with travelling along the river bed is that the water levels continue to rise throughout the day, and flash floods can happen quickly if there is a heavy downpour.
The group was a bit torn with it's decision about what to do. In the end, four members of the Healing Hands team decided to stay the afternoon and spend the night in the village, along with a Haitian physician.
We handed off our water bottles and any granola bars that we had, with one flashlight and left them to start their busy clinic.
The rest of the group continued back the riverbed. The water levels were already rising and our tap tap got stuck. Luckily, the other tap-tap driven by Tour Haiti operator Cyril Pressoir was behind us and was able to gentle give us a nudge. We did have the UN landrover accompanying us but unfortunately they didn't have a winch. After 2 somewhat forceful taps we were out.
The remainder of the Healing Hands team had stayed in Jacmel to work at Tetkole...a day program for street kids. We joined them once we returned to the city.
Little did the rehab team know what they were getting into. They seemed quite releaved when Doctor Mona and I joined them. In the end, we saw about 110 people with mainly primary health care problems.
At the end of a long day, we joined the Friends of the Children of Haiti team at the Cyvadier Hotel.
It was a long day and I learned several important points....#1 don't attempt to cross riverbeds in Haiti in the rainy season #2 be well prepared for any medical missions and ensure you plan for the patient population you will see
Friday, May 15, 2009
Friday, May 15th
The rains had continued, so my trip to Marbial was off for the day. It was time for clinic with the FOTCOH team. It was a very busy day with several very heart breaking cases. The first was the 2 year old, malnourished as his father had difficulty supporting his three children since his wife passed away. I had to give him just a little cash to support himself and maybe get his young boy on the road to good nutrition. The second was a 35 year old with metastatic breast cancer that was oozing from her breast and lymph glands. We cleaned her wounds and made her comfortable with analgesia. Appreciate where you live!! Appreciate Canada!! Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Haiti Village Health "Sustainable Health Care in Haiti" 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Thursday, May 14th
Well, a very productive day. I started out in the morning with meeting regarding setting up a mobile dentist program, as well as a low cost dental service in the city. If you have any dental friends please let refer them to me. This has the potential to be a great program, both in the city and the countryside. Next I was off to visit the government clinic in Cayes Jacmel. Dr. Mona's husband, Wilson, works at this clinic. He is completing his social service year there. It's not easy for them as they have a 2 year old son, but the social service year is mandatory in Haiti. Young doctors have to go wherever they're needed. The clinic is in a lovely setting in the countryside. They have 4 physicians on staff including Haitians and Cubans. Unfortunately, they are not equipped with obstetric care but hope to have this in the future. My following meeting was with Pastor Bob Davisson from Alberta. Bob has 23 schools in the Jacmel area and is a wealth of information. Together, we hope to open a medical clinic in Chabin at the site of his school there. Sarah Wallace of Olive Tree Projects was next in line, prior to our group meeting. Sarah is connected with midwives for Haiti who will soon be opening a branch in the Jacmel area, where she can provide prenatal services for free. At 7:00, I hosted the first meeting of the Jacmel Health Network at the Cap Lamandou Hotel. It was a great success with over 38 attendees. We had representatives from Jacmel, Cayes Jacmel, Bassin Blue, Cas, PAP and Cyvadier. They included foreign and Haitian physicians, nurses, orphange workers and school supporters. There was interactive discussions with the Haitian physicians. Our first plan was to set up an education arrangement for Haitian physicians with visiting ex-pat medical teams. Other opportunities discussed were the mobile dental program, Dokte Chaq Semann, and networking regarding shipping and transportation issues. This week my plan is to link more of the groups together. Our goal...improving health care in the region. |
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Photos
Well, today I was off with Bonnie and our driver to Cap Rouge. Cap Rouge is located just north of Jacmel and it took us about 90 minutes to get to the clinic which was almost at the end of the road.
The first picture you'll see is of the Clinique or Dispensaire in Cap Rouge. It is staffed by a local MD who you see me standing with. It is similar to the clinic in Labadie, for those of you that know it, and has attached living quarters for the doctor and nurse. They seemed quite interested in hearing more about the health network. They felt their greatest concerns were supplies and building size as well as cost of medications for the people.
We visited the local Government school as well. The principal recently received recognition for 30 years of service in the Haitian School system. From what we saw he seemed to run a pretty tight ship. The school was silent while in session. He said the children pay 100 gourdes per year for their education which is about $3 Cdn. He showed us the water collection system outside. It is basically rainwater collection from the roof. Bonnie will work with a partner she has in healthy water to treat the rainwater, ensuring it's safety for the children. She will also work with another contact I have in Port au Prince to provide regular de-worming medicine to the children.
After the return trip from Cap Rouge, we stopped at the Profamil Clinic in Jacmel. This clinic provides councilling service and treatment for STDs, family planning and prenatal care.
I returned to the FOTCOH clinic for the final hour of patient care.
It's been a busy day and exhaustion is starting to set in.
I've got to get some rest now for the Health Network Meeting tomorrow evening.
Tiffany
The first picture you'll see is of the Clinique or Dispensaire in Cap Rouge. It is staffed by a local MD who you see me standing with. It is similar to the clinic in Labadie, for those of you that know it, and has attached living quarters for the doctor and nurse. They seemed quite interested in hearing more about the health network. They felt their greatest concerns were supplies and building size as well as cost of medications for the people.
We visited the local Government school as well. The principal recently received recognition for 30 years of service in the Haitian School system. From what we saw he seemed to run a pretty tight ship. The school was silent while in session. He said the children pay 100 gourdes per year for their education which is about $3 Cdn. He showed us the water collection system outside. It is basically rainwater collection from the roof. Bonnie will work with a partner she has in healthy water to treat the rainwater, ensuring it's safety for the children. She will also work with another contact I have in Port au Prince to provide regular de-worming medicine to the children.
After the return trip from Cap Rouge, we stopped at the Profamil Clinic in Jacmel. This clinic provides councilling service and treatment for STDs, family planning and prenatal care.
I returned to the FOTCOH clinic for the final hour of patient care.
It's been a busy day and exhaustion is starting to set in.
I've got to get some rest now for the Health Network Meeting tomorrow evening.
Tiffany
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, Day 1 of clinic
Hello all, well day 1 has come and gone. Everything went quite smoothly. Well, I guess I can say that since I wasn't the organizer. I'm not sure of our head count but there were a lot of people through. I was working today with our Dr. Mona Alexis from Bod me Limbe. It was great to work with her in a non-pressured setting having a little more time to discuss patients and their management. We realized that although poverty is greater in the north, the south is in need of a greater network for health care. It is for just that reason that I am hosting a meeting of Health groups in the Jacmel area on Thursday evening. Our day finished up around 4:00, then a few of the team headed for a quick dip on the beach, while I sat and chatted with Dr. Mona. We've come up with lots of great ideas for Bod me Limbe, including expanding our Community Health Worker/Agence Sante program. This evening I've been kept busy with planning for Thursday evening while the team gets to know one another a little better. It is a little strange being here in the south, but setting up this health network is for the greater good of the region and I know the benefits of it will be great. Tiffany Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Haiti Village Health "Sustainable Health Care in Haiti" 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Arrival in Jacmel
Well we arrived in Jacmel around 2:30 today. The flight from Port au Prince was brief only 15 minutes. I must admit, though, it's got to be the shortest runway in the world.
We made it safely to the Friends of the Children of Haiti clinic in Cyvadier. After a brief site orientation, we discussed how the medical clinic would proceed tomorrow.
Then came the fun job of unpacking. Amy and I got the children's clothes. Lots of sorting to do but they will all be put to good use.
Tonight I was on the phone to my local Jacmel contacts arranging meetings for the upcoming week.
It looks like we've got lots to keep us busy!
Tiffany
We made it safely to the Friends of the Children of Haiti clinic in Cyvadier. After a brief site orientation, we discussed how the medical clinic would proceed tomorrow.
Then came the fun job of unpacking. Amy and I got the children's clothes. Lots of sorting to do but they will all be put to good use.
Tonight I was on the phone to my local Jacmel contacts arranging meetings for the upcoming week.
It looks like we've got lots to keep us busy!
Tiffany
Sunday, May 10, 2009
On our way to Haiti
Amy Buckley and I are on route to Jacmel, via Miami and Port au Prince. We are travelling with the Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH) team from Illinois.
Amy has travelled to Bod me Limbe with our Haiti Village Health team in May 2008.
Our Doctor Mona Alexis will be joining us in Jacmel tomorrow for 2 weeks experience with this large medical team.
Our clinic in the meantime will continue in the North under the care of Nurse Iranese while Doctor Mona is away.
FOTCOH has been operating their clinic for over 10 years in the Jacmel region of Haiti. We will be working with them part-time, as well as doing site assessments of smaller clinics and potential locations for a new school in the region.
The FOTCOH clinic is well equipped and internet capable so stay tuned for daily updates!!
Tiffany and Amy
Amy has travelled to Bod me Limbe with our Haiti Village Health team in May 2008.
Our Doctor Mona Alexis will be joining us in Jacmel tomorrow for 2 weeks experience with this large medical team.
Our clinic in the meantime will continue in the North under the care of Nurse Iranese while Doctor Mona is away.
FOTCOH has been operating their clinic for over 10 years in the Jacmel region of Haiti. We will be working with them part-time, as well as doing site assessments of smaller clinics and potential locations for a new school in the region.
The FOTCOH clinic is well equipped and internet capable so stay tuned for daily updates!!
Tiffany and Amy
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Our way to Cap Haitian
SUNDAY
We were off on the return journey to Port au Prince. It was a beautiful drive once again through the mountains. The difficult part of the journey was getting through PAP. There was a lot of traffic even for a Sunday.
Our tortugair flight was on time and then finally we were in Cap Haitian. We were greeted by Santo Pierre, our new medical director.
At the Roi Christophe I also met with members of the Konbite Sante Health Team. I've been working with Konbite over the past year on an Emergency Room Assessment of the Justinien Hospital.
MONDAY
Time spent in the morning at the Justinian with the Konbite Team. In the afternoon I met with Dr. Medard of International Child Care. ICC has a clinic nearby in the village of Bas Limbe. We met to discuss a possible collaboration of services.
TUESDAY
Off to Bod me Limbe with Dr. Mona, Nurse Aldine and Santo to re-open the doors of the clinic. It had been closed for a brief time over the Christmas season. Everything was in order at the clinic and the staff will be returning to work on Monday.
In the evening, I attended the meeting of the Cap Haitian Health Care Network with Santo. The network started last year and the goal is to encourage cooperation of medical groups working in the region. It was great to put faces to the names I had been writing to for so long by email.
WEDNESDAY
Today I visited the Shada Clinic...sponsored by SOIL and Sasha Kramer. Dr. Mona works there each Wednesday so I visited to help out with consultations in the morning. Shada is the poorest neighbourhood in Cap Haitian and in desperate need of medical care. I plan to continue our support of this clinic through medication distribution.
In the afternoon, I was off to the Justinian for a meeting with Konbite Sante and the ER staff to discuss plans for a potential new addition to the ER department.
THURSDAY
Off to the hospital again in the morning. Returned for a meeting with Dr. Mona, Dr. Eugene (who works with the Cap Health Network) and Carwyn Hill of Haiti Hospital Appeal. Carwyn recently moved to Cap with his wife. We discussed the clinic at Shada and ways that we could improve the services offered there.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY
This was a wrap up day with Konbite Sante as well as my medical staff before we headed back to Port au Prince on Sunday.
MONDAY
In Port au Prince I was able to meet with the new National Director of International Child Care, Dr. Rudolph Magloire to discuss collaboration of our clinics.
I was also fortunate to meet with Bella Lam, Director of Canadian Feed the Children and her National Director, Mr. Madsen Gauchette. Bella had recently visited BML but was in Haiti at this time to assess her other programs in the region.
Now, it's almost 2 weeks later since I've visited Haiti. Overall it was a very good trip. The experience I gained in Jacmel will allow us to plan for future mission work in that region. I am pleased to see that our clinic in Bod me Limbe runs well under our local staff. That has been our goal all along...and now it has been achieved. Thank you to all for their support.
We were off on the return journey to Port au Prince. It was a beautiful drive once again through the mountains. The difficult part of the journey was getting through PAP. There was a lot of traffic even for a Sunday.
Our tortugair flight was on time and then finally we were in Cap Haitian. We were greeted by Santo Pierre, our new medical director.
At the Roi Christophe I also met with members of the Konbite Sante Health Team. I've been working with Konbite over the past year on an Emergency Room Assessment of the Justinien Hospital.
MONDAY
Time spent in the morning at the Justinian with the Konbite Team. In the afternoon I met with Dr. Medard of International Child Care. ICC has a clinic nearby in the village of Bas Limbe. We met to discuss a possible collaboration of services.
TUESDAY
Off to Bod me Limbe with Dr. Mona, Nurse Aldine and Santo to re-open the doors of the clinic. It had been closed for a brief time over the Christmas season. Everything was in order at the clinic and the staff will be returning to work on Monday.
In the evening, I attended the meeting of the Cap Haitian Health Care Network with Santo. The network started last year and the goal is to encourage cooperation of medical groups working in the region. It was great to put faces to the names I had been writing to for so long by email.
WEDNESDAY
Today I visited the Shada Clinic...sponsored by SOIL and Sasha Kramer. Dr. Mona works there each Wednesday so I visited to help out with consultations in the morning. Shada is the poorest neighbourhood in Cap Haitian and in desperate need of medical care. I plan to continue our support of this clinic through medication distribution.
In the afternoon, I was off to the Justinian for a meeting with Konbite Sante and the ER staff to discuss plans for a potential new addition to the ER department.
THURSDAY
Off to the hospital again in the morning. Returned for a meeting with Dr. Mona, Dr. Eugene (who works with the Cap Health Network) and Carwyn Hill of Haiti Hospital Appeal. Carwyn recently moved to Cap with his wife. We discussed the clinic at Shada and ways that we could improve the services offered there.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY
This was a wrap up day with Konbite Sante as well as my medical staff before we headed back to Port au Prince on Sunday.
MONDAY
In Port au Prince I was able to meet with the new National Director of International Child Care, Dr. Rudolph Magloire to discuss collaboration of our clinics.
I was also fortunate to meet with Bella Lam, Director of Canadian Feed the Children and her National Director, Mr. Madsen Gauchette. Bella had recently visited BML but was in Haiti at this time to assess her other programs in the region.
Now, it's almost 2 weeks later since I've visited Haiti. Overall it was a very good trip. The experience I gained in Jacmel will allow us to plan for future mission work in that region. I am pleased to see that our clinic in Bod me Limbe runs well under our local staff. That has been our goal all along...and now it has been achieved. Thank you to all for their support.
The rest of the journey
Well, the internet wasn't working well at the hotel in Cap so this message is post-dated but here it is.
SATURDAY
Back to the FOTCOH clinic for a half day of consultations. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to visit the orphanage of Marlaine Alix, www.faithandloveinaction.com She has two separate homes, one for boys and one for girls. The orphanages suffered damage from the hurricanes of the fall and repairs were underway.
I had an interesting tour of the Medical Clinic of Dr. Neilson as well as a tour of the Hospital St. Michel in the afternoon. The medical staff that I met were all very welcoming. I plan to work on helping them get much needed medical supplies for the hospital through a few large US donors.
SATURDAY
Back to the FOTCOH clinic for a half day of consultations. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to visit the orphanage of Marlaine Alix, www.faithandloveinaction.com She has two separate homes, one for boys and one for girls. The orphanages suffered damage from the hurricanes of the fall and repairs were underway.
I had an interesting tour of the Medical Clinic of Dr. Neilson as well as a tour of the Hospital St. Michel in the afternoon. The medical staff that I met were all very welcoming. I plan to work on helping them get much needed medical supplies for the hospital through a few large US donors.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Haiti trip - Jacmel
My husband Steve and I arrived safely in Haiti on Tuesday. We were greeted by our good friend, Jo Barbosa and Mikey, our new friend and driver from Jacmel. We started on our three hour drive to Jacmel. The view from the mountains was beautiful though the switchbacks through the countryside were a little bit terrifying. We are staying at the guest home of Bonnie MacAusland, who has an outreach mission in Haiti under the auspices of ORA International. Ellen Stewart, from Miramichi greeted us along with the Haiti housestaff. It's a beautiful yellow home on the Western Edge of Jacmel. Our first day we visited the Haiti Children's Home, run by Danny Pye. Danny and his wife Leanne are amazing. They have a home that supports 22 Haitian children plus one of their own. He's been living in Haiti for the past 5 years with his "family". We stayed for dinner with the entire "family". It was a lot of fun. We also met Rosemary and Miles Blair from Fredericton who support a school in the Jacmel area. WEDNESDAY This morning we worked at the "Friends of the Children of Haiti" clinic in Cyvadier. Just 15 minutes east of Jacmel. FOTCOH was started by Dick Hammand and has been operating in Haiti for the past 20 years. They have a wonderful medical clinic setup and visiting teams of medical professionals from the US every 2 months. Jo worked with me doing translation and we worked alongside the US staff. Steve worked with the support staff of the clinic, learning how the logistics worked. I have the feeling we'll be working with FOTCOH again very soon. After a day of 46 patients we had dinner at Bonnie's home with Ellen and friends. Then we were off to meet Bob Davisson of Life Line Haiti. Bob is from Alberta and we had been communicating for the past several months about a joint project in Jacmel. We learned more about his projects and 14 schools that he has built in the last 3 years. An amazing accomplishment in so little time. THURSDAY We were off at 5:30 am to tour the small mountain village of Savenette with Bob. 5:30...yes, we wanted to start the hike before the afternoon sun set in. It was about an hour's drive to the village of De Perido and then 15 minutes off the highway, through the devastation of the hurricanes of the summer. Then, it was a 60 minute hike up the mountain. For those that have travelled to Prunnette, it's almost twice the distance and a much steeper climb. We were greeted with the singing of the school kids. It was great. The school in Savenette is an open-concept school with only tarps on the sides but they have a feeding program and honestly, I don't think the children could be happier. Bob has an excellent program there. All his school teachers are of high quality with Teacher's College Certification. After the visit it was time for a shower and clean up before we toured Jacmel. It is a much smaller city than Cap Haitian and much cleaner. The mayor has received several grants and used the funding to keep the city clean. Though, apparently the joke in Jacmel is that the city stays cleans because the Hurricaines wash the garbage away at least once a year. That evening we stopped for a take - away dinner of Fried Plantains, Fried Goat, Accre and Marinade. This was just before our surprise birthday party for Jo Barbosa. Jo's has been our good friend since I started working in Haiti and we were delighted to be able to spend his 29th birthday with him. FRIDAY We were off to another of Bob's schools today in Chabin. This is just 15 minutes west of Jacmel, and the original school that Miles and Rosemary had started. He's got a lovely school for kids from K-7 and the upper level has almost been completed for the high school. Bob hopes to develop the area in the future with a technical college and medical clinic. We were joined by Sara Wallace of Olive Tree Projects. Sara is a midwife from Alberta and moved to Haiti in 2008 to start education projects for midwives and an orphanage. We've linked her with the FOTCOH group and she will be assisting them in the future as well. On our return we visiting the medical clinic of Dr. Philippe who is affilitated with the Baptiste Mission in Cayes-Jacmel. He runs a small clinic in the center of Jacmel and performs surgeries at the Mission hospital. We also met with the nurse at the Government Medical Clinic in Cyvadier. She operates this clinic solo but services a large area with vaccinations, family planning and prenatal care. They are presently doing expansion and hope to have a Haitian physician again during their social service year. I guess that's it for the moment. I'd like to send photos and should be able to when we get to Cap Haitian. It has been a great learning experience to date. Keep posted on our blog for updates. Tiffany |
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 21st THE WAY HOME
Our Mission Completed. We saw over 800 people, distributed 120 packs of prenatal vitamins and treated over 1300 people with anit-worm medications.
We left Cormier Plage after a well deserved rest for our final trip in Haitian transportation. By far, this was the bumpiest ride I'd ever had in Haiti. I must remind volunteers that anyone with a bad back would not be able to tolerate the Haitian roads - especially after the rains.
We got to Lynx early as always, but the plane was delayed so we had an extra 90 minutes to waste away at the airport. Lucky for me I was able to meet a contact I'd been communicating with for a while. Dr. Pat Wolff from St. Louis and Medika Mamba Queen(the nutritionally peanut butter meal replacement) was at the airport seeing off one of her workers. We had used this nutrition substitute for severely malnourished children in July and August in Bod me Limbe with great success. Dr. Wolff recently was awarded a grant and now supplies this supplement to malnourished children through a day program at the Justinian. It was a great time for us to network.
Eventually our flight got off the ground, including our nurse Katrina. There was a brief moment of anxiety regarding her entry requirements into the US, as the Lynx ticketing agents had removed an important card from her passport in Fort Lauderdale. The pilot took care of things, though it did take a special phone call to customs in Florida. I'll remember that one for next time.
So, just 2 1/2 hours later and we arrived in Fort Lauderdale. Impossible it seems, that another world could exist just at Haiti's doorstep. If only we could communicate to them, our families and friends and all those around us the dire needs of the Haitian.
For the team, it truly was a learning experience and eye-opener. I know that some will return but that none will forget the experience they've had in their 2 week exposure to another corner of our huge big planet.
We left Cormier Plage after a well deserved rest for our final trip in Haitian transportation. By far, this was the bumpiest ride I'd ever had in Haiti. I must remind volunteers that anyone with a bad back would not be able to tolerate the Haitian roads - especially after the rains.
We got to Lynx early as always, but the plane was delayed so we had an extra 90 minutes to waste away at the airport. Lucky for me I was able to meet a contact I'd been communicating with for a while. Dr. Pat Wolff from St. Louis and Medika Mamba Queen(the nutritionally peanut butter meal replacement) was at the airport seeing off one of her workers. We had used this nutrition substitute for severely malnourished children in July and August in Bod me Limbe with great success. Dr. Wolff recently was awarded a grant and now supplies this supplement to malnourished children through a day program at the Justinian. It was a great time for us to network.
Eventually our flight got off the ground, including our nurse Katrina. There was a brief moment of anxiety regarding her entry requirements into the US, as the Lynx ticketing agents had removed an important card from her passport in Fort Lauderdale. The pilot took care of things, though it did take a special phone call to customs in Florida. I'll remember that one for next time.
So, just 2 1/2 hours later and we arrived in Fort Lauderdale. Impossible it seems, that another world could exist just at Haiti's doorstep. If only we could communicate to them, our families and friends and all those around us the dire needs of the Haitian.
For the team, it truly was a learning experience and eye-opener. I know that some will return but that none will forget the experience they've had in their 2 week exposure to another corner of our huge big planet.
Thursday, November 20th
The rain continued intermittently through the night, but we slept very well, and in luxury, in comparison with all but a few of Haiti's people. And with full stomachs we set off at 7:30 am in a dilapidated tap-tap truck, and then a tap-tap boat, for Labadie to work our final pediatric blitz. Katrina laughed uncontrollably the entire road journey, while hanging on for dear life in the bed of this pick-up, as if it were a roller coaster ride. She indirectly admitted later to laughing because of shear terror.
We set up within the walls of the Hearts Together for Haiti compound; a walled area enclosing a tropical garden, a small and beautiful stone house, and a large "gazebo", a roof-covered patio. The triage process, physician assessments, and laboratory works took place in the gazebo. As in previous clinics, all children were given Albendazole, to combat parasitic infections, and vitamins, to combat the realities that accompany hunger. The pharmacy was set up on the porch of the house and a stone walkway naturally led patients from one metal gate, where Jo admitted them, to the gazebo, and finally to the pharmacy, for prescribed medications, before exiting through the only other gate in the wall. It was somewhat of an idyllic work environment, even with the threatening skies and occasional downpour. The children had similar illnesses to those in the Bod me Limbe area - pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea (with many reports of seeing worms) and skin infections. But overall, the general level of health was much higher in Labadie than seen in our previous clinics, most likely due to a much higher standard of living in this community.
Hearts Together for Haiti has been fostering these people for more than 10 years, and part of their effort includes a full time medical clinic staffed by Cuban doctors, one of whom worked with us today, along with a rather stern Cuban nurse.
A relatively short work day, we said our sad good-byes to the translators around 4 pm, on the dock of the Labadie shore, promising to e-mail and return as soon as possible.
We boarded our boat back toward Cormier Plage with many of us feeling the heaviness of our regrets and the cruel injustice of not being able to do more for our worthy working companions, almost all of whom had not experienced the dignity of a single day's work since our last mission in May. Six months.
Our final evening in Haiti was spent reminiscing about the week's events, listening to Jo's legitimate laments about the realities of the difficult life he has chosen in serving Haiti's people, and discussing future plans to return. How privileged we are to be on the giving end.
Karen.
We set up within the walls of the Hearts Together for Haiti compound; a walled area enclosing a tropical garden, a small and beautiful stone house, and a large "gazebo", a roof-covered patio. The triage process, physician assessments, and laboratory works took place in the gazebo. As in previous clinics, all children were given Albendazole, to combat parasitic infections, and vitamins, to combat the realities that accompany hunger. The pharmacy was set up on the porch of the house and a stone walkway naturally led patients from one metal gate, where Jo admitted them, to the gazebo, and finally to the pharmacy, for prescribed medications, before exiting through the only other gate in the wall. It was somewhat of an idyllic work environment, even with the threatening skies and occasional downpour. The children had similar illnesses to those in the Bod me Limbe area - pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea (with many reports of seeing worms) and skin infections. But overall, the general level of health was much higher in Labadie than seen in our previous clinics, most likely due to a much higher standard of living in this community.
Hearts Together for Haiti has been fostering these people for more than 10 years, and part of their effort includes a full time medical clinic staffed by Cuban doctors, one of whom worked with us today, along with a rather stern Cuban nurse.
A relatively short work day, we said our sad good-byes to the translators around 4 pm, on the dock of the Labadie shore, promising to e-mail and return as soon as possible.
We boarded our boat back toward Cormier Plage with many of us feeling the heaviness of our regrets and the cruel injustice of not being able to do more for our worthy working companions, almost all of whom had not experienced the dignity of a single day's work since our last mission in May. Six months.
Our final evening in Haiti was spent reminiscing about the week's events, listening to Jo's legitimate laments about the realities of the difficult life he has chosen in serving Haiti's people, and discussing future plans to return. How privileged we are to be on the giving end.
Karen.
Wednesday, November 19th
Well through the night we all heard the rain....and some of us felt it too. For me it was a fine misting through my mosquito. For Jill in the large room it was a puddle of water on her bed that had been blown in through the eaves of the house. Either way, as I sat there listening to the rain, I knew we wouldn't be leaving Bod me Limbe by boat.
This is actually the first time we have been unable to cross the bay to Labadie by boat. Our back up plan, contact our new found friend with the 1 ton truck and hope that he can make it through the high waters of the mangrove swamp to the village.
For Nurse Karen it meant more time in the pharmacy, and it allowed me time to work on a new contract with our Haitian MD Mona. Luckily, the truck driver was able to make it through and the skies opened up to allow us a dry drive to Labadie.
The route was long though. Part way to Cap Haitien the rains began and we had to pull a blue tarp over the truck to keep us dry. It did just that, keep us dry, but I think the crew sitting at the front began to suffer some effects of the carbon monoxide that was venting up through the tarp.
After almost a 2 hour drive to Cap Haitien, we were ready to head to Cormier Plage where we would spend the night. Another 30 minutes and we had arrived. Cormier Plage is a beautiful Haitian "resort" with warm water and full electricity. It was a little luxury the team deserved after their 10 days of hard work in Bod me Limbe.
The weather was still wet and overcast so it was not a beach day, but at least time to reflect on the week, and prepare for our last day of children's visits in Labadie.
Tuesday, November 18th
A little back dated post but here it is. Tuesday was another of our Pediatric Blitz today. We saw all children from the village of Guioton in the morning with add ons. There was a lumps and bumps clinic by Dr. Jan in the afternoon as well as rechecks from earlier in the week.
Jill had been scheduled to have a toothbrushing education session for the school kids but this was cancelled as the kids were off on a holiday. I guess that will have to wait until February.
Our afternoon ran a little late after all the patients were gone. All supplies needed to be put away and accounted for. Then there was the pharmacy where our faithful Miss Karen spends endless hours keeping track of all the meds to ensure that we have an adequate stock.
I spent the afternoon with Dr. Mona and Nurse Aldine reviewing medications, stocking their mini-pharmacy and discussing patient issues. It's so much easier leaving the clinic, knowing that the patients will have access to full time medical services.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Friday update
| Just wanted to let you know that we finished up our last clinic in Labadie this afternoon and all is well. We are off to Fort Lauderdale in the morning and will post more updates then. Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday with Josh Tracey
If is Monday then it must be me and this must be Haiti.
Well woke up this morning to a General Clinic Day and I can safely say that we had a line around the block long before I had the opportunity to pop out to the local Starbucks for a triple espresso. In fact there was a line around the block before I even got out of bed.
166 patients by days end. A trip record. High on the icky factor we drained a number of abcesses and ganglion cysts. Good thing I did not sleep through that lecture day. Say a number of sickle cell anemia cases which is not uncommon among the population and treated a man who we believe to have been misdiagnosed with philoriasis. We worked him over and assessed a hernia. Unfortunately he does not have the money to travel to the hospital for surgical consult and hernias are not one of the condition that we provide funds for. We did provide h im with medication and some support and wished him well and recommended regular rechecks with our Haitian staff. We also saw a couple who were trying to concieve for the last 4 years and our assessment was that it probably was for mostly treatable causes. We treated what we could and offered counselling and sent them off with best wishes. Only time will tell.
I am told that I was tasked with the new guy job, the Sex Ed class. I have done these in Canada and was very suprised with the level of maturity, interest and practical knowledge. The teens asked very directed and seriosu questions about HIV and AIDS and were extremely interested in hearing what we had to say and thankful for us having offered the class. Still a few jokes were levied here and there, or at least that is what the translator told me. In fact I think I may have learned a thing or two but nothing suitable for record here.
Tonight we are doing a Haitian version of the Dragon's Den. HVH is trying to prototype a microcredit opportunity here in the village. Offering small loans to people who have ideas for businesses that can help improve their lot. We are using a model based on research from other groups in Haiti and from the great Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.
I can say that I am having a great time and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for a med student. I would highly recommend it to anyone. I feel that we are living in a luxury which sometimes give me pause. Then I listen to the old timers tell me that the first trips involved sleeping on a mat on the floors of the school, showering from a bucket and treating water every morning to drink. Oh yeah and the treating patients by headlamp and candlelight. they never tire of re-telling that one.
Wishing everyone the best at home. See you soon. Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
Sunday with Jill Alison
| Finally after the hectic and rewarding week the day of rest for both us and the Haitians who certainly could use it more than us. The group broke up as some took time to enjoy the down morning, Katrina and Jan braved the often day long services at the Baptist Church just to hear the singing (they did not last the day). Carolyn, Karen and myself went off to visit the seniors who they or their families sponsor in their homes which is always a great visit for all. In the afternoon everyone reassembled for row to Ile Caramel and Sante Pou Yo tradition. From the beach, a lot like Lost, everyone went snorkeling, swimming, hiking or lazing under a palm tree. Those of us that went hiking got the full on Indiana Jones experience as we got turned around coming back from a scramble to the top of the island. Arriving at a small cliff area and seeing the beach we decided that discretion was not the better part of valour and that returning at all costs with the Crystal Skull was so we scrambled down to the beach. Safely I am pleased to say with no major spider, evil villian or 20 minute chase scenes. All true except for the Crystal Skull part unless you count a water bottle. Jo surprised us on our return with an evening of Kompa (the local Haitian version of Soca, Raggae and Calypso all rolled into one. He had hired a DJ from the next big town and everyone got lessons in how to really dance. But of course by 10:30 we were all exhausted and knew that with a General Clinic day approaching the crowds would start to form before 6:30. See you all soon. Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Satuday with Chuck
| Ah Saturday. A day of going to the beach, playing sports or a lazy morning reading the paper with your relaxing Tim Hortons 2x2. Not so much for us this Saturday. Today is Seniors Day which does not mean that they get 15% off all purchases but rather they get to see the doctor. We treated 106 patients today. Most are surprisingly healthy for their age and circumstance which is something that the returning members of the team say is common. It sort of says if you can make it through to this age you are tough enough to keep going. We had one lady who arrived suffering from pneumonia, dehydration and weakness. She was admitted for the day and given IV fluids and a bed in which to rest and started on a course of antibiotics. By closing she was able to walk out under her own power and we wish her the best encouraging her to come back to see our Haitian Doctor in a week. Saturday was also our Head Translator Alex's birthday. Wishes went out I am sure from all of his absent friends. Jo made one of his unique cake creations with whatever was available. I am told that in the past it has been everything from Raisin Bran to Cassava clearly indicating that with enough cocoa and sugar you can make the world a happy place. Two other members of our team Josh and Kyle worked themselves into a soccer game with the locals and were promptly showed up but had a great time and I think the boys took it easy on them. We were visited by a fellow from Montreal, Pierre Minh, who most of the team knows from past visits. He is a PHd student who has spent some time in Haiti learning about medical aid groups, how they work and how effective they are. Nice guy and certainly knows the language and the people well. The evening was reserved for a meal of goat (one less morning alarm clock) rice and potato salad (while the local ladies we have hired make most of the meal Jo does the more North American comfort food dishes). After dinner we all went out to the traditional Voudou night with a bright fire, drumming, singing, dancing and celebration of the spirits. See you all when I get back Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday with Katrina Hicks
G'day! Wow what can I say yes I did get peed on on my first day in Haiti with the kids. You quickly forget or do noot realize that they do not wear diapers down here. Certainly catches you with your pants down but hopefully not your mouth open!
Today we did a morning clinic and say opwards of 40 kids and adults by lunch. Ahhh lunch some of the simplest things, a bagette from the only French bakery in the north of the country, the Croissant D'or. Jo only keeps a 2 day supply so it is savoured. Melt in your mouth.
After lunch we broke into two groups with teams going to Bouchi, Mongoio and those drawing the short straw all the way to Giotan and hour and a half walk up the beach and a river crossing. We distributed in total 482 albendazole tablets and prenatal vitamins. Those that came from that far are a little dragging this evening. Everyone, especially those on their first trip were very much affected by the village visits and were so moved by how welcoming the villagers were. Inviting us into their homes and sharing what they had. Smiles and hellos all around. Compared to the villages being at Jo's is like staying on Main Street in a major town especially tonight wince we have set up village video night. On the special Sante Pou Yo movie sheet outside of Jo's we are showing Spiderman I and the kids and adults alike are spellbound. You can hear a pin drop. Especially now that the chickens and roosters have gone to bed and given that we had rooster for dinner we may get to sleep in. When is goat night?
Must go back to teaching the Canadians how to play cribbage. Katrina
Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
Thursday with Carolyn Lemay
| Ah yes that soft hum of village activity that eases you into every morning in the village. That is of course until the goats start bleating at the top of their little goaty lungs and the roosters that will inevitably soon see the inside of a pot start crowing at what, the moon since the sun can't possibly be up yet. Who would have thought that the sweeping of dirt would be so loud. All of is a welcoming cacophony that says you are certainly not home anymore. Today we headed out to the clinic in Bas Limbe to meet with the doctors there and to work with them to expand our presence in the region and to reach out to the others. We saw over 120 children doing triage and pharmacy from a small church in the community. We treated a child for TB which is something which can cause great difficulty down here and will require followup for some time. I would think one of the most interesting things I have seen on this my, Wow, third visit is the young child who came in with an extra finger on each hand. While non-functional it looked just like an extra finger and who is to say that is not a bad thing ( a line stolen from Mr. Burns of the Simpsons). We offered the mother and child to opportunity to return to the clinic on Saturday where we could remove the extra appendages safely. We shall see if the come. In Bas Limbe we met up with the delayed member of our team Kyle Phipps who never having been out of North America before has been baptized with a trip on Air Lynx himself and the entry into the Cap airport the ride by cab, school bus and then motor bike to catch up with us. I will leave the telling of this harrowing tale to him during his entry. I do understand that he did forget and brush his teeth with tap water this morning. We will see how that works out for him in a couple of days. Some of the team chose to walk the hour back to BML while the rest of us went ahead in the truck to get started on the charts and do some village visiting. Jo as always never fails to impress with Italian for dinner and a lesson of Creole with our translator Jean and cards into the night while Tiffany met with the Sante Pou Yo village committee. Tomorrow is another day. Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Wednesday With Mary Anne
| Hello from Bod Me Limbe! It is my first time back since the first visit in February of 2006. Wow what change. Well accept for one thing like the warm welcome offered by the local welcoming committee courtesy of bed bugs. No matter how many precautions you take from bug spray to plastic covers to silk sleeping sacks someone always gets it. This time it is me. We did our first Peds Blitz day and saw over 110 children from the village. I am amazed by the change in their health from my first visit. Malnutrition is down, skin infections once a given are now few and far between. This is all due to the combination a available medicines and public health education. It really works. We did see a few interesting things including one child with malaria and another to whom we provided money from our fund to send her to the clinic in Milot for a heart investigation. We provided the child with nutritional supplements and some support to the mother to deal with the underlying malnutrition. We had a surprise and welcome visit from the UN today. An Eqyptian and Nepalese Police Officer along with their Haitian counterpart were on regular patrol and heard that we were in the area and decided to drop in an say hello. It is always heartening to know that there is someone out there should something unexpected occur. It was great to see that the Guest House was completed. No more tents for me. I can not say enough about the benefit of a cold shower at the end of long day followed by a soft bed. One of our new recruits, Katrina Hicks from Australia via Bermuda was "christened" today with the first pee shower from a child during the Peds day. Always a crowd pleaser to everyone but the one receiving the gift. We also had one afterhours emergency visit from a child with a head wound which was closed up nicely with some of the wonderful DermaBond like duct tape is there anything it can't do Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Thursday, November 13, 2008
Peds Day 1
Hi folks we did our first peds blitz day yesterday and I am extremely pleased to report that it is clear that children are healthier since the last peds day almost a year ago. This is great news! We did over 100 kids before lunch so I can say that recruits both new and old are quickly into the swing of things. One interesting story for the day. The teachers at the school brought to us a young boy with fever and aches and pains. We did some lab work and discovered that he had malaria. We medicated him and left him to rest in one of our clinic rooms. By the end of the day he was looking better but he has a recovery ahead of him Until next time Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Day Two
| Today was the first clinic day and it was one of re-checks. I am pleased that we had only 75 patients for the day which indicates positive results from having our Doctor and Nurse, Mona and Iranese in place. The team finished up with patients and organization by noon and took the unexpected opportunity to visit Isle Caramel for some swimming and Creole lessons with the translators. Tomorrow is our first Pediatric Blitz. It will be a hectic one. Tiffany Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Back in BML
| Hi folks just to let everyone know we have all (sort of) arrived back in Bod Me Limbe. I say sort of since Kyle Phipps did not make the connection due to Air Canada mechanical problems and ended up back in Halifax. He will be joining us on Thursday. I bet he did not plan on making his first trip to Cap Haitien on his own. don't worry we have one of our trusted local workers picking him up. If you are reading Kyle enjoy the Tap Tap! The Guest House is now officially completed and it is beautiful. To all of you who stayed in school rooms and tents thank you for your patience. To all those who may not have come because we were living rough this place is now luxurious! Relative term of course but everyone gets a bed, there is running water, flush toilets and all the electricity the sun can produce. Oh yeah and the official opening of Jo's Crappy Bar was last night. For those of you that know you know what we are talking about. Sentile has a new calling. Well the pills got sorted the rooms rigged up and today was our first clinic day. All went well and we are very pleased to be back. Blog to you soon Tiffany Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP Ora International Director: Haiti Village Health 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda Bermuda. 441-599-9913 Canada. 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
Monday, September 29, 2008
A Successful Trip
Well I've made it back again safely to Bermuda. The trip overall was very busy but I was able to get a lot accomplished. On Tuesday I worked with Iranese at the clinic and finished the organization of supplies. She is doing well and enjoys her work at the clinic, however, she just announced that she is expecting but luckily has another RN to take her place for three months.
I was able to meet with the members of the Baptist Church sewing committee. The group is a little slow getting things off the ground. They have made arrangements for a teacher to come to the village. Now, the logistics of payment for the teacher/gasoline and supplies need to be fine tuned. It is difficult at the moment for people to find money for any type of schooling when the cost of food has increased greatly.
I also met with our Sante Pou Yo village committe. We discussed the upcoming project of Gift of Water, and they will search out an individual to be in charge of the program in the village. We discussed the mosquito nets, and the villagers are anxious for their arrival.
On Wednesday, Jo and I left Bod me Limbe for Cap Haitien where we met with Sharon Gaskill of the Starthrower Foundation. Sharon supports children and teens from Cap Haitien in school. She has a wonderful organization and has seen the joys of her hard work in many of her students attending post-secondary education.
I was also pleased to see Sister Rosemary, of Rayjon ShareCare, Cap Haitien Community Project. Our team first met Sister Rosemary at her day program and feeding center in Cap in February 2006. She recently returned from Canada and is working at the Missionaries of the Poor in Cap Haitien.
After a pleasant lunch with Sister Rosemary, Sharon and Jo I headed to the airport for my return flight to Port au Prince.
I met with friends there and discussed the present situation in Haiti. The whole country feels for those that have lost their families and homes, in the north, central and southern regions. There is actually a fundraiser planned in Cap to send support to those in most dire need in the area of Gonaives.
The situation looks bleak at the moment. With soaring food prices and the loss of Haitien crops, I believe it will get much worse before things start to improve. Food aid is coming to the country. Let us all hope that it gets to those most in need.
In our area, we will continue to push forward one day at a time. Helping as many patients as we can that present to our clinic. The children are anxious to return to school in October. It is the children....and their health and education....that will give this country hope for the future. They are the future of Haiti!
Our next group Medical Mission is planned for November 9th-20th. I will continue to send updates at that time.
I was able to meet with the members of the Baptist Church sewing committee. The group is a little slow getting things off the ground. They have made arrangements for a teacher to come to the village. Now, the logistics of payment for the teacher/gasoline and supplies need to be fine tuned. It is difficult at the moment for people to find money for any type of schooling when the cost of food has increased greatly.
I also met with our Sante Pou Yo village committe. We discussed the upcoming project of Gift of Water, and they will search out an individual to be in charge of the program in the village. We discussed the mosquito nets, and the villagers are anxious for their arrival.
On Wednesday, Jo and I left Bod me Limbe for Cap Haitien where we met with Sharon Gaskill of the Starthrower Foundation. Sharon supports children and teens from Cap Haitien in school. She has a wonderful organization and has seen the joys of her hard work in many of her students attending post-secondary education.
I was also pleased to see Sister Rosemary, of Rayjon ShareCare, Cap Haitien Community Project. Our team first met Sister Rosemary at her day program and feeding center in Cap in February 2006. She recently returned from Canada and is working at the Missionaries of the Poor in Cap Haitien.
After a pleasant lunch with Sister Rosemary, Sharon and Jo I headed to the airport for my return flight to Port au Prince.
I met with friends there and discussed the present situation in Haiti. The whole country feels for those that have lost their families and homes, in the north, central and southern regions. There is actually a fundraiser planned in Cap to send support to those in most dire need in the area of Gonaives.
The situation looks bleak at the moment. With soaring food prices and the loss of Haitien crops, I believe it will get much worse before things start to improve. Food aid is coming to the country. Let us all hope that it gets to those most in need.
In our area, we will continue to push forward one day at a time. Helping as many patients as we can that present to our clinic. The children are anxious to return to school in October. It is the children....and their health and education....that will give this country hope for the future. They are the future of Haiti!
Our next group Medical Mission is planned for November 9th-20th. I will continue to send updates at that time.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Day 2 in BML
Well last night we had the dinner with the village. Everyone got rice and beans and some pork. I ran the sauce station. We distributed 2 barrels of Juice! Everyone had a great time with dancing and music. Worked today with Iranese and Mona once again and they are doing a great job. Till next time Did I mention it is really hot! Tiffany Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda cell. (Bermuda). 441-599-9913 cell. (Canada). 506-210-2477 vonage. (Canada). 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Day In BML
Got up in the heat this morning and started out with an inventory and audit of the clinic. Pleased to report all is well and Jo has sorted all of the donations and meds from the barrels we sent down this spring. In fact he has already made use of several as rain barrels. Did I say it was HOT! Oh I should mention the villagers helping me capture and eliminate several of the largest cockroaches I have ever seen from the clinic. The boys are setting up now for the dinner this evening and everyone is looking forward to it. I will post some photos when I get home. Till next time Tiffany Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda cell. (Bermuda). 441-599-9913 cell. (Canada). 506-210-2477 vonage. (Canada). 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Haiti Update
I arrived into Port au Prince on Thursday and was picked up by our good friend and angle Etienne Bruny. I spent the night with him and the 55 children to whom he is father, mother and protector at the orphanage. I am very pleased to say that the orphanage is in good shape and the children well. Great thanks from Etienne and the children to all those of you who help out. He also have 6 babies at this timw between 9 months and 2 years as well as 250 children who come to the day school. Before all went to bed all the children gathered around and sang bedtime songs and one child starts the bedtime prayer and all others join in. A very touching moment for me. On Friday I hopped a plane to Cap and was met by our friend from Montreal Pierre Minn who guided me around to my meeting with Dr. Calil of the Justinian Hospital ER. These are the Konbite Sante folks from Maine with whom I am working to reestablish emergency service in Cap. I met Jo the next day and we spent most of the morning in the markets gathering the food and provisions for the grand opening of the clinic. In reality it is an opportunity, at least for 1 day to feed the people of BML who are in dire straights of late just like the rest of Haiti with skyrocketing food prices and Hurricanes. For instance a bag of rice is now over $60 and a gallon of gasoline is $10. The usually crowded roads of Cap are erily quiet. I went to Labadie with Jo for the night and we invited the new Cuban Doctor, Lianne over for dinner at the HTFH House along with the nurse. She informs me that the vitamin distribution went very well and was well received and we agreed to do a peds blitz at the end of the next trip in November. Arrived to a very hot BML with Jo. The Guest house is nearing completion and Jo has painted murals in the kindegarten classrooms at the school. Iranise is doing well and I will be spending a couple of day with her this week. More updates to come Tiffany Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP 7 Marley Beach Drive Warwick WK08 Bermuda cell. (Bermuda). 441-599-9913 cell. (Canada). 506-210-2477 vonage. (Canada). 506-474-2429 skype. tiffany.keenan.1971 |
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Thursday, September 18, 2008
On my way
Just preparing to leave Miami for Port au Prince. It will be an interesting week. The main goal of this trip is to followup to the clinic opening in July. As well, I will be meeting with the director of the Emergency Department of the Justinian Hospital to followup on my work with Konbite Sante.
This evening I will be staying at the orphanage Espere D'enfant, with Etienne Bruny. It has been almost 2 years since I have seen Etienne and the children. It will be interesting to see how they have grown, and the building as well, with it's second story.
I will be travelling to Cap Haitien tomorrow then off to Labadie and Bod me Limbe on Saturday. I'll send updates from Jo's Blackberry when I can.
Tiffany
This evening I will be staying at the orphanage Espere D'enfant, with Etienne Bruny. It has been almost 2 years since I have seen Etienne and the children. It will be interesting to see how they have grown, and the building as well, with it's second story.
I will be travelling to Cap Haitien tomorrow then off to Labadie and Bod me Limbe on Saturday. I'll send updates from Jo's Blackberry when I can.
Tiffany
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Update
Just wanted to give an update to our blog followers.
The clinic officially opened on July 10th. We have a full time nurse, Miss Iranese and part time physician, Dr. Mona Alexis working for us.
The Medika Mamba or peanut butter program is continuing as is our family planning program.
Miss Iranese will continue the vitamin distribution program in the village as well.
I will be travelling to Haiti in Mid-September to ensure that things are running smoothly before the team arrives in Mid-November. Jo's guest house will be completed shortly giving everyone lovely accommodations for the next trip.
The clinic officially opened on July 10th. We have a full time nurse, Miss Iranese and part time physician, Dr. Mona Alexis working for us.
The Medika Mamba or peanut butter program is continuing as is our family planning program.
Miss Iranese will continue the vitamin distribution program in the village as well.
I will be travelling to Haiti in Mid-September to ensure that things are running smoothly before the team arrives in Mid-November. Jo's guest house will be completed shortly giving everyone lovely accommodations for the next trip.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Second week
Sorry for the delay in posting again but it has been extremely busy. In the last few days we have done a series of minor surguries courtesy of carl vitamin visits to bouchi guiotan and bml conducted a baby blitz started the manba (a locally made nutritional supplement) program for malnourished children courtesy of yoella and had a record day of 250 patients.
We set up a data projector that pat brought and he and mat showed photos of previous vists and the real highlight shrek. Now we will make movie night a real occurance. Last night we did the village choir concert and at the request of everyone showed the photos again. James did a excellent turn as a broadway director and his production of how to not get diareaha was better than cats
Maybe most importantly mariana barboasa was christened yesterday with rola amy and myself standing as godparents. We were so proud and extremely sweaty. 200 people in a concrete box generates a lot of heat on a 30 degree day
Well off to work it is a bouchi baby blitz day and we are expecting 120 people. There is already a line and it is 6 am
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
We set up a data projector that pat brought and he and mat showed photos of previous vists and the real highlight shrek. Now we will make movie night a real occurance. Last night we did the village choir concert and at the request of everyone showed the photos again. James did a excellent turn as a broadway director and his production of how to not get diareaha was better than cats
Maybe most importantly mariana barboasa was christened yesterday with rola amy and myself standing as godparents. We were so proud and extremely sweaty. 200 people in a concrete box generates a lot of heat on a 30 degree day
Well off to work it is a bouchi baby blitz day and we are expecting 120 people. There is already a line and it is 6 am
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Beware the blitz
Hello out there in the blogosphere! Another morning begins in haiti. I am sitting on the landing of kay jo which we have dubbed the hotel like second floor of the new guest house. I am pleased to report that we now have electricity two showers, three if you count the al fresco one which seems to be the hands down favourite, running water, flush toilets and now actual beds! Kudos to those who are still sleeping at the school until the other half of the kay is complete
Again all are well and none the worse for the week of baby blitzes and vita mornings in the various villages. Pat contines with the assistance of lab leon and his protege chris to formally test the waters so to speak. The results are nasty lending support to our quest to find the proper means to improve water quality here
Funny moment of the week was magda slipping in the mud at bouchi and the being hosed down by the village women in the limbe river. Not sure if that actually made her cleaner
Oh leon and chris during down time of course tested jo moonshine for potentcy and found it to be 100 proof which might explain the spirits that walked on the night of the voodoo dancing once again complete with firewalking
Pat chris and jame continue to work on the brulle or burner where we will destroy our trash. All is well after the initial challenges such as missing tools a wheelbarrow with a flat tire and a pump with a broken valve. All hopes are to have it complete by weeks end
Carl has been doing procedures and trying to train our haitian nurse which brings to mind the phrase paitients of job
Must go now as it is 530 am and the crowd is already growing
Mesi anpil pou ou ecoute
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Again all are well and none the worse for the week of baby blitzes and vita mornings in the various villages. Pat contines with the assistance of lab leon and his protege chris to formally test the waters so to speak. The results are nasty lending support to our quest to find the proper means to improve water quality here
Funny moment of the week was magda slipping in the mud at bouchi and the being hosed down by the village women in the limbe river. Not sure if that actually made her cleaner
Oh leon and chris during down time of course tested jo moonshine for potentcy and found it to be 100 proof which might explain the spirits that walked on the night of the voodoo dancing once again complete with firewalking
Pat chris and jame continue to work on the brulle or burner where we will destroy our trash. All is well after the initial challenges such as missing tools a wheelbarrow with a flat tire and a pump with a broken valve. All hopes are to have it complete by weeks end
Carl has been doing procedures and trying to train our haitian nurse which brings to mind the phrase paitients of job
Must go now as it is 530 am and the crowd is already growing
Mesi anpil pou ou ecoute
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Beware the blitz
Hello out there in the blogosphere! Another morning begins in haiti. I am sitting on the landing of kay jo which we have dubbed the hotel like second floor of the new guest house. I am pleased to report that we now have electricity two showers, three if you count the al fresco one which seems to be the hands down favourite, running water, flush toilets and now actual beds! Kudos to those who are still sleeping at the school until the other half of the kay is complete
Again all are well and none the worse for the week of baby blitzes and vita mornings in the various villages. Pat contines with the assistance of lab leon and his protege chris to formally test the waters so to speak. The results are nasty lending support to our quest to find the proper means to improve water quality here
Funny moment of the week was magda slipping in the mud at bouchi and the being hosed down by the village women in the limbe river. Not sure if that actually made her cleaner
Oh leon and chris during down time of course tested jo moonshine for potentcy and found it to be 100 proof which might explain the spirits that walked on the night of the voodoo dancing once again complete with firewalking
Pat chris and jame continue to work on the brulle or burner where we will destroy our trash. All is well after the initial challenges such as missing tools a wheelbarrow with a flat tire and a pump with a broken valve. All hopes are to have it complete by weeks end
Carl has been doing procedures and trying to train our haitian nurse which brings to mind the phrase paitients of job
Must go now as it is 530 am and the crowd is already growing
Mesi anpil pou ou ecoute
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Again all are well and none the worse for the week of baby blitzes and vita mornings in the various villages. Pat contines with the assistance of lab leon and his protege chris to formally test the waters so to speak. The results are nasty lending support to our quest to find the proper means to improve water quality here
Funny moment of the week was magda slipping in the mud at bouchi and the being hosed down by the village women in the limbe river. Not sure if that actually made her cleaner
Oh leon and chris during down time of course tested jo moonshine for potentcy and found it to be 100 proof which might explain the spirits that walked on the night of the voodoo dancing once again complete with firewalking
Pat chris and jame continue to work on the brulle or burner where we will destroy our trash. All is well after the initial challenges such as missing tools a wheelbarrow with a flat tire and a pump with a broken valve. All hopes are to have it complete by weeks end
Carl has been doing procedures and trying to train our haitian nurse which brings to mind the phrase paitients of job
Must go now as it is 530 am and the crowd is already growing
Mesi anpil pou ou ecoute
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Second week
Sorry for the delay in posting again but it has been extremely busy. In the last few days we have done a series of minor surguries courtesy of carl vitamin visits to bouchi guiotan and bml conducted a baby blitz started the manba (a locally made nutritional supplement) program for malnourished children courtesy of yoella and had a record day of 250 patients.
We set up a data projector that pat brought and he and mat showed photos of previous vists and the real highlight shrek. Now we will make movie night a real occurance. Last night we did the village choir concert and at the request of everyone showed the photos again. James did a excellent turn as a broadway director and his production of how to not get diareaha was better than cats
Maybe most importantly mariana barboasa was christened yesterday with rola amy and myself standing as godparents. We were so proud and extremely sweaty. 200 people in a concrete box generates a lot of heat on a 30 degree day
Well off to work it is a bouchi baby blitz day and we are expecting 120 people. There is already a line and it is 6 am
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
We set up a data projector that pat brought and he and mat showed photos of previous vists and the real highlight shrek. Now we will make movie night a real occurance. Last night we did the village choir concert and at the request of everyone showed the photos again. James did a excellent turn as a broadway director and his production of how to not get diareaha was better than cats
Maybe most importantly mariana barboasa was christened yesterday with rola amy and myself standing as godparents. We were so proud and extremely sweaty. 200 people in a concrete box generates a lot of heat on a 30 degree day
Well off to work it is a bouchi baby blitz day and we are expecting 120 people. There is already a line and it is 6 am
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Second week
Sorry for the delay in posting again but it has been extremely busy. In the last few days we have done a series of minor surguries courtesy of carl vitamin visits to bouchi guiotan and bml conducted a baby blitz started the manba (a locally made nutritional supplement) program for malnourished children courtesy of yoella and had a record day of 250 patients.
We set up a data projector that pat brought and he and mat showed photos of previous vists and the real highlight shrek. Now we will make movie night a real occurance. Last night we did the village choir concert and at the request of everyone showed the photos again. James did a excellent turn as a broadway director and his production of how to not get diareaha was better than cats
Maybe most importantly mariana barboasa was christened yesterday with rola amy and myself standing as godparents. We were so proud and extremely sweaty. 200 people in a concrete box generates a lot of heat on a 30 degree day
Well off to work it is a bouchi baby blitz day and we are expecting 120 people. There is already a line and it is 6 am
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
We set up a data projector that pat brought and he and mat showed photos of previous vists and the real highlight shrek. Now we will make movie night a real occurance. Last night we did the village choir concert and at the request of everyone showed the photos again. James did a excellent turn as a broadway director and his production of how to not get diareaha was better than cats
Maybe most importantly mariana barboasa was christened yesterday with rola amy and myself standing as godparents. We were so proud and extremely sweaty. 200 people in a concrete box generates a lot of heat on a 30 degree day
Well off to work it is a bouchi baby blitz day and we are expecting 120 people. There is already a line and it is 6 am
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Monday, May 12, 2008
Saturday, Sunday, Monday updates
Just an update from the team in Bod me limbe. Apparently Jo's Blackberry is down so I'll relay the messages for now.
Saturday, part of the team did a vitamin distribution program in 2 nearby villages. They then returned to help the others finish up clinic seeing over 250 people. The evening was a social night with Haitian drummers and singers just outside Jo's house.
Sunday, the day of rest and the Christening. Marianna Lara Barbosa was christened at the Catholic Church and Marie-Claude's baby Sterlove at the Baptist church....both with Canadian Godparents of course. The events were followed by lunch for the team and families at Jo's house. later in the evening the team held the second Concert Night in the village. Steve says the performances were entertaining.
Monday, this morning started out with the Guioton baby Blitz. They got through the Guiotan village children by 10 am and were able to see children from the more distant villages of Titoit and Noman. After lunch more adults with appointment cards with a finish time of around 4:00. In total 84 infants and 54 adults.
Pat and Chris started working on incinerator today. The main purpose of which is to dispose of our medical waste. Chris has also been doing a great job in the lab, having been trained by the master leon. He also observed Dr. Carl doing medical procedures. Dr. Magda has given up her office to our new nurse, Miss Iranese who is following under Carl's careful guidance. Magda is now floating between the 3 triage stations and apparently is doing a great job replacing me.
Steve said the heat was unbearable today as well. I checked online and Cap haitien registered at 33...and plus there's humidity on top of that. Let's hope it cools off a little for them the remainder of the week.
Tiffany
Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP
5630 Highway 108
Derby Junction, NB
E1V 5J1
cell. 506-624-8637
home. 506-624-9913
skype. tiffany.keenan.1971
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Friday Peds Blitz
Well after such a long day on Thursday we weren't sure what to expect with our First Peds Blitz. This idea came as a result of the January trip when I asked parents to bring their sick kids and Dr. Magda and I ended up seeing 85 in 2 1/2 hours, over 75% of which received antibiotics.
So, the morning started off as usual with our registration and soon the kids were lining up. We doubled up our registration staff and changed our room arrangements. In general pediatric histories are a little shorter so we teamed up an MD, RN and support person for weight checks. It was a busy morning with a constant flow of children under 5.
One child particularly touched me, just 2 months old and born 2 months premature she was still only weight 2 kg. The mom was young as well and as this was her first baby she is at very high risk. For the first time, I'd seen a tree leaf on a child's head. The fontanelle was quite large and they felt it would protect the baby. Also, for the first time I saw a small child's sock used to keep the baby's head warm. The infant was so small the sock stretched enough to cover the entire scalp. Seeing this small neonate, I understand why infant mortality, at 12%, can be so high in Haiti.
We also identified 5 children for our new Mamba progam on this day. They will return on Saturday for group education about using this new peanut butter vitamin/nutrition supplement.
So by 12:30 we had seen 150 children under 5. I was surprised to finish up so early.
Everyone was a little exhausted from yesterday so we could it easy in the afternoon. Nancy did some education with Iranese, our new nurse, about dressings and the rest of the team helped organize the charts.
Around 2:30 we headed over for a needed break at Isle Caramel. The water was refreshing and it gave the team time to discuss the week's clinic to date.
During the evening, I got news about a family medical emergency so I prepared to make arrangements to travel home. The team is in good hands with Karen Cimer, RN from Newfoundland and my husband Steve.
Tiffany
Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP
5630 Highway 108
Derby Junction, NB
E1V 5J1
cell. 506-624-8637
home. 506-624-9913
skype. tiffany.keenan.1971
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Welcomed back home in haiti
Well we have been here for three days now and due to the work done by tiffany and karen in advance of our arrival. Day one was new for some and a reconnection with friends for others but welcome for all. We started off with the easy stuff recheck day. Working til three pm and then for a swim. With all the kids of course. Please excuse the brevity tonight I am new to joes new blackberry and my thumbs are sore
Today we split the group in the morning sending joe to guiotan with yo magda pat. They came back at noon and then the floodgates opened. We worked til near dark and saw 200 patients. After a great dinner of grigot which is deep fried pork tiffany asked if we still had energy to package vitamins for the peds blitz in the morning. Leon shouted challenge and all evidence of fatigue disappeared the vitamins were packaged for the price of a round of drinks. Thanks to the newly working electricity the translators broke out a stereo and dancing began along with a strobing headlamps
All are well. The weather is cooperating and haiti is stable
Until next time
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Today we split the group in the morning sending joe to guiotan with yo magda pat. They came back at noon and then the floodgates opened. We worked til near dark and saw 200 patients. After a great dinner of grigot which is deep fried pork tiffany asked if we still had energy to package vitamins for the peds blitz in the morning. Leon shouted challenge and all evidence of fatigue disappeared the vitamins were packaged for the price of a round of drinks. Thanks to the newly working electricity the translators broke out a stereo and dancing began along with a strobing headlamps
All are well. The weather is cooperating and haiti is stable
Until next time
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Monday, May 05, 2008
Last day of preparation
Our final day and now the clinic is ready. We worked until 2 and then walked along the beach to Bas Limbe. We met with the nurse, carmel and learned more about the clinic. The services have improved since my last visit 18 months ago. The vaccination program has been expanded by the minister of health to 24 regions. Bodme Limbe is on the list and they will be by this Friday. That's great news. The clinic is funded by the ministry of health and Inbternatiional Child Care. We hope to share many resources with them and our new clinic. We met with Dr. Alexis, she's a new grad completing her year of social service in Bas Limbe. She will be coming to help at our clinic 2 days aweek and will spend some time with us this week.
We were running late for our meeting with the Sante Pou Yo Committee so wetook a motorcycle back to the village. Karen and I shared. The road was much drier than on ourprevious trip which will be good for the team tomorrow.
Our meeting with the Committee went well and we discussed our. New nurse and doctor.
We just finished dinner with Rivilino ourplumber/translator and his brother Sabto/translator. The guest house will/should be finished tomorrow.
We are excited to see the. Team and are off at 7 in the morning. More news then.
TIffany
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
We were running late for our meeting with the Sante Pou Yo Committee so wetook a motorcycle back to the village. Karen and I shared. The road was much drier than on ourprevious trip which will be good for the team tomorrow.
Our meeting with the Committee went well and we discussed our. New nurse and doctor.
We just finished dinner with Rivilino ourplumber/translator and his brother Sabto/translator. The guest house will/should be finished tomorrow.
We are excited to see the. Team and are off at 7 in the morning. More news then.
TIffany
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Another day in clinic
Karen and I spent another preparing the clinic. Thebuilding is ready including our triage rooms. We are using the school once again for triage. The clinic has 2 exam rooms, lab, pharmacy andregistration area. We are very excited to see the expressions on the team members faces when they see the changes. Personally, I'm very haPy with the work accompllished in just 18 months.
So we finished up around 4 and then headed out to Mongoio, a village 45 minutes away walking and by boat. We posted signs on our Sante Pou Yo board regarding the dates for next week's clinic.
It's always interesting to visit the smaller villages. We all can see the. Poverty in bod me limbe but it's even more proniunced in Mongoio.
More and more, we need to enhance the sponsorshipprograms for both children and seniors. This country is in such great need. For only 2o dollars forseniors and 50 for a chilld per month you can change a life. We are seeing it happen.
With the school opening and now the medical clinic the hope of the people is renewed. My goal is to maintain that hope and bring even greater improvements to the village including water and commerce programs.
My fingers are tired from the blackberry so goodnight.
Tiffany
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
So we finished up around 4 and then headed out to Mongoio, a village 45 minutes away walking and by boat. We posted signs on our Sante Pou Yo board regarding the dates for next week's clinic.
It's always interesting to visit the smaller villages. We all can see the. Poverty in bod me limbe but it's even more proniunced in Mongoio.
More and more, we need to enhance the sponsorshipprograms for both children and seniors. This country is in such great need. For only 2o dollars forseniors and 50 for a chilld per month you can change a life. We are seeing it happen.
With the school opening and now the medical clinic the hope of the people is renewed. My goal is to maintain that hope and bring even greater improvements to the village including water and commerce programs.
My fingers are tired from the blackberry so goodnight.
Tiffany
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Back in the Village
Hello all Karen and I are back in BML! Day 1 what to report. Not much
really Karen and I spent from 9 in the morning until dark, since we do not
have electricity but that is another story, moving the pharmacy. Yeah fun
but it has to be done.
really Karen and I spent from 9 in the morning until dark, since we do not
have electricity but that is another story, moving the pharmacy. Yeah fun
but it has to be done.
The next day was a little more busy but swampy. Has not rained in 3 months
and now everytime it even drizzles the water builds up. Meetings are
schedule with the Doctor and Mayor in Bas Limbe in ongoing efforts to
partner with the resources that are already in place. While waiting for the
scooter boys ever the workaholics Karen and I worked on nex years med list.
Through the swamp and river to Bas Limbe only to find the Clinic closed and
the Mayor away. We tossed the medications were were to deliver into the
clinic through a window and waited over an hour for the Deputy Mayor who I
am please dto say was a delight. He is pleased we are in the area and has
heard great things about our work. He is going to work on our behalf with
the Ministry of Health to assist with the clinic staff and water improvement
projects. As always time will tell.
Like politicians the world over he is also a strong booster of his community
and recommended that we have our scooter boys take us to a local "Historic
Location" called Sous d'eau which translates as under the water. It is a
sacred Voudou site where once a week the local Voudou Priestess holds court
behind the waterfall. People come to seek advice and to pray for good
fortune and health.
Guest House update. Work is progressing rapidly now that Foreman Joe is
back in town. Half the roof is now on and the tile in the main floor guest
room is laid. This room will house 6 people comfortably with screened
windows. The bathrooms are on schedule for completion before everyone
arrives and they might even have power if we can get a backup generator to
charge the batteries.
So far we have seen 32 women for family planning and vitamin distribution
from our shiny new clinic, photos of which we will have uploaded as soon as
possible.
We are trying something new this trip, almost real time updates. Bi-daily
we will have the blog updated remotely by sending text messages to my sister
who will try and make sense of what we send and then update the blog.
We will see how it goes. Stay tuned
Tiffany
Friday, May 02, 2008
Once More Into The Breach
Karen Cimer and I are back in Haiti. I must say we came with some degree of
anxiety given the latest round of troubles but the streets are quiet and as
chaotic as normal. We came down ahead of the team to get the large supply
shipment arranged only to discover that the shipment is still clearing US
Customs on its way to Miami. Oh well. We met with the coordinators of the
Medical Manba Program and the staff at the Bethesda Hospital. The one in
Cap Haitien not the one in Maryland where George W gets is physicals! We
met with SOL the folks who designed and pioneered the installation of the
now famous, at least locally, composting toilets who are also involved in
the development of water treatment systems for the region. A great meeting
and great people. Lastly and probably most importantly we got the tin for
the roof of the new Haiti Village Health Guest House! Built on top of the
famous Joe Barbosa Casa Del Sunflower it now has half a roof. Why half you
may ask? Apparently only half of the roofing materials came in from Miami.
I guess some of us are still sleeping in the school and you know who you
are. Lastly, we moved the pharmacy from his former classroom home into its
new permanent location in the also newly completed Clinic. Well til next
time
anxiety given the latest round of troubles but the streets are quiet and as
chaotic as normal. We came down ahead of the team to get the large supply
shipment arranged only to discover that the shipment is still clearing US
Customs on its way to Miami. Oh well. We met with the coordinators of the
Medical Manba Program and the staff at the Bethesda Hospital. The one in
Cap Haitien not the one in Maryland where George W gets is physicals! We
met with SOL the folks who designed and pioneered the installation of the
now famous, at least locally, composting toilets who are also involved in
the development of water treatment systems for the region. A great meeting
and great people. Lastly and probably most importantly we got the tin for
the roof of the new Haiti Village Health Guest House! Built on top of the
famous Joe Barbosa Casa Del Sunflower it now has half a roof. Why half you
may ask? Apparently only half of the roofing materials came in from Miami.
I guess some of us are still sleeping in the school and you know who you
are. Lastly, we moved the pharmacy from his former classroom home into its
new permanent location in the also newly completed Clinic. Well til next
time
_________________________
Stephen R. Clarke, BA, CCEP
VP Business Development
Phase Separation Solutions
Tel: 506 622 9085
Fax: 506 623 1090
www.phaseparation.com
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
5th Mission Begins with Karen and Tiffany in Cap Haitien
Hello,
Our 5th Mission to Bod me Limbe begins today. Karen and I arrived safely in Cap Haitien and were greeted by Jo.
We had an interesting morning of shopping in the city. There are no Walmart's here and the experience took us most of the day. Pasta here, veges there and then there was soap, drinks...you get the idea. We piled it all in the pack of a small truck, atop the tin that will be sent to Bod me Limbe to complete the guest house.
Good and bad news...half of the guest house will be completed for the team's arrival next week. The clinic is fully completed so that is the most important thing. So, we'll have to flip for the new guest house and some will be stuck sleeping in the school once again.
It promises to be an interesting trip with 15 team members, 12 translators and multiple day visits planned to the villages for vitamin distribution, house call and a final day of Vitamin Distribution in Labadie.
Thanks to Jo's new Blackberry we hope to keep you all updated on a daily basis.
Tiffany
Tiffany
Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP
5630 Highway 108
Derby Junction, NB
E1V 5J1
cell. 506-624-8637
home. 506-624-9913
skype. tiffany.keenan.1971
Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Preparing for Next Mission
The team is busy preparing for the upcoming Mission May 7-17th.
We've got fundraising events coming up - in Miramichi April 12th, Doctors with Heart for Haiti Variety Show and Auction
in Newfoundland - Sing along to the Song of Music at LSPU Hall in St.John's
Join Us!!
Tiffany
Tiffany Keenan, MD CCFP
5630 Highway 108
Derby Junction, NB
E1V 5J1
cell. 506-624-8637
home. 506-624-9913
skype. tiffany.keenan.1971
Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
4th Medical Mission to Bod me Limbe
Team Members
Tiffany Keenan, MD
Karen Cimer, RN
Daniel Robichaud, EMT
Monette Caissie, support
Anne McKinnon, RN
Jocelyn Daye, RN
Adrien Despres, support
Eunie Mcelwaine, RN
Magda Lisztwan, MD
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Our day started at 3 a.m.! Out to the airport to go on Lynx Air, a 20-seater with no bathroom for a 2.5 hour flight…We were met at the airport in Cap Haitien by Jo and whisked off by tap-tap on the goat path to Labadie. Not before stopping at the bakery for some chocolate croissants. It would have fit in nicely in Paris, with beautiful clean counters, many sweets and cakes, and an armed guard. The contrast between this little cookie haven and the outside was remarkable. At Labadie it was time to put all our luggage and ourselves into a couple of boats for the ride in the waves to Bod me Limbe with Tiffany and her raincoat covering her computer. When we reached the shore and the village, we were greeted with the running and giggling of a lot of village children as we disembarked. Then it was time to set up our beds with mosquito nets and plastic covers for the mattresses to keep the bugs at bay. We spent the afternoon unpacking the clinic supplies that were brought down from Canada and restocking the pharmacy shelves. All was ready for the clinic to start the next day. After a delicious meal provided by Jo and the village women who help him, we had a staff meeting to assign roles for Monday. We were all glad to hit the hay early after a long adventurous day.
Anne
Monday January 28th 2008
I think the roosters started crowing @ 4:30 this am and the mosquitoes are in ample supply. My rear-end is still a bit tender from the ride on the tap tap yesterday. Breakfast was ready to eat @ 7:00. The gruel topped with cinnamon went down very easily and the Haitian coffee was truly a treat. It looked really strong but was quite mellow. Jo and Tiffany were off to Labadie on the Jet Ski to pick up medication from the doctors on one of the cruise ships. Apparently, they had an interesting day, and ended having to stay over as the sea was too rough. Some of the Team were off to the village to distribute vitamins to the women, Anne and Eunie with Alex and Thermitus and Karen and Magda with Santo and Rivelino. Morel and I stayed back @ the clinic to receive women who were interested in Family Planning. Having never done this before, it was truly a learning experience, but by the end of the day had developed a learning curve for pregnancy tests and Depo injections. Monette and Robert worked in Registration and were efficient in pulling the needed charts. Dan was charge of giving a First Aid course. Instead of having two separate sessions, everybody arrived in the am. Old and young were together, but apparently went well. Apparently though’, Adrien’s day was the most fun. He’s been working on a play / singing group with the village children. The Haitians are such a talented, musical people. Just to make the day a little more interesting, we had many rain showers, too numerous to count. By supper, everybody was more than ready to eat. Goat was served and was delicious and surprisingly more tender than the beef we had last evening. Hopefully, Jo and Tiffany will get safely back in the am. To end the evening on a positive note, Rivelino announced the toilet was flushing – it’s amazing what a bit of duct tape will do … he would make Red Green proud.
Jocelyn
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Breakfast started a little late this am, not the usual 7 am. Guess things work a little smoother when Jo is around. Tiffany and Jo arrived before 8 o’clock from Labadie and we were all grateful to see them as their presence is absolutely necessary. After Tiffany answered some of our questions, we were at our stations by about 8:15am. By the end of the day, we had seen 152 patients. Some interesting things we saw were a woman who said every week she vomited a worm as big as a snake and as long as her arm. Tiffany treated her for worms and gave her a second dose for next week. We hope it works and who knows what the problem really was! Another person had spinal cord infection from syphilis. Thank goodness we don’t see this too often! Considering this was our first day in clinic, things worked rather smoothly. We saw the last patient at 6:15 pm. Jo’s delicious chicken dish went down very well. Most of us had another early night. For those who have been here before, we noted we have never felt such cool weather. People were asking for blankets and that is very unusual for Haiti. We all agree: it’s great to be here.
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
After a cool breeze overnight and much gratitude for the quilt Joe gave me, the sun arose and the routine sounds of the morning began. Sweeping and calling of the women in the courtyard of the school, the slapping of sandals on the concrete, and my reluctance to leave my mosquito net cocoon. The sky was clear blue, the shower a rather refreshing trickle, and breakfast was once again fabulous. Egg “crepes”, banana/grapefruit salad, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Delicious! Already at 7 am the people were gathering, and so the registration crew left the table around 7:30 am to start the process. The morning was much slower than the hectic pace of the first day, with people waiting a few at a time on the benches outside. Once again, I was faced with multiple complaints from each patient, all feeling the lack of regular medical care and hoping to leave with something in their hand. It reminded me of home! The babies were gorgeous, the children shy but shushed and propelled by their mothers to be examined by the “dokte”, and it seemed every women had some form of vaginal discharge. So many times when asked what they had to eat today, it was “nothing yet”. And you could not give money to everyone who asked for it to buy food. But there was satisfaction in giving vitamins, helping with acid reflux. My most interesting and sad patient was a 29 year old woman with a beautiful 6-week old baby. She had a right breast lump for a year, and this time it felt ominous. Firm, tender, definitely not normal. My prayer is she can use the money and referral to find a good surgeon for her.
The day ended early at 3 so there was time for a swim, including an entourage of variously clothed children. The soccer was a 1-0 victory for translators vs. Bod Me Limbe players. And after delicious shrimp curry in our 5-star Chez Jo restaurant, the night ended with music
uniting us. E.g. You are my sunshine. A good day. Happy in Haiti.
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
The rats were more subdued last night. We slept well. But the extreme palm-husk sweepers started again in the schoolyard at their usual 6am, shouting all the while slapping the ground. And my roommate, Magda, awakened in the same state in which she fell asleep – one of being chronically pleasant. So much to learn from her.
At 6:15 the roar of the crowd gathered outside the school started, gradually crescendoing until Tiffany made her appearance, in her pajamas, to organized the registration process. Mothers, children, the elderly and the seemingly well all pushed forward for the rare chance for better health and comfort. Meanwhile, behind a wall of concrete and guilt, we ate a breakfast of cornmeal bread, cheese, grapefruit, bananas, coffee and hot chocolate.
The clinic chaos operated as usual. My job, being Karen of Famasi, is to feign being the clinic pharmacist. With the essential help of my translator, Rivelino, medications are dispensed and explained: how to open bottles, plunge a syringe, breathe in through an inhaler, apply cream, insert suppositories, instill ear and eye drops, use a cane. Pictorial medication labels are used to designate when to take medications. Explanations are given, reviewed and regiven to patients who leave happy, dissatisfied, grateful, or oblivious. Dressings are applied here also, some to fresh wounds but most to chronic ulcers and infected lacerations and burns. Many are asked to return for daily treatment. They all comply. Any opportunity for obtaining more “stuff” is never turned down. The need is too great.
Today’s tally: 69 authorized visits and 157 patients seen in total.
We end the day as it cools. I have a Haitian beer on Jo’s roof while watching the local soccer match: shirts and skins and pants and no pants. The ball is coveted.
Tonight our rice is accompanied by chicken in sauce, black bean sauce, deep fried plantains and a spicy cabbage salad. The translators entertain us with an evening of dance and cross-cultural mocking. Team building at its finest.
Nine thirty. A late night to bed. The old cliché of the bed bugs rings true here.
But we have nothing to complain about. Nothing.
Friday, February 1st, 2008
An early morning for me as always. 6 am and I can hear the roosters crowing outside. It’s been a busy week to date but the weather has been just right with little rain and everyone is in good health which is wonderful.
So after another lovely breakfast at Jo’s we’re off to start clinic. Today an early start at 7:30. We’re doing well in the morning and actually see 97 people. But, on the way in there is a huge lineup so I spread the word that we’ll see children and pregnant women in the afternoon. We agree at 1:00 for kids and 2:00 for women. Little did I know that the word would not only spread through Bod me Limbe but the surrounding villages as well. Thirteen women showed up for the prenatal session which Eunie had outside under the large tree. It wasn’t an ideal situation but at least the women were seen, given maternal vitamins and advised to come back for a follow-up visit in May.
The children….well we saw 10 briefly just before lunch. Mothers held their children on their laps and exposed the affected part of skin. It was more like a pediatric dermatology session. So much impetigo…small scabs and sores on the skin caused by abrasions and contaminated soil. One little boy was very sick with several lesions on his penis so I started him on injectable antibiotics. The other 9 children were all treated with antibiotics. I told the parents the importance of wearing clothes or at least underwear on their children. One mother asked what she could do if the kids just didn’t like wearing clothes…a good response I thought. A little polysporin would go a long way in this group.
So then the Peds Blitz began. 84 kids in 2 ½ hours!!!! What an afternoon!! It was very interesting. A pediatrician (Angela that’s you) probably wouldn’t be impressed that we didn’t do proper developmental assessment with a complete physical exam, but we felt it important that we see as many children as possible. So…skin infections, pneumonia, ear infections, and meningitis. I’d say over 75% of those children received antibiotics plus one with injectable antibiotics for meningitis. All kids were also given albendazole to cover for worms.
It truly was amazing to be able to see so many children. I wonder what would have happened to them with the antibiotics. Some, I’m sure would have the immune response to fight them, but for others it probably would be just another hit to their malnourished bodies. We’ve decided to make these Peds Blitz’s days an ongoing part of our mission. (Though hopefully next time in a more organized manner).
So our work day finished just after 4:00 and was followed by an Italian dinner of Spicy Meatballs the Haitian way.
After our group meeting the evening turned toward a more Western influence and Jo’s small gazebo became a disco for all to enjoy. Time to let loose after a hard day of 210 patients.
Tiffany
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
Today we all went out with the translators to the women of Guioten, Mongoio and Bouchi. It was a hot day but the walk wasn’t to bad, but it was a lot of fun. Its interesting to see how the people live in these villages and how they make you feel so welcome, its really heart warming. Throughout our little journey we saw really interesting things, like rice, pistachio, peanuts and cotton plantations, also we saw man making coal but best of all we got to eat fresh coconuts, very yummy. To get from village to village we had to take these little boats that really didn’t feel to safe, at one point some of us just skipped the boat and walked through a very mucky water, it was faster but much more disgusting. After coming back from this very interesting excursion, a few of us got into a boat with Mwele and cross over to caramel island for a swim, it was a lot of fun and very refreshing. Tonight we have our voodoo night, amazingly this turned out to be a lot of fun, music and dancing and a very big fire. I guess this is one of these things that you have to see to understand. To make this evening even more interesting and exiting we had some of Jo’s coconut daiquiri’s and peanut butter daiquiri’s very tasty. Over all this turned out to be a very exiting day.
Monette
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
Woohoo! Our first official first day off. Its one well deserved. Early in the morning some of us toke a small boat for a beach day at Caramel Island with Mwele as our captain, the others decided to go to a Baptist Church in the village from 9-12 and took a boat later to come to Caramel Island to join us.
The full Barbosa family was there ( Jo, Jumanie, Marianna ) it was a really hot day and the water was really nice. We had some coconut water still in the shell, eat some rice and tofu, fried fish and lobster and with some drinks.
During this time at the beach, we had a unofficial Olympic Canada vs. Haiti, we had 50 M sprints, some kickboxing demonstrations, arm wrestling, cart-wheels, and I do believe Canada won. HEHEHEHE.
Later this evening we had a great supper then we headed to the school, where there was a theater set up, we opened the night with the Haitian National Anthem , then we went up and sang the Canadian Anthem. The Baptist church sang a few songs, then the Catholique church, then the kids from BML sang and played tambour which Adrien had worked with them prior. Then it turned out to be a rap contest from the teenagers of the village.
Off to bed we went, was a fun day, and back to work tomorrow.
Daniel
Monday, February 4th , 2008
I woke up from a deep sleep at around 3am. There was already lots of activity outside as people were already lining up to see the doctor and were talking quite loudly. Everyone from the team was up and around at 6:30am, our usual time, except Saint Armand Nelson who was standing outside our room at 5:30 anxious to start registration.
We had our porridge and warm bread breakfast and at 7:30 got registration under way. People were pushing against the fence wanting to get in.
We stopped registration at 11:20 after having registered 76 people. Lunch was as usual very good thanks to Jo, (marinade and kibi). At 12:40 we started registration again. It was my first day at the registration desk and the morning had gone by quite fast because Robert, my Trawdi for the day, were always busy.
I had trouble with names or should I say the spelling of names but felt really good at the end of the day. The final number was 121 patients.
One lady came to the clinic, registered and was sent to the lab. When she got there she did not know why she had come. She said well I heard we could get free medications here so I came. Daniel told her she needed to have a reason to be there and then she started telling about all her pains.
As well, Eunie had 6 pregnant ladies come to the clinic to teach them about pre-natal care. We sent them directly to the lab for urine tests. One by one Daniel gave the cups and asked them to go to the toilet next door for urine samples. Three of the ladies did exactly as Daniel had told them. They knocked on the door next to the lab which was clearly marked library, and after waiting there for about five minutes They came back to see the technician with empty cups. Alix , Daniel’s Trawdi for the day had to redirect them. Everybody had a good laugh, even the ladies.
Eunie was very pleased with her results after her teaching and the ladies seemed to have had a very pleasant experience.
We also had a patient who was brought in on a bed carried by four people. His forehead was wet with sweat and he was yelling with pain. We registered him and I watched Dr. Tiffany administer a medication by injection which calmed him right down . This lady had worked very hard and seemed so calm after a full day that not even a frown was showing on her forehead.
Adrien
Tuesday February 5th 2008
It is the last day of clinic. Selfishly, I am happy to not have to hiss at rats at night anymore and maybe be able to sleep through the night again. Another cold shower, this time with a bucket and cup of water as the tank was empty. Breakfast…more oatmeal, delicious bananas, and the “hint o’cinnamon” peanut butter.
We started the day by seeing the staff who had helped us. The translators were each seen individually and given some treatment or another for various ailments. I found it hard as the “Dokte” to maintain professionalism after getting to know these guys over the week. Treating friends is definitely different. Then the clinic began. Many adults were seen for the “60 +20” cards that were distributed. Sometimes there was a sense that the parents took the cards that had been given to their children. There was more “Gaz”, back pain, and vaginal discharge, and of course scabies. It was encouraging to see the young boy with ?meningitis (always a question, as a spinal tap was not possible) who had been getting injections steadily improving and graduate to oral antibiotics. Another little one who looked so sad the week before had more life in him after a few antibiotics. I hope he continues to improve. The little I had (next time so much more could be prepared!) I gave to the kids, and they smiled when they saw the shiny gold Werther’s candy.
I had my first challenge. Earlier I had done an excision of an upper lip mucosal lesion: no problem. Then the gentleman with multiple lipomas appeared. I decided to resect the large 5 x 4 cm mass behind his left ear. There was no consent form. No documentation of my qualifications for this. But the job was done. My operating theatre involved an open window for light, a head lamp, a nurse, several other onlookers in the window and likely sterile equipment. But after much suturing he left with a smile on his face and I hope I made his life just a little bit better.
After a bite to eat everyone fell to packing up the clinic, which was not too bad, apart from the ever demanding job of the Famasi. There was some Frisbee playing, relaxing on the roof with a beer, and then the absolutely spectacular dinner that Jo had prepared. Squid, grilled fish, and curried shrimp. Divine!!! The meeting after ended on a note of triumph and satisfaction at a job well done, and all our wonderful Haitian teammates received their salaries and gifts. The night ended with a lesson in Haitian dancing, some star gazing, and my last sleep under a mosquito net for a little while.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tear down morning started just before 6 am. The mosquito nets were unstrung, mattresses put to rest in a classroom and all personal packs loaded up. A sentiment frequently heard this morning is that we would be quite pleased to stay longer.
We bid farewell to our Bod me Limbe friends after breakfast, followed by genuinely warm wishes between our translators and ourselves. We have lived and worked together for 10 days and developed some important friendships.
Our boat left for Cormier Plage, the small resort we were to stay at before our flight the next morning. By necessity, we must stay within driving distance of the airport, as the seas are not reliable. Today, for example, the swells had half of the boat’s passengers bailing while a few others battled the natural desire of their stomachs.
Cormier Plage is lovely, although well past its prime and largely neglected by most standards. But we played today. And we reminisced, laughed, and wondered at our experience.
During dinner, Tiffany thanked us all, especially Jo, for work well done. A second toast was made right back to her for her tireless work and strong leadership.
And now I will make a final toast to the fine people of Bod me Limbe who have allowed us the privilege of working in their community, living with them, and enhancing our lives.
And, hopefully, theirs.
Thursday February 7th, 2008
It was lovely to wake up this morning in a comfy bed to here the sound of the waves on the shore. After breakfast at the hotel we drove in our stretch limo to the airport!! Not!! We loaded up the tap taps as usual and were on our way.
As we entered the airport I saw a van with canes and wheelchairs on the roof. I was thinking it looked like Healing Hands material and it was. Gail Buck and her team from Portland were just getting to Cap Haitien and loading their van for a trip just outside of cap.
Our airport departure was uncomplicated and the flight passed by quickly. Then the complications….
I’m finishing off this blog from the Fort Lauderdale. It’s 5 pm and we all thought we’d be half way home by now. Anne, Eunie and Magda have gone on home via Toronto but the rest of us will be overnighting in Montreal. We’ve heard that the snowstorms in the past 24 hours in Montreal and Toronto have put things behind so here were are waiting….you know after coming from Haiti we’ve all learned a certain degree of patience. I remember the night Jo and I came from Cap and waited over an hour for a boat to take us to Labadie. The people didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that they weren’t getting home before dark. They knew a boat would come. How often in Canada do we complain when our bus is 10 minutes late or even now when our plane is 5 hours late. You just need to make the best use of time, wherever you are. Or take a moment to reflect on life…listen to the sound of the waves, the goats, the children playing.
It was different in Haiti – a slow pace. Here, we’re all overwhelmed once again by the noise of people, television and the speed at which everyone and everything moves.
So next week we’ll be home once again to our comfortable surroundings. There truly is no place like home. I know that people have been changed by their time in Haiti. This experience, however, is not for everyone as we all do not have the opportunity to travel such great distances. But, I think we all can take a few minutes to help someone in our day. It may be with your local youth group, food kitchen, helping a shut in neighbour or simply just greeting people with a simple hello and sincerely asking how they’re doing.
We are here to help one another. I am grateful that I have been given the talents and opportunities to become a physician. I encourage you all to share your talents with others and give when you can.
Tiffany
Tiffany Keenan, MD
Karen Cimer, RN
Daniel Robichaud, EMT
Monette Caissie, support
Anne McKinnon, RN
Jocelyn Daye, RN
Adrien Despres, support
Eunie Mcelwaine, RN
Magda Lisztwan, MD
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Our day started at 3 a.m.! Out to the airport to go on Lynx Air, a 20-seater with no bathroom for a 2.5 hour flight…We were met at the airport in Cap Haitien by Jo and whisked off by tap-tap on the goat path to Labadie. Not before stopping at the bakery for some chocolate croissants. It would have fit in nicely in Paris, with beautiful clean counters, many sweets and cakes, and an armed guard. The contrast between this little cookie haven and the outside was remarkable. At Labadie it was time to put all our luggage and ourselves into a couple of boats for the ride in the waves to Bod me Limbe with Tiffany and her raincoat covering her computer. When we reached the shore and the village, we were greeted with the running and giggling of a lot of village children as we disembarked. Then it was time to set up our beds with mosquito nets and plastic covers for the mattresses to keep the bugs at bay. We spent the afternoon unpacking the clinic supplies that were brought down from Canada and restocking the pharmacy shelves. All was ready for the clinic to start the next day. After a delicious meal provided by Jo and the village women who help him, we had a staff meeting to assign roles for Monday. We were all glad to hit the hay early after a long adventurous day.
Anne
Monday January 28th 2008
I think the roosters started crowing @ 4:30 this am and the mosquitoes are in ample supply. My rear-end is still a bit tender from the ride on the tap tap yesterday. Breakfast was ready to eat @ 7:00. The gruel topped with cinnamon went down very easily and the Haitian coffee was truly a treat. It looked really strong but was quite mellow. Jo and Tiffany were off to Labadie on the Jet Ski to pick up medication from the doctors on one of the cruise ships. Apparently, they had an interesting day, and ended having to stay over as the sea was too rough. Some of the Team were off to the village to distribute vitamins to the women, Anne and Eunie with Alex and Thermitus and Karen and Magda with Santo and Rivelino. Morel and I stayed back @ the clinic to receive women who were interested in Family Planning. Having never done this before, it was truly a learning experience, but by the end of the day had developed a learning curve for pregnancy tests and Depo injections. Monette and Robert worked in Registration and were efficient in pulling the needed charts. Dan was charge of giving a First Aid course. Instead of having two separate sessions, everybody arrived in the am. Old and young were together, but apparently went well. Apparently though’, Adrien’s day was the most fun. He’s been working on a play / singing group with the village children. The Haitians are such a talented, musical people. Just to make the day a little more interesting, we had many rain showers, too numerous to count. By supper, everybody was more than ready to eat. Goat was served and was delicious and surprisingly more tender than the beef we had last evening. Hopefully, Jo and Tiffany will get safely back in the am. To end the evening on a positive note, Rivelino announced the toilet was flushing – it’s amazing what a bit of duct tape will do … he would make Red Green proud.
Jocelyn
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Breakfast started a little late this am, not the usual 7 am. Guess things work a little smoother when Jo is around. Tiffany and Jo arrived before 8 o’clock from Labadie and we were all grateful to see them as their presence is absolutely necessary. After Tiffany answered some of our questions, we were at our stations by about 8:15am. By the end of the day, we had seen 152 patients. Some interesting things we saw were a woman who said every week she vomited a worm as big as a snake and as long as her arm. Tiffany treated her for worms and gave her a second dose for next week. We hope it works and who knows what the problem really was! Another person had spinal cord infection from syphilis. Thank goodness we don’t see this too often! Considering this was our first day in clinic, things worked rather smoothly. We saw the last patient at 6:15 pm. Jo’s delicious chicken dish went down very well. Most of us had another early night. For those who have been here before, we noted we have never felt such cool weather. People were asking for blankets and that is very unusual for Haiti. We all agree: it’s great to be here.
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
After a cool breeze overnight and much gratitude for the quilt Joe gave me, the sun arose and the routine sounds of the morning began. Sweeping and calling of the women in the courtyard of the school, the slapping of sandals on the concrete, and my reluctance to leave my mosquito net cocoon. The sky was clear blue, the shower a rather refreshing trickle, and breakfast was once again fabulous. Egg “crepes”, banana/grapefruit salad, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Delicious! Already at 7 am the people were gathering, and so the registration crew left the table around 7:30 am to start the process. The morning was much slower than the hectic pace of the first day, with people waiting a few at a time on the benches outside. Once again, I was faced with multiple complaints from each patient, all feeling the lack of regular medical care and hoping to leave with something in their hand. It reminded me of home! The babies were gorgeous, the children shy but shushed and propelled by their mothers to be examined by the “dokte”, and it seemed every women had some form of vaginal discharge. So many times when asked what they had to eat today, it was “nothing yet”. And you could not give money to everyone who asked for it to buy food. But there was satisfaction in giving vitamins, helping with acid reflux. My most interesting and sad patient was a 29 year old woman with a beautiful 6-week old baby. She had a right breast lump for a year, and this time it felt ominous. Firm, tender, definitely not normal. My prayer is she can use the money and referral to find a good surgeon for her.
The day ended early at 3 so there was time for a swim, including an entourage of variously clothed children. The soccer was a 1-0 victory for translators vs. Bod Me Limbe players. And after delicious shrimp curry in our 5-star Chez Jo restaurant, the night ended with music
uniting us. E.g. You are my sunshine. A good day. Happy in Haiti.
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
The rats were more subdued last night. We slept well. But the extreme palm-husk sweepers started again in the schoolyard at their usual 6am, shouting all the while slapping the ground. And my roommate, Magda, awakened in the same state in which she fell asleep – one of being chronically pleasant. So much to learn from her.
At 6:15 the roar of the crowd gathered outside the school started, gradually crescendoing until Tiffany made her appearance, in her pajamas, to organized the registration process. Mothers, children, the elderly and the seemingly well all pushed forward for the rare chance for better health and comfort. Meanwhile, behind a wall of concrete and guilt, we ate a breakfast of cornmeal bread, cheese, grapefruit, bananas, coffee and hot chocolate.
The clinic chaos operated as usual. My job, being Karen of Famasi, is to feign being the clinic pharmacist. With the essential help of my translator, Rivelino, medications are dispensed and explained: how to open bottles, plunge a syringe, breathe in through an inhaler, apply cream, insert suppositories, instill ear and eye drops, use a cane. Pictorial medication labels are used to designate when to take medications. Explanations are given, reviewed and regiven to patients who leave happy, dissatisfied, grateful, or oblivious. Dressings are applied here also, some to fresh wounds but most to chronic ulcers and infected lacerations and burns. Many are asked to return for daily treatment. They all comply. Any opportunity for obtaining more “stuff” is never turned down. The need is too great.
Today’s tally: 69 authorized visits and 157 patients seen in total.
We end the day as it cools. I have a Haitian beer on Jo’s roof while watching the local soccer match: shirts and skins and pants and no pants. The ball is coveted.
Tonight our rice is accompanied by chicken in sauce, black bean sauce, deep fried plantains and a spicy cabbage salad. The translators entertain us with an evening of dance and cross-cultural mocking. Team building at its finest.
Nine thirty. A late night to bed. The old cliché of the bed bugs rings true here.
But we have nothing to complain about. Nothing.
Friday, February 1st, 2008
An early morning for me as always. 6 am and I can hear the roosters crowing outside. It’s been a busy week to date but the weather has been just right with little rain and everyone is in good health which is wonderful.
So after another lovely breakfast at Jo’s we’re off to start clinic. Today an early start at 7:30. We’re doing well in the morning and actually see 97 people. But, on the way in there is a huge lineup so I spread the word that we’ll see children and pregnant women in the afternoon. We agree at 1:00 for kids and 2:00 for women. Little did I know that the word would not only spread through Bod me Limbe but the surrounding villages as well. Thirteen women showed up for the prenatal session which Eunie had outside under the large tree. It wasn’t an ideal situation but at least the women were seen, given maternal vitamins and advised to come back for a follow-up visit in May.
The children….well we saw 10 briefly just before lunch. Mothers held their children on their laps and exposed the affected part of skin. It was more like a pediatric dermatology session. So much impetigo…small scabs and sores on the skin caused by abrasions and contaminated soil. One little boy was very sick with several lesions on his penis so I started him on injectable antibiotics. The other 9 children were all treated with antibiotics. I told the parents the importance of wearing clothes or at least underwear on their children. One mother asked what she could do if the kids just didn’t like wearing clothes…a good response I thought. A little polysporin would go a long way in this group.
So then the Peds Blitz began. 84 kids in 2 ½ hours!!!! What an afternoon!! It was very interesting. A pediatrician (Angela that’s you) probably wouldn’t be impressed that we didn’t do proper developmental assessment with a complete physical exam, but we felt it important that we see as many children as possible. So…skin infections, pneumonia, ear infections, and meningitis. I’d say over 75% of those children received antibiotics plus one with injectable antibiotics for meningitis. All kids were also given albendazole to cover for worms.
It truly was amazing to be able to see so many children. I wonder what would have happened to them with the antibiotics. Some, I’m sure would have the immune response to fight them, but for others it probably would be just another hit to their malnourished bodies. We’ve decided to make these Peds Blitz’s days an ongoing part of our mission. (Though hopefully next time in a more organized manner).
So our work day finished just after 4:00 and was followed by an Italian dinner of Spicy Meatballs the Haitian way.
After our group meeting the evening turned toward a more Western influence and Jo’s small gazebo became a disco for all to enjoy. Time to let loose after a hard day of 210 patients.
Tiffany
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
Today we all went out with the translators to the women of Guioten, Mongoio and Bouchi. It was a hot day but the walk wasn’t to bad, but it was a lot of fun. Its interesting to see how the people live in these villages and how they make you feel so welcome, its really heart warming. Throughout our little journey we saw really interesting things, like rice, pistachio, peanuts and cotton plantations, also we saw man making coal but best of all we got to eat fresh coconuts, very yummy. To get from village to village we had to take these little boats that really didn’t feel to safe, at one point some of us just skipped the boat and walked through a very mucky water, it was faster but much more disgusting. After coming back from this very interesting excursion, a few of us got into a boat with Mwele and cross over to caramel island for a swim, it was a lot of fun and very refreshing. Tonight we have our voodoo night, amazingly this turned out to be a lot of fun, music and dancing and a very big fire. I guess this is one of these things that you have to see to understand. To make this evening even more interesting and exiting we had some of Jo’s coconut daiquiri’s and peanut butter daiquiri’s very tasty. Over all this turned out to be a very exiting day.
Monette
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
Woohoo! Our first official first day off. Its one well deserved. Early in the morning some of us toke a small boat for a beach day at Caramel Island with Mwele as our captain, the others decided to go to a Baptist Church in the village from 9-12 and took a boat later to come to Caramel Island to join us.
The full Barbosa family was there ( Jo, Jumanie, Marianna ) it was a really hot day and the water was really nice. We had some coconut water still in the shell, eat some rice and tofu, fried fish and lobster and with some drinks.
During this time at the beach, we had a unofficial Olympic Canada vs. Haiti, we had 50 M sprints, some kickboxing demonstrations, arm wrestling, cart-wheels, and I do believe Canada won. HEHEHEHE.
Later this evening we had a great supper then we headed to the school, where there was a theater set up, we opened the night with the Haitian National Anthem , then we went up and sang the Canadian Anthem. The Baptist church sang a few songs, then the Catholique church, then the kids from BML sang and played tambour which Adrien had worked with them prior. Then it turned out to be a rap contest from the teenagers of the village.
Off to bed we went, was a fun day, and back to work tomorrow.
Daniel
Monday, February 4th , 2008
I woke up from a deep sleep at around 3am. There was already lots of activity outside as people were already lining up to see the doctor and were talking quite loudly. Everyone from the team was up and around at 6:30am, our usual time, except Saint Armand Nelson who was standing outside our room at 5:30 anxious to start registration.
We had our porridge and warm bread breakfast and at 7:30 got registration under way. People were pushing against the fence wanting to get in.
We stopped registration at 11:20 after having registered 76 people. Lunch was as usual very good thanks to Jo, (marinade and kibi). At 12:40 we started registration again. It was my first day at the registration desk and the morning had gone by quite fast because Robert, my Trawdi for the day, were always busy.
I had trouble with names or should I say the spelling of names but felt really good at the end of the day. The final number was 121 patients.
One lady came to the clinic, registered and was sent to the lab. When she got there she did not know why she had come. She said well I heard we could get free medications here so I came. Daniel told her she needed to have a reason to be there and then she started telling about all her pains.
As well, Eunie had 6 pregnant ladies come to the clinic to teach them about pre-natal care. We sent them directly to the lab for urine tests. One by one Daniel gave the cups and asked them to go to the toilet next door for urine samples. Three of the ladies did exactly as Daniel had told them. They knocked on the door next to the lab which was clearly marked library, and after waiting there for about five minutes They came back to see the technician with empty cups. Alix , Daniel’s Trawdi for the day had to redirect them. Everybody had a good laugh, even the ladies.
Eunie was very pleased with her results after her teaching and the ladies seemed to have had a very pleasant experience.
We also had a patient who was brought in on a bed carried by four people. His forehead was wet with sweat and he was yelling with pain. We registered him and I watched Dr. Tiffany administer a medication by injection which calmed him right down . This lady had worked very hard and seemed so calm after a full day that not even a frown was showing on her forehead.
Adrien
Tuesday February 5th 2008
It is the last day of clinic. Selfishly, I am happy to not have to hiss at rats at night anymore and maybe be able to sleep through the night again. Another cold shower, this time with a bucket and cup of water as the tank was empty. Breakfast…more oatmeal, delicious bananas, and the “hint o’cinnamon” peanut butter.
We started the day by seeing the staff who had helped us. The translators were each seen individually and given some treatment or another for various ailments. I found it hard as the “Dokte” to maintain professionalism after getting to know these guys over the week. Treating friends is definitely different. Then the clinic began. Many adults were seen for the “60 +20” cards that were distributed. Sometimes there was a sense that the parents took the cards that had been given to their children. There was more “Gaz”, back pain, and vaginal discharge, and of course scabies. It was encouraging to see the young boy with ?meningitis (always a question, as a spinal tap was not possible) who had been getting injections steadily improving and graduate to oral antibiotics. Another little one who looked so sad the week before had more life in him after a few antibiotics. I hope he continues to improve. The little I had (next time so much more could be prepared!) I gave to the kids, and they smiled when they saw the shiny gold Werther’s candy.
I had my first challenge. Earlier I had done an excision of an upper lip mucosal lesion: no problem. Then the gentleman with multiple lipomas appeared. I decided to resect the large 5 x 4 cm mass behind his left ear. There was no consent form. No documentation of my qualifications for this. But the job was done. My operating theatre involved an open window for light, a head lamp, a nurse, several other onlookers in the window and likely sterile equipment. But after much suturing he left with a smile on his face and I hope I made his life just a little bit better.
After a bite to eat everyone fell to packing up the clinic, which was not too bad, apart from the ever demanding job of the Famasi. There was some Frisbee playing, relaxing on the roof with a beer, and then the absolutely spectacular dinner that Jo had prepared. Squid, grilled fish, and curried shrimp. Divine!!! The meeting after ended on a note of triumph and satisfaction at a job well done, and all our wonderful Haitian teammates received their salaries and gifts. The night ended with a lesson in Haitian dancing, some star gazing, and my last sleep under a mosquito net for a little while.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tear down morning started just before 6 am. The mosquito nets were unstrung, mattresses put to rest in a classroom and all personal packs loaded up. A sentiment frequently heard this morning is that we would be quite pleased to stay longer.
We bid farewell to our Bod me Limbe friends after breakfast, followed by genuinely warm wishes between our translators and ourselves. We have lived and worked together for 10 days and developed some important friendships.
Our boat left for Cormier Plage, the small resort we were to stay at before our flight the next morning. By necessity, we must stay within driving distance of the airport, as the seas are not reliable. Today, for example, the swells had half of the boat’s passengers bailing while a few others battled the natural desire of their stomachs.
Cormier Plage is lovely, although well past its prime and largely neglected by most standards. But we played today. And we reminisced, laughed, and wondered at our experience.
During dinner, Tiffany thanked us all, especially Jo, for work well done. A second toast was made right back to her for her tireless work and strong leadership.
And now I will make a final toast to the fine people of Bod me Limbe who have allowed us the privilege of working in their community, living with them, and enhancing our lives.
And, hopefully, theirs.
Thursday February 7th, 2008
It was lovely to wake up this morning in a comfy bed to here the sound of the waves on the shore. After breakfast at the hotel we drove in our stretch limo to the airport!! Not!! We loaded up the tap taps as usual and were on our way.
As we entered the airport I saw a van with canes and wheelchairs on the roof. I was thinking it looked like Healing Hands material and it was. Gail Buck and her team from Portland were just getting to Cap Haitien and loading their van for a trip just outside of cap.
Our airport departure was uncomplicated and the flight passed by quickly. Then the complications….
I’m finishing off this blog from the Fort Lauderdale. It’s 5 pm and we all thought we’d be half way home by now. Anne, Eunie and Magda have gone on home via Toronto but the rest of us will be overnighting in Montreal. We’ve heard that the snowstorms in the past 24 hours in Montreal and Toronto have put things behind so here were are waiting….you know after coming from Haiti we’ve all learned a certain degree of patience. I remember the night Jo and I came from Cap and waited over an hour for a boat to take us to Labadie. The people didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that they weren’t getting home before dark. They knew a boat would come. How often in Canada do we complain when our bus is 10 minutes late or even now when our plane is 5 hours late. You just need to make the best use of time, wherever you are. Or take a moment to reflect on life…listen to the sound of the waves, the goats, the children playing.
It was different in Haiti – a slow pace. Here, we’re all overwhelmed once again by the noise of people, television and the speed at which everyone and everything moves.
So next week we’ll be home once again to our comfortable surroundings. There truly is no place like home. I know that people have been changed by their time in Haiti. This experience, however, is not for everyone as we all do not have the opportunity to travel such great distances. But, I think we all can take a few minutes to help someone in our day. It may be with your local youth group, food kitchen, helping a shut in neighbour or simply just greeting people with a simple hello and sincerely asking how they’re doing.
We are here to help one another. I am grateful that I have been given the talents and opportunities to become a physician. I encourage you all to share your talents with others and give when you can.
Tiffany
Friday, January 11, 2008
Monday, November 12, 2007
Wednesday, November 7th
Karen improved overnight, but now Tiffany is finally sick. We stacked our mattresses in a classroom, packed away our mosquito nets, and brought our bedding over to Jo’s house, where one last breakfast of his incredible oatmeal awaited us, along with the usual bread and manbo (although many decided the impending boat ride would be better on an empty stomach). We lugged our gear down to the beach and watched the school kids – now able to return to classes with us gone – assemble outside the gates in their frilly green uniforms. We waded our gear out to two covered boats and shoved off shortly after seven in the morning.
We made our way to Cormier Plage, stopping for a look around the nearby community of Labadie, and a visit to a craft market Alex set up for us. We bought a king’s ransom of paintings, wooden bowls and boxes, little brightly-painted lizards made from metal reclaimed from old oil drums, and soapstone carvings. At the private resort of Cormier Plage, we rested on pristine beaches, took hot showers, drank cold beer, and partook of strange delicacies – fresh tomatoes, papaya, chocolate ice cream, chilled white wine. Tomorrow we would return to Cap Haitien in tap-taps to catch our flight back to Fort Lauderdale for another night in a swank hotel, and then set off in our various directions for Canada.
So much of this trip has seemed foreign and strange, like I borrowed someone else’s ill-fitting skin. I am covered in bed bug and mosquito bites, my bowels are still doing disturbing things, my hair feels like it grew out of a Barbie doll, and all of my clothes should be burned. My right eye has been twitching with exhaustion for seven days straight. I smell bad. This is my first trip, so I haven’t had the opportunity to see first-hand evidence of people coming back healthier than before they knew us. I’m sure it must be true, but every day there was so much to leave behind and push on through, to treat symptomatically or not at all.
I worry about about Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s observation that:
I hope we made a difference. There was the little girl whose life I’m sure was saved with two injections of antibiotics, and the man who got to go to TB clinic, the woman who might not have to die from diabetes. Karen and Carolyn both reminded me that a bag of simple pain medicine and antacid and vitamins might not mean much to someone who can run to the corner store, but to someone who has never had relief from a headache, it can seem a miracle. Maybe even knowing the world is watching and that someone bothered to come and care means something to the 1249 souls we met.
But I know this: in three years of medical school, constantly fighting against becoming detached from the various meanings of human suffering, this work was real.
We made our way to Cormier Plage, stopping for a look around the nearby community of Labadie, and a visit to a craft market Alex set up for us. We bought a king’s ransom of paintings, wooden bowls and boxes, little brightly-painted lizards made from metal reclaimed from old oil drums, and soapstone carvings. At the private resort of Cormier Plage, we rested on pristine beaches, took hot showers, drank cold beer, and partook of strange delicacies – fresh tomatoes, papaya, chocolate ice cream, chilled white wine. Tomorrow we would return to Cap Haitien in tap-taps to catch our flight back to Fort Lauderdale for another night in a swank hotel, and then set off in our various directions for Canada.
***
So much of this trip has seemed foreign and strange, like I borrowed someone else’s ill-fitting skin. I am covered in bed bug and mosquito bites, my bowels are still doing disturbing things, my hair feels like it grew out of a Barbie doll, and all of my clothes should be burned. My right eye has been twitching with exhaustion for seven days straight. I smell bad. This is my first trip, so I haven’t had the opportunity to see first-hand evidence of people coming back healthier than before they knew us. I’m sure it must be true, but every day there was so much to leave behind and push on through, to treat symptomatically or not at all.
I worry about about Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s observation that:
Haiti is the parish of the poor. In Haiti, it is not enough to heal wounds, for every day another wound opens up. It is not enough to give the poor food for one day, to buy them antibiotics one day, to teach them to read a few sentences, or to write a few words. Hypocrisy. The next day they will be starving again, feverish again, and they will never be able to buy the books that hold the words that might deliver them. {from Aristide’s Parish of the Poor (1990), quoted in Paul Farmer’s AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame (2nd edition, 2006)}
I hope we made a difference. There was the little girl whose life I’m sure was saved with two injections of antibiotics, and the man who got to go to TB clinic, the woman who might not have to die from diabetes. Karen and Carolyn both reminded me that a bag of simple pain medicine and antacid and vitamins might not mean much to someone who can run to the corner store, but to someone who has never had relief from a headache, it can seem a miracle. Maybe even knowing the world is watching and that someone bothered to come and care means something to the 1249 souls we met.
But I know this: in three years of medical school, constantly fighting against becoming detached from the various meanings of human suffering, this work was real.
~ Monica Kidd
Tuesday, November 6th
On our last half-day of clinic, we were scheduled for 75 people and saw 97. We finished up at one o’clock, each of us had a packet of cookies for lunch, then we all broke down the clinic. We went for our last swim, this time accompanied by ten or so kids, all naked expect for the one girl who wore pink undies. The last waves from the hurricane must finally have reached us, because we spent an hour body surfing. Yoella made up games with the kids – 1-2-3-belly flop, and sit-at-the-water’s-edge-and-wait-for-a-wave-to-push-us-back. Leon tried to do Patrick Swayze lifts with Yoella, which had us all doubled over with laughter. After showers and before supper, Leon and Yoella gave out some skipping ropes they had brought, which caused a minor state of emergency among the children gathered at the gate. For the rest of the night, each time any of us left the yard, it was to a chorus of Blanc! Blanc! Blanc!, which is their name for we pigment-challenged people. All night, little hands on our cameras and water bottles and bracelets.
~ Monica Kidd
Monday, November 5th
Our last full day of clinic. I drained an abscess behind someone’s ear, then Santo explained to him how to use a band-aid. I had two pregnant women to end my day. One, 26 years old and seven months along with a breast lump the size of an orange, and hard. We gave her pain medicine and told her we’d talk to her more about her lump in January, after she delivered. We never mentioned the word cancer. The second, 20 years old, without parents, and also seven months pregnant, had risen early, walked three-quarters of an hour to get to the clinic, and sat in the sun all day with an empty belly. I gave her a handful of fig newtons and raisins, along with a birthing kit. As I was explaining the contents to her, and how to cut the cord, it occurred to me she might not know what would soon be happening to her. “Have you ever seen the birth of a baby?” I asked.
“No.”
And so I told her, through the awkwardness of a translator, roughly what she could expect.
Yoella diagnosed a young woman with diabetes following a routine urine test. Tiffany gave her $60 to get herself seen at another hospital, knowing full well she will never get reliable access to insulin.
Leon won the pool – we saw 210 people.
We had roasted piglet and fried breadfruit (which has the same taste and consistency as French fries). Then Yoella and I (and eventually Steve) spent an hour on the roof feeling the wind, and watching the dark shapes of the clouds and the odd shooting star.
Tiffany checked her phone messages today, and there was one from the Canadian embassy, wondering if we’d survived the hurricane, which we now learned had killed at least one hundred people on the island of Hispaniola. Our families are likely freaking out. I called home and left a message.
“No.”
And so I told her, through the awkwardness of a translator, roughly what she could expect.
Yoella diagnosed a young woman with diabetes following a routine urine test. Tiffany gave her $60 to get herself seen at another hospital, knowing full well she will never get reliable access to insulin.
Leon won the pool – we saw 210 people.
We had roasted piglet and fried breadfruit (which has the same taste and consistency as French fries). Then Yoella and I (and eventually Steve) spent an hour on the roof feeling the wind, and watching the dark shapes of the clouds and the odd shooting star.
Tiffany checked her phone messages today, and there was one from the Canadian embassy, wondering if we’d survived the hurricane, which we now learned had killed at least one hundred people on the island of Hispaniola. Our families are likely freaking out. I called home and left a message.
~ Monica Kidd
Sunday, November 4th
Last night was rough. I slept for about an hour, and at midnight was awakened by a wet blanket of heat. My pillow was damp from my hair, and I had to strip down to my underwear. I got up for walk around in the perfect smile of the moon, tempted to sleep out on a sea grass matt on the cement terrace, but the thought of cockroaches on my face sent me back to our sweltering room. Then I couldn’t sleep at all. A noise something like wind through wires (but there was very little wind and no wires) was deafening – I had the sense I’d have to raise my voice to speak to Yoella, sleeping 10 feet away. After two hours of tossing in my own sweat and trying not to focus on the noise, I got up again and walked outside in my bare feet and shone my headlamp in the direction of the noise. Everything stopped.
Frogs!
I managed to go to sleep until about 3:30, when a racket ensued outside our room – someone was trying to open the sticky drawers of a desk. I assumed it was the translators, but no one was speaking, and the noise seemed a little too close to be coming from their room, so I got up with my headlamp again. Tiffany and Steve’s clothes were strewn around, and the box that had held them was tipped over. I put back the clothes, and looked inside the adjacent box marked “surgical supplies,” but nothing seemed to be missing. I went back to bed. Soon, Yoella and I heard more rustling in the banana trees. We went out then and moved the boxes into our room. Shortly after that, I had to get up with more bowel antics, and while doing my best to levitate above the well-used toilet seat, felt something wet and brief on my bare hip. I looked around for a drip from the roof and found nothing but a pale yellow frog trying to scale the window screen. Night of the Living Frog…
In the morning (meaning two hours later), other people were moving about, too. Dana was up reading a book and listening to her iPod, having been up a lot of the night with Sara, who is only a bit better. Karen was up four times, and now Yoella’s got a touch of it, too.
Today is our day off, and it is also Carolyn’s birthday. After breakfast, Tiffany and Steve came up to Jo’s roof so I could interview them for the documentary I plan to make for CBC. Yoella helped out on camera. After, Jo took a group of us for a walk up the hill behind Bod Me Limbe to do some sight-seeing and to meet the Voodou man, whose name I neglected to get. He gave me a very candid interview about his work and his tools. Then it was out to Caramel Island for an afternoon of swimming and drinking from coconuts; under Jo’s watchful eye, I cut one open with a machete for Yoella and me. Men and boys from the community stood on the shore of the island, hauling nets by hand, and a few girls skittered about. Mwele and Jordani took me out fishing in their open boat, and Mwele gave me an incredible interview about his life, which I hope to have broadcast on his behalf. And he told me a joke: A sole fish swam to the beach one day. God looked at him and said, “Why are you here?” The fish said, “I came to look at the beach and the sun and the sky.” God yelled, “Go back to where you came from!” then stomped on him with his mighty foot. And that’s how the sole fish became flat.
Back on the island, he fried up much of his catch for the group: caranngue, balbren, aran, safier, rodo, taza, sad (which Mwele said was the name for cod, but Jo maintained was the name for red snapper), tronpétfish, and djwólpave. Yoella and I poured a bit of rum into our coconut, which proved to be absolutely foul. But waste not, want not, so we poured the coconut juice and rum into a coke and choked that down. (Call it a rum and Coko.) More swimming, and then Steve took Yoella and I out to see a brick kiln built during the Napoleonic era, a fabulously huge and mysterious thing covered in vines and towering trees; this was how Yoella and I discovered we’re both Indiana Jones fans. Yoella turned back, and Steve and I continued on to the point, talking about the view, Newfoundland (he’s from the town of Stephenville – don’t bother, he’s heard that one already), and doing development work in Haiti. Back for one more dip in the cooling water before heading back to Bod Me Limbe. So much, so much today.
Mermaid
Suspended as though held by hands
I am silent as a fish,
hiding my cumbersome legs.
Lie back, lie back,
the girls say,
beneath a shocking blue.
At our nightly meeting, we had a pool to determine how many patients we’d see tomorrow. 150 were booked; bids ranged from 155 to 215. Out came a birthday cake for Carolyn. And then it was time for Voodou.
How can I begin to describe Voodou?
A crowd assembled outside the walls of our compound as we ate and made our birthday toasts to Carolyn. Four men took chairs and their instruments – three with drums and a fourth with a piece of iron played with something like a spoon. The few branches we bought for $60 were piled in the road in front of the compound, doused with gasoline and lit (with some difficulty in the gathering breeze). The music began and the queen, Edna (who is biologically a man but who lives as a woman; we couldn’t have Voodou night last night as planned because her dress wasn’t ready yet), began with her whistle, calling people to the dance.
Dancing, dancing, dancing. I won’t even try to explain. Arms, legs, bellies, chests, head. Call and response. Instant trances. And a few minutes after it began, the skies opened up and it began to pour. The whole crowd ran for the gates and flooded in, everyone behind the walls built to keep them out. One hundred bodies molded themselves into the gazebo where we eat, the music started again, and the queen began her work under one fluorescent bulb. One song – 30 minutes – later, the rain had stopped and we all went out to the road again. As Steve tried to revive the fire, dancing re-commenced around two oil lamps, one held inside a plastic bucket on a woman’s head. More dancing, more dancing. This time in inches of slime left by the rain. I put down my recording gear, and then and it was time to play. A little girl found me and started to dance. She was a tiny spell: ropy arms and legs, thin as a whip, and mute, breathing music. There was wisdom in the movement of her spine, her hips, her arms above her head pulled by the power of the night. I did my best to follow her lead. She was completely timeless. I left when a man cut in and pushed her out of the way.
More dancing, and a dart into Jo’s for a glass of rum punch he was selling. Then out again. More dancing, my hair completely wet with sweat, children grabbing at my hands, my hair. The little girl found me again and again that night, the smell of ganja thick in the air. Rivelino came to find me and insisted I get my camera, which I did. A man was ready to start eating fire. He led me to the embers of our earlier fire where a crowd had gathered and a man crouched on the ground. One by one, he began popping glowing coals into his mouth, propelled by the music and the pulsing of the crowd. “How does he not get hurt?” I asked Rivelino. His answer: He has the spirits.
We watched for a few minutes, me filming by the light of the dying fire, then a second man came and crouched down low, straddling the coals. Shouts broke out and the fire-eater flew at him, landing them men in the coals. A couple of people used sticks to keep back the crowd, and there was shoving, Rivelino protecting me from the onslaught.
More dancing. So much more dancing.
Before bed, I dumped a bucket of water of my head and was cooled.
Frogs!
I managed to go to sleep until about 3:30, when a racket ensued outside our room – someone was trying to open the sticky drawers of a desk. I assumed it was the translators, but no one was speaking, and the noise seemed a little too close to be coming from their room, so I got up with my headlamp again. Tiffany and Steve’s clothes were strewn around, and the box that had held them was tipped over. I put back the clothes, and looked inside the adjacent box marked “surgical supplies,” but nothing seemed to be missing. I went back to bed. Soon, Yoella and I heard more rustling in the banana trees. We went out then and moved the boxes into our room. Shortly after that, I had to get up with more bowel antics, and while doing my best to levitate above the well-used toilet seat, felt something wet and brief on my bare hip. I looked around for a drip from the roof and found nothing but a pale yellow frog trying to scale the window screen. Night of the Living Frog…
In the morning (meaning two hours later), other people were moving about, too. Dana was up reading a book and listening to her iPod, having been up a lot of the night with Sara, who is only a bit better. Karen was up four times, and now Yoella’s got a touch of it, too.
Today is our day off, and it is also Carolyn’s birthday. After breakfast, Tiffany and Steve came up to Jo’s roof so I could interview them for the documentary I plan to make for CBC. Yoella helped out on camera. After, Jo took a group of us for a walk up the hill behind Bod Me Limbe to do some sight-seeing and to meet the Voodou man, whose name I neglected to get. He gave me a very candid interview about his work and his tools. Then it was out to Caramel Island for an afternoon of swimming and drinking from coconuts; under Jo’s watchful eye, I cut one open with a machete for Yoella and me. Men and boys from the community stood on the shore of the island, hauling nets by hand, and a few girls skittered about. Mwele and Jordani took me out fishing in their open boat, and Mwele gave me an incredible interview about his life, which I hope to have broadcast on his behalf. And he told me a joke: A sole fish swam to the beach one day. God looked at him and said, “Why are you here?” The fish said, “I came to look at the beach and the sun and the sky.” God yelled, “Go back to where you came from!” then stomped on him with his mighty foot. And that’s how the sole fish became flat.
Back on the island, he fried up much of his catch for the group: caranngue, balbren, aran, safier, rodo, taza, sad (which Mwele said was the name for cod, but Jo maintained was the name for red snapper), tronpétfish, and djwólpave. Yoella and I poured a bit of rum into our coconut, which proved to be absolutely foul. But waste not, want not, so we poured the coconut juice and rum into a coke and choked that down. (Call it a rum and Coko.) More swimming, and then Steve took Yoella and I out to see a brick kiln built during the Napoleonic era, a fabulously huge and mysterious thing covered in vines and towering trees; this was how Yoella and I discovered we’re both Indiana Jones fans. Yoella turned back, and Steve and I continued on to the point, talking about the view, Newfoundland (he’s from the town of Stephenville – don’t bother, he’s heard that one already), and doing development work in Haiti. Back for one more dip in the cooling water before heading back to Bod Me Limbe. So much, so much today.
Mermaid
Suspended as though held by hands
I am silent as a fish,
hiding my cumbersome legs.
Lie back, lie back,
the girls say,
beneath a shocking blue.
At our nightly meeting, we had a pool to determine how many patients we’d see tomorrow. 150 were booked; bids ranged from 155 to 215. Out came a birthday cake for Carolyn. And then it was time for Voodou.
How can I begin to describe Voodou?
A crowd assembled outside the walls of our compound as we ate and made our birthday toasts to Carolyn. Four men took chairs and their instruments – three with drums and a fourth with a piece of iron played with something like a spoon. The few branches we bought for $60 were piled in the road in front of the compound, doused with gasoline and lit (with some difficulty in the gathering breeze). The music began and the queen, Edna (who is biologically a man but who lives as a woman; we couldn’t have Voodou night last night as planned because her dress wasn’t ready yet), began with her whistle, calling people to the dance.
Dancing, dancing, dancing. I won’t even try to explain. Arms, legs, bellies, chests, head. Call and response. Instant trances. And a few minutes after it began, the skies opened up and it began to pour. The whole crowd ran for the gates and flooded in, everyone behind the walls built to keep them out. One hundred bodies molded themselves into the gazebo where we eat, the music started again, and the queen began her work under one fluorescent bulb. One song – 30 minutes – later, the rain had stopped and we all went out to the road again. As Steve tried to revive the fire, dancing re-commenced around two oil lamps, one held inside a plastic bucket on a woman’s head. More dancing, more dancing. This time in inches of slime left by the rain. I put down my recording gear, and then and it was time to play. A little girl found me and started to dance. She was a tiny spell: ropy arms and legs, thin as a whip, and mute, breathing music. There was wisdom in the movement of her spine, her hips, her arms above her head pulled by the power of the night. I did my best to follow her lead. She was completely timeless. I left when a man cut in and pushed her out of the way.
More dancing, and a dart into Jo’s for a glass of rum punch he was selling. Then out again. More dancing, my hair completely wet with sweat, children grabbing at my hands, my hair. The little girl found me again and again that night, the smell of ganja thick in the air. Rivelino came to find me and insisted I get my camera, which I did. A man was ready to start eating fire. He led me to the embers of our earlier fire where a crowd had gathered and a man crouched on the ground. One by one, he began popping glowing coals into his mouth, propelled by the music and the pulsing of the crowd. “How does he not get hurt?” I asked Rivelino. His answer: He has the spirits.
We watched for a few minutes, me filming by the light of the dying fire, then a second man came and crouched down low, straddling the coals. Shouts broke out and the fire-eater flew at him, landing them men in the coals. A couple of people used sticks to keep back the crowd, and there was shoving, Rivelino protecting me from the onslaught.
More dancing. So much more dancing.
Before bed, I dumped a bucket of water of my head and was cooled.
~ Monica Kidd
Saturday, November 3rd
Sara and Angela are now down with it, too. I (knock wood) think I’m mostly over mine.
The little girl who was so sick last night appeared at breakfast and sat on her mother’s lap, eating a banana. Remarkable. She’ll get her second shot today and they’ll be on their way.
This morning, I saw a goiter the size of a softball, polydactyly, and epididymitis. Yoella saw a child so wasted he looked like an old man, and whose mom was not much better. I saw the boy waiting outside the examining room and wondered how he got the strength to breathe. She had four other children at home, and five others had already died. When someone asked why she had had so many children, she said, “The devil told me to have twelve.” She accepted an injection of contraception, and a supply of infant formula as a temporary supplement.
I had been wondering what was going to break me. All week long it’s been a horrifying blur of malnutrition and poverty and illness. But with so much flying by every day, and being unable to speak directly to anyone, nothing has really been sticking, no individual stories. But today, just before lunch, when we’d finished morning clinic early for the first time, when it was cool and we were in high spirits, Steve asked me if I’d see Mwele’s friend – he had no registration card, but he’d come a long well, and well… He was 27 years old, and had been having a runny nose for two years. No headaches, no changes with the seasons. I looked up the right side of his nose – nothing. But even before I could put my otoscope in the left side of his nose, I saw a white, gristly looking thing. I asked him to try to breathe through that nare, but no air passed. I went to get Tiffany, and she pointed out that his left eye was noticeably more bulging than his right.
On the spot, Tiffany diagnosed him with a brain tumour. Cap Haitien has a CT scanner, but no neurosurgeon; his only option would be to go to the U.S. Which was a bit like telling him to go to Mars. We sent him away with some nose spray and three months worth of pain medicine for when the pain started.
After, as I closed up my examining room and was walking over for lunch, I broke. Haiti is a nation of freed slaves – a heritage based on having to been bought to work as animals. Now that they’re free (or least have democratically elective president), they’re left to die like animals. Many things have horrified me here, but this one cut my heart to tiny bits. Why this more than the wasted child or the man with no nose? No reason at all. But while this work had made sense to me before in an intellectual way, now I knew it in my gut.
Evening
186 people today. After supper, Eunnie, Yoella, Karen and I watched the ThinkFilm documentary Ghosts of Cite Soleil on Jo’s laptop. It’s a film about armed gangs in a part of Port Au Prince the UN has declared “the most dangerous place on earth.” Incredible footage – candid, raw, heartbreaking. Afterwards, Karen said she’d watched part of the film last night with some of the translators and was surprised to hear then say they weren’t very impressed by it, that things weren’t really like that in Haiti. We got into a discussion then, and I suggested it is human nature to not take things that go on at home as seriously as things that are packaged from afar – otherwise, why weren’t all of us doing this work in Labrador working with troubled Innu communities, say? Karen said she wasn’t in Labrador because as unfortunate as things are there, at least Canada has resources for people to better themselves; here in Haiti it is hopeless for so many of even the most driven people. I told her I thought there must also be some element the rural-urban divide. As a small-town kid who grew up on the prairies, I hadn’t a clue what went on in Calgary or Vancouver, and we had television and cars, so maybe our translators felt a few steps removed from the politics of Port Au Prince. She told me about how disgusted she was, in a store the moment news broke of the attacks of September 11th, 2001 – she checked with the cashier to make sure she’d heard correctly, and the cashier said, “I think so. Hey, that shirt comes in blue, too.” But don’t we all do that to a certain extent? It’s the same process that allows me to walk by a seriously malnourished child, think, “That’s a shame,” and keep on walking, chewing my gum.
The little girl who was so sick last night appeared at breakfast and sat on her mother’s lap, eating a banana. Remarkable. She’ll get her second shot today and they’ll be on their way.
This morning, I saw a goiter the size of a softball, polydactyly, and epididymitis. Yoella saw a child so wasted he looked like an old man, and whose mom was not much better. I saw the boy waiting outside the examining room and wondered how he got the strength to breathe. She had four other children at home, and five others had already died. When someone asked why she had had so many children, she said, “The devil told me to have twelve.” She accepted an injection of contraception, and a supply of infant formula as a temporary supplement.
I had been wondering what was going to break me. All week long it’s been a horrifying blur of malnutrition and poverty and illness. But with so much flying by every day, and being unable to speak directly to anyone, nothing has really been sticking, no individual stories. But today, just before lunch, when we’d finished morning clinic early for the first time, when it was cool and we were in high spirits, Steve asked me if I’d see Mwele’s friend – he had no registration card, but he’d come a long well, and well… He was 27 years old, and had been having a runny nose for two years. No headaches, no changes with the seasons. I looked up the right side of his nose – nothing. But even before I could put my otoscope in the left side of his nose, I saw a white, gristly looking thing. I asked him to try to breathe through that nare, but no air passed. I went to get Tiffany, and she pointed out that his left eye was noticeably more bulging than his right.
On the spot, Tiffany diagnosed him with a brain tumour. Cap Haitien has a CT scanner, but no neurosurgeon; his only option would be to go to the U.S. Which was a bit like telling him to go to Mars. We sent him away with some nose spray and three months worth of pain medicine for when the pain started.
After, as I closed up my examining room and was walking over for lunch, I broke. Haiti is a nation of freed slaves – a heritage based on having to been bought to work as animals. Now that they’re free (or least have democratically elective president), they’re left to die like animals. Many things have horrified me here, but this one cut my heart to tiny bits. Why this more than the wasted child or the man with no nose? No reason at all. But while this work had made sense to me before in an intellectual way, now I knew it in my gut.
Evening
186 people today. After supper, Eunnie, Yoella, Karen and I watched the ThinkFilm documentary Ghosts of Cite Soleil on Jo’s laptop. It’s a film about armed gangs in a part of Port Au Prince the UN has declared “the most dangerous place on earth.” Incredible footage – candid, raw, heartbreaking. Afterwards, Karen said she’d watched part of the film last night with some of the translators and was surprised to hear then say they weren’t very impressed by it, that things weren’t really like that in Haiti. We got into a discussion then, and I suggested it is human nature to not take things that go on at home as seriously as things that are packaged from afar – otherwise, why weren’t all of us doing this work in Labrador working with troubled Innu communities, say? Karen said she wasn’t in Labrador because as unfortunate as things are there, at least Canada has resources for people to better themselves; here in Haiti it is hopeless for so many of even the most driven people. I told her I thought there must also be some element the rural-urban divide. As a small-town kid who grew up on the prairies, I hadn’t a clue what went on in Calgary or Vancouver, and we had television and cars, so maybe our translators felt a few steps removed from the politics of Port Au Prince. She told me about how disgusted she was, in a store the moment news broke of the attacks of September 11th, 2001 – she checked with the cashier to make sure she’d heard correctly, and the cashier said, “I think so. Hey, that shirt comes in blue, too.” But don’t we all do that to a certain extent? It’s the same process that allows me to walk by a seriously malnourished child, think, “That’s a shame,” and keep on walking, chewing my gum.
~ Monica Kidd
Friday, November 2nd
Karen introduced Yoella and me to the roof of the school with its view of Bod Me Limbe. We came down to find that Steve had been awake all night, vomiting. We walked over the Jo’s house for a breakfast of oatmeal, mango, bread and manba with coffee, and passed a group of kids with shaved heads and white designs drawn with chalk. I asked the translators later if there was any significance, and they said, “Just for pleasure. They don’t have much.”
Yoella saw a man, grunting in pain, his neck muscles straining with the effort of holding up his head as he was helped away for IV fluids. I wondered if that was what end-stage AIDS looks like.
Dana saw a man whose nose was kicked off by a donkey. Angela saw a baby with pneumonia in respiratory distress. The girl is too sick for her mother to walk home with her, then come back in the morning for a second injection of antibiotics, so the two will spend the night with us.
I met Juliette, 18 years old and one week beyond her due date, covered with scars from being beaten by her parents for being pregnant. When I asked her who would help her with her birth, she said, “My parents.” Then a woman, looking sick as death, but with normal vital signs. Tiffany told her she felt it might be typhoid fever, and she told us that, yes, she’d had that in the past. There was a fifteen year-old girl with scabies so bad it looked like leprosy. A nine year-old kid who barfed up a worm.
Yoella met two elderly women who explained that they were homeless; they were covered with infections and had nothing in the world but each other. She was nearly in tears presenting their story to Tiffany, who felt for them (and her), but maintains a strict policy of giving money to people only for medical treatment. Yoella handed them pain medication, treatment for their infections, vitamins, a drink of water, and then she ran to our room to make them a care package from her own store of granola bars.
I had my first bout of bowel antics this morning. I knew something was brewing because this morning I woke with a headache and back ache that would not go away. I’m hoping for a 24-hour thing.
It’s Blackstone’s birthday today. Late in the afternoon, he was pretending to be drunk, singing a song about how everyone hated him. When he wasn’t at supper (bulgar, beef, pickle and fried plaintain), we wondering if maybe he hadn’t been pretending.
186 people today, and tonight, a sky full of stars.
Yoella saw a man, grunting in pain, his neck muscles straining with the effort of holding up his head as he was helped away for IV fluids. I wondered if that was what end-stage AIDS looks like.
Dana saw a man whose nose was kicked off by a donkey. Angela saw a baby with pneumonia in respiratory distress. The girl is too sick for her mother to walk home with her, then come back in the morning for a second injection of antibiotics, so the two will spend the night with us.
I met Juliette, 18 years old and one week beyond her due date, covered with scars from being beaten by her parents for being pregnant. When I asked her who would help her with her birth, she said, “My parents.” Then a woman, looking sick as death, but with normal vital signs. Tiffany told her she felt it might be typhoid fever, and she told us that, yes, she’d had that in the past. There was a fifteen year-old girl with scabies so bad it looked like leprosy. A nine year-old kid who barfed up a worm.
Yoella met two elderly women who explained that they were homeless; they were covered with infections and had nothing in the world but each other. She was nearly in tears presenting their story to Tiffany, who felt for them (and her), but maintains a strict policy of giving money to people only for medical treatment. Yoella handed them pain medication, treatment for their infections, vitamins, a drink of water, and then she ran to our room to make them a care package from her own store of granola bars.
I had my first bout of bowel antics this morning. I knew something was brewing because this morning I woke with a headache and back ache that would not go away. I’m hoping for a 24-hour thing.
It’s Blackstone’s birthday today. Late in the afternoon, he was pretending to be drunk, singing a song about how everyone hated him. When he wasn’t at supper (bulgar, beef, pickle and fried plaintain), we wondering if maybe he hadn’t been pretending.
186 people today, and tonight, a sky full of stars.
~ Monica Kidd
Thursday, November 1st
At five o’clock, a beautiful plaintive song drifted through our open shutters from Alex’s radio with its bent-wire antenna, the sound of crickets and distant roar of the ocean in the background. Yoella and I got up to go watch the sunrise and the fishermen put out to sea. A small fire was burning in one house, and already women and kids were wandering around with buckets and toys, respectively. A young girl named Saintaly Nelson showed up her topy, which is a ping pong ball with a nail through it and a string to pull to set it to spinning. When we got back to the school, I gave Yoella a poem for her birthday:
No birds in the trees here,
where women’s eyes are burned by the sun
and the sea stirs a nightly pot of turquoise.
Children pad barefoot through broken
bits of flotsam and stare
their silent challenge
at our walls of language.
Tonight the world lies in perfect darkness,
Haiti’s hot breath on our skin.
Later that morning
It’s nine AM. Already I’ve tested someone for malaria, diagnosed a meniscal tear, and a range of arthritic and stomach troubles. Tiffany and Steve’s tent is on the roof. Fritz Pierre, a lawyer from the city who works with the humanitarian group Vwa Ayti (Voice of Haiti) has come to speak to the men’s and women’s committees tonight about a project to build community toilets; he used my examining room as a bedroom last night and has left a mosquito coil burning, which gives off a delicious incense. The air is cool and fragrant.
A woman came in with her daughter, who explained her mother had been struck by a fever a month ago, and since then she has been unable to speak, and too weak to use her spoon. Her mother also said she felt something hard in her stomach, and had been losing weight and bleeding from her rectum. When I examined her, she had no neurological problems whatsoever – she could move her tongue, swallow, make intimidating fists, and walk without difficulty. She also spoke a few words to her daughter, yet she believed she couldn’t. Maybe another Voodou experience? But there was, indeed, a lump in her stomach, as big and hard as a softball. That, combined with the weight loss and rectal bleeding, likely meant cancer. And there was nothing we could do.
Later, a woman told me she had, several times over the last few years, fallen out of bed with evil spirits. Epilepsy? More Voodou? I saw elephantiasis of the scrotum. Yoella had a patient who told her, “I came here to die.”
Evening
Karen's sister tracked down Jo’s cell phone and called to ask if she was alright – apparently a big storm hit Haiti the other day, and we had no inkling. We all wondered what people were thinking at home. By the end of an airless afternoon, we had seen 192, though only 125 were scheduled. We sorted files until nightfall, by headlamp. Even Fritz helped. Things I learned today: coconut is good for constipation, a mouthwash of boiled cloves is good for toothache (I always thought you had to jam a raw clove near the painful tooth), and ginger water is good for nausea.
At supper, Leon presented Yoella with a group gift, comprised of three boxes, two containing items he smuggled out of her own luggage, and a box of candy from the endless supply in his lab. Lots of laughter. Afterwards, Fritz held his meeting about the toilets. Thirty men and women from the community piled into a tiny classroom and debated for two hours, with various people standing to give their passionate soliloquies. No one disagrees with the toilets; but who will build them, who will maintain them, and who will get paid are matters of extreme delicacy.
No birds in the trees here,
where women’s eyes are burned by the sun
and the sea stirs a nightly pot of turquoise.
Children pad barefoot through broken
bits of flotsam and stare
their silent challenge
at our walls of language.
Tonight the world lies in perfect darkness,
Haiti’s hot breath on our skin.
Later that morning
It’s nine AM. Already I’ve tested someone for malaria, diagnosed a meniscal tear, and a range of arthritic and stomach troubles. Tiffany and Steve’s tent is on the roof. Fritz Pierre, a lawyer from the city who works with the humanitarian group Vwa Ayti (Voice of Haiti) has come to speak to the men’s and women’s committees tonight about a project to build community toilets; he used my examining room as a bedroom last night and has left a mosquito coil burning, which gives off a delicious incense. The air is cool and fragrant.
A woman came in with her daughter, who explained her mother had been struck by a fever a month ago, and since then she has been unable to speak, and too weak to use her spoon. Her mother also said she felt something hard in her stomach, and had been losing weight and bleeding from her rectum. When I examined her, she had no neurological problems whatsoever – she could move her tongue, swallow, make intimidating fists, and walk without difficulty. She also spoke a few words to her daughter, yet she believed she couldn’t. Maybe another Voodou experience? But there was, indeed, a lump in her stomach, as big and hard as a softball. That, combined with the weight loss and rectal bleeding, likely meant cancer. And there was nothing we could do.
Later, a woman told me she had, several times over the last few years, fallen out of bed with evil spirits. Epilepsy? More Voodou? I saw elephantiasis of the scrotum. Yoella had a patient who told her, “I came here to die.”
Evening
Karen's sister tracked down Jo’s cell phone and called to ask if she was alright – apparently a big storm hit Haiti the other day, and we had no inkling. We all wondered what people were thinking at home. By the end of an airless afternoon, we had seen 192, though only 125 were scheduled. We sorted files until nightfall, by headlamp. Even Fritz helped. Things I learned today: coconut is good for constipation, a mouthwash of boiled cloves is good for toothache (I always thought you had to jam a raw clove near the painful tooth), and ginger water is good for nausea.
At supper, Leon presented Yoella with a group gift, comprised of three boxes, two containing items he smuggled out of her own luggage, and a box of candy from the endless supply in his lab. Lots of laughter. Afterwards, Fritz held his meeting about the toilets. Thirty men and women from the community piled into a tiny classroom and debated for two hours, with various people standing to give their passionate soliloquies. No one disagrees with the toilets; but who will build them, who will maintain them, and who will get paid are matters of extreme delicacy.
~ Monica Kidd
Wednesday, October 31st
06:00
Sun this morning. And finally, the birds. Yoella has been looking for them the whole time. It’s her birthday tomorrow – they came for her.
Noon
A woman came to me today and described a darkening of the vision, followed by a fainting spell that lasted eight days. She was not hungry, dehydrated, upset. Others in the family get it, too. Tiffany smiled a little. “People will describe lots of things when they feel someone has done Voodou on them.” Voodou remains a dominant religion in Haiti.
I also saw my first patient with tuberculosis today. He said he’d been coughing blood for two years. Leon worked him up in the lab, and came to give me the results decked out in a blue paper gown and duckbill mask. We asked the man to come back tomorrow, when we will give him money to be seen at a tuberculosis clinic.
And this: a woman came and my translator said she was pregnant. According to her chart, she had been four months pregnant in April. Since it’s now October, she should have had the baby a month ago. “Did she have her baby?” “No.” “Did she have a miscarriage?” “No.” “Well, she can’t still be pregnant,” I said, looking at her flat belly. “Yes, she is.” “If the information on her chart was correct, she’d be ten months pregnant.” “Yes.” “Women are only pregnant for nine months.” “She had the baby.” “Okay, when did she have the baby?” “In May.” “And the baby lived?” “Yes.” “Okay, the information on her chart must have been wrong. Where is the baby?” “It’s in her belly.” Fifteen minutes passed as my translator and I got increasingly frustrated with each other. I sent the woman for a pregnancy test. It was negative. I have no idea what happened to her. I gave her antacid and vitamins and sent her on her way.
Evening
We saw 166 patients today. Optometry worked more smoothly. Two armed police officers showed up in the morning to help with crowd control, but I never saw them again. The ladies outside had candy to sell today, in addition to their cassava. Dana saw a massive tumour in a woman’s abdomen, and many more cataracts.
The language barrier became intensely frustrating for me today. There was that thing with the maybe pregnant/maybe not woman, and I can’t ask people how they spend their days or how they make ends meet because for whatever reason the translators often will not translate these questions. I can barely muster niceties with my patients, and it is deflating asking about symptoms of headaches and stomach aches only to get irrelevant answers. That combined with the constant suggestion of danger beyond the walls of the compound leaves me feeling very isolated from the people I came here to learn about. I’d love to come back, but not without some language ability – Creole or French.
(I am getting eaten alive. Excuse me while I crawl under my net.)
So, after seeing 166 patients, we still managed to finish up at four, then Steve suggested we go to the island for a swim. He arranged for Mwele and Berthany to row us over in the La Mizekoz (“The Cause of Misery”). The boat defies description. It is made from hand-hewn lumber, about eighteen feet long and three feet deep and wide, with oarlocks made from wooden pegs and soles from old sandals for padding. In the bottom is a hole plugged with a plastic champagne cork for drainage. Ten or so of us hauled the boat down the beach with the aid of a small log underneath for rolling, and while holding the boat in the not insignificant breakers, we each jumped from the waist-deep water over the gunwales, timing the waves. Mwele and Berthany manned the oars, ten feet long if they were an inch. We crept over the breakers and toward the island.
White sand, handsome trees hanging low with nuts of some kind, drifts of sea grass. We hung our towels in the trees and splashed around in the water, feeling warm and clean and salty, looking out over green mountainsides and a new cell phone tower. When darkness began to gather, we piled back in the boat and made for shore. When we landed, we were mobbed by small children in various forms of undress. One small boy, naked from the waist down, strode in front of me and took his place at the gunwale, heaving along with the rest of us to the call of Allez! Allez! Allez! The boy scrambled up over the sharp rocks in bare feet. On shore, we congratulated ourselves for our adventure, and on the way back to Sunflower House, an even larger group of kids gathered around and started to sing in their small voices, Gei pei! Gei pei! (I have no idea how to spell this.) Gei pei is a hilarious little shaking dance kids do en masse that imitates a chicken. After we all jiggled for a bit, the kids formed a circle. One boy took centre stage, while another took his place at an overturned bucket and began pounding out a beat. The boy in the centre began shaking and dancing like a seasoned hip hop artist – he was truly talented. He couldn’t have been more than seven years old.
Showers all around then, followed by supper – rice, chicken, and a dish of chick peas in mashed avocado. Leon broke out a deck of cards and taught us all how to play Pass the Ace, and dead-pan Eunnie began cursing in creole. Jo produced a bottle of Haitian rum and when that was drained, another magically appeared. I cut out at eight thirty or so, and walked Blackstone back over to the clinic – he claimed he was afraid of the dark – and he proceeded to tell me about his family trouble and that he hoped he might get some money for his birthday in two days to be able to head off to mechanic school so he can “make something” of himself.
Many stars out tonight. Happy Hallowe’en.
Sun this morning. And finally, the birds. Yoella has been looking for them the whole time. It’s her birthday tomorrow – they came for her.
Noon
A woman came to me today and described a darkening of the vision, followed by a fainting spell that lasted eight days. She was not hungry, dehydrated, upset. Others in the family get it, too. Tiffany smiled a little. “People will describe lots of things when they feel someone has done Voodou on them.” Voodou remains a dominant religion in Haiti.
I also saw my first patient with tuberculosis today. He said he’d been coughing blood for two years. Leon worked him up in the lab, and came to give me the results decked out in a blue paper gown and duckbill mask. We asked the man to come back tomorrow, when we will give him money to be seen at a tuberculosis clinic.
And this: a woman came and my translator said she was pregnant. According to her chart, she had been four months pregnant in April. Since it’s now October, she should have had the baby a month ago. “Did she have her baby?” “No.” “Did she have a miscarriage?” “No.” “Well, she can’t still be pregnant,” I said, looking at her flat belly. “Yes, she is.” “If the information on her chart was correct, she’d be ten months pregnant.” “Yes.” “Women are only pregnant for nine months.” “She had the baby.” “Okay, when did she have the baby?” “In May.” “And the baby lived?” “Yes.” “Okay, the information on her chart must have been wrong. Where is the baby?” “It’s in her belly.” Fifteen minutes passed as my translator and I got increasingly frustrated with each other. I sent the woman for a pregnancy test. It was negative. I have no idea what happened to her. I gave her antacid and vitamins and sent her on her way.
Evening
We saw 166 patients today. Optometry worked more smoothly. Two armed police officers showed up in the morning to help with crowd control, but I never saw them again. The ladies outside had candy to sell today, in addition to their cassava. Dana saw a massive tumour in a woman’s abdomen, and many more cataracts.
The language barrier became intensely frustrating for me today. There was that thing with the maybe pregnant/maybe not woman, and I can’t ask people how they spend their days or how they make ends meet because for whatever reason the translators often will not translate these questions. I can barely muster niceties with my patients, and it is deflating asking about symptoms of headaches and stomach aches only to get irrelevant answers. That combined with the constant suggestion of danger beyond the walls of the compound leaves me feeling very isolated from the people I came here to learn about. I’d love to come back, but not without some language ability – Creole or French.
(I am getting eaten alive. Excuse me while I crawl under my net.)
So, after seeing 166 patients, we still managed to finish up at four, then Steve suggested we go to the island for a swim. He arranged for Mwele and Berthany to row us over in the La Mizekoz (“The Cause of Misery”). The boat defies description. It is made from hand-hewn lumber, about eighteen feet long and three feet deep and wide, with oarlocks made from wooden pegs and soles from old sandals for padding. In the bottom is a hole plugged with a plastic champagne cork for drainage. Ten or so of us hauled the boat down the beach with the aid of a small log underneath for rolling, and while holding the boat in the not insignificant breakers, we each jumped from the waist-deep water over the gunwales, timing the waves. Mwele and Berthany manned the oars, ten feet long if they were an inch. We crept over the breakers and toward the island.
White sand, handsome trees hanging low with nuts of some kind, drifts of sea grass. We hung our towels in the trees and splashed around in the water, feeling warm and clean and salty, looking out over green mountainsides and a new cell phone tower. When darkness began to gather, we piled back in the boat and made for shore. When we landed, we were mobbed by small children in various forms of undress. One small boy, naked from the waist down, strode in front of me and took his place at the gunwale, heaving along with the rest of us to the call of Allez! Allez! Allez! The boy scrambled up over the sharp rocks in bare feet. On shore, we congratulated ourselves for our adventure, and on the way back to Sunflower House, an even larger group of kids gathered around and started to sing in their small voices, Gei pei! Gei pei! (I have no idea how to spell this.) Gei pei is a hilarious little shaking dance kids do en masse that imitates a chicken. After we all jiggled for a bit, the kids formed a circle. One boy took centre stage, while another took his place at an overturned bucket and began pounding out a beat. The boy in the centre began shaking and dancing like a seasoned hip hop artist – he was truly talented. He couldn’t have been more than seven years old.
Showers all around then, followed by supper – rice, chicken, and a dish of chick peas in mashed avocado. Leon broke out a deck of cards and taught us all how to play Pass the Ace, and dead-pan Eunnie began cursing in creole. Jo produced a bottle of Haitian rum and when that was drained, another magically appeared. I cut out at eight thirty or so, and walked Blackstone back over to the clinic – he claimed he was afraid of the dark – and he proceeded to tell me about his family trouble and that he hoped he might get some money for his birthday in two days to be able to head off to mechanic school so he can “make something” of himself.
Many stars out tonight. Happy Hallowe’en.
~ Monica Kidd
Tuesday, October 30th
And on the second day, it rained. The roosters, followed the translators with their laughter and carrying on, woke us at six. Outside the compound, men rowed back through the rolling surf in their fishing boats. For breakfast we had avocado milkshakes (that was not a typo) and oatmeal with cloves, cinnamon and cocoa, more bread and manba, bananas, and strong coffee. In a pause in the conversation Berthany asked Yoella and me if we believed in God. We both said no, and then Berthany held court on his strong Catholic convictions. Karen joined the conversation looking rather surprised at our breakfast chatter, and told Berthany about Mother Theresa, whose recently (and posthumously) published diary revealed she doubted the existence of God. We walked back in the rain at seven-thirty to find the first people waiting to be seen. Steve and a man from the village tied up a tarp for people to stand under.
Noon
We were off to a slow start this morning, I think because of the rain. I’d only seen one patient by nine o’clock. Leon, as usual, was run off of his feet trying to do both optometry and the lab. I saw several people complaining of abdominal pain, burning pee, and general aches and pains. By noon we’d seen more than sixty people – slightly less the number we saw all day yesterday.
But not without incident. Mid-morning, as I was assessing three children with the now familiar distended bellies, a crowd of people began to agitate. There was yelling and jostling. Finally, Jo came to smooth things over. The plan today was to admit people in batches of twelve or so, rather than have people milling around in the corridors, but this made them feel as though they were being excluded and they were angry. Interesting contrast to people’s demeanour in our examining rooms, where they are disturbingly impassive and often leave without saying anything at all.
Some women outside the fence have set up a bustling trade in fried cassava for those who wait to be seen. A horse is tethered outside today, and there is an albino woman.
Evening
We saw more than 150 people today. We had malaria for the first time today. Tiffany gave money to a family so their child could go off and have surgery. Complete mayhem ensued over glasses. Some of us realized too late that people were to have been seen by the doctor or by the optometrist, not by both. That will change tomorrow. This is the first time the team has been able to give out glasses, thanks to a donation of 3,000 pairs from the Lion’s Club, and Leon was surprised to find people were not always overjoyed. He expected giving out glasses would be the instant gratification job. But he found people were often disappointed with their frames, and so might not tell the truth when he asked them to chose which pair helped them see better. Leon says he is surprised to have found vanity here; he thought that in a place without food, people might be more focused on the basics. Next trip the team will also bring down bring down sunglasses for people with sun damage. There are so many cataracts here.
We finished up around six, then head directly over to Jo’s house for supper – rice with bean sauce, lobster curry, fried plaintain, and pickle (pronounced “pickly”), which is a cabbage salad with hot peppers. After supper, spontaneous singling broke out, led at separate tables by Yoella, Leon and Angela. Leon challenged Blackstone to a dance-off and every one of us was laughing until we were doubled over or crying.
Afterwards, Steve, Karen, Yoella and I went up on Jo’s roof and watched the lightning and the few stars, the lights from the French villas. No light from the village – no electricity, and no wood for fires.
Noon
We were off to a slow start this morning, I think because of the rain. I’d only seen one patient by nine o’clock. Leon, as usual, was run off of his feet trying to do both optometry and the lab. I saw several people complaining of abdominal pain, burning pee, and general aches and pains. By noon we’d seen more than sixty people – slightly less the number we saw all day yesterday.
But not without incident. Mid-morning, as I was assessing three children with the now familiar distended bellies, a crowd of people began to agitate. There was yelling and jostling. Finally, Jo came to smooth things over. The plan today was to admit people in batches of twelve or so, rather than have people milling around in the corridors, but this made them feel as though they were being excluded and they were angry. Interesting contrast to people’s demeanour in our examining rooms, where they are disturbingly impassive and often leave without saying anything at all.
Some women outside the fence have set up a bustling trade in fried cassava for those who wait to be seen. A horse is tethered outside today, and there is an albino woman.
Evening
We saw more than 150 people today. We had malaria for the first time today. Tiffany gave money to a family so their child could go off and have surgery. Complete mayhem ensued over glasses. Some of us realized too late that people were to have been seen by the doctor or by the optometrist, not by both. That will change tomorrow. This is the first time the team has been able to give out glasses, thanks to a donation of 3,000 pairs from the Lion’s Club, and Leon was surprised to find people were not always overjoyed. He expected giving out glasses would be the instant gratification job. But he found people were often disappointed with their frames, and so might not tell the truth when he asked them to chose which pair helped them see better. Leon says he is surprised to have found vanity here; he thought that in a place without food, people might be more focused on the basics. Next trip the team will also bring down bring down sunglasses for people with sun damage. There are so many cataracts here.
We finished up around six, then head directly over to Jo’s house for supper – rice with bean sauce, lobster curry, fried plaintain, and pickle (pronounced “pickly”), which is a cabbage salad with hot peppers. After supper, spontaneous singling broke out, led at separate tables by Yoella, Leon and Angela. Leon challenged Blackstone to a dance-off and every one of us was laughing until we were doubled over or crying.
Afterwards, Steve, Karen, Yoella and I went up on Jo’s roof and watched the lightning and the few stars, the lights from the French villas. No light from the village – no electricity, and no wood for fires.
~ Monica Kidd
Monday, October 29th
Bod Me Limbe
06:00
I woke at three, aware of the weather. There was a huge shushing outside that was either wind or the surf, and a generally wet noise suggestive of rain. The wind coming through our partially open door and open shutters set my mosquito net to shimmering. I was aware instantly of where I was: on a mattress on a table in a cement-walled school with two mango trees in the courtyard and Yoella asleep on a table on the other side of the room. It felt safe. And tropical. At four, I woke again, this time for good, staring into the lightening darkness, feeling the mosquito net against my skin. Yoella got up to prop open the door to stop its creaking, then went back to bed. I got up around five, thinking I could shower in the rain, but when I went outside in my bathing suit, there proved to be more sound than fury. I had a bit of a wash using my bandana and water bottle, feeling all soap sudsy afterward, which is better than grimy. People rose slowly, scuffing around in their sandals, wondering about water and food and toileting. The translators ran back and forth between Jo’s house and an as yet unfinished cement building where we are to take bucket showers; it seemed to me too much work to figure out where to get the water, to run the risk of waking people I can’t speak to. I’m going to have a shower after work today, and it is going to be excellent. For now, breakfast and then clinic.
Noon
First morning of clinic is complete. After a breakfast of coffee in a big soup pot served with ladles, dense white bread with a runny peanut butter called manba, scrambled eggs, a mystery juice and bananas, we went back to the clinic to begin setting up. A bit of understandable mayhem ensued as we established our registration desk, optometry room, a height & weight station, three triage stations, two doctors room and a pharmacy. I was in triage with Alex as my translator. Triage, I quickly learned, is not really triage. I took a history (awkwardly), recorded vital signs, and did a directed physical exam (after I tracked down a mattress for patients to lie on), reviewed the story quickly with Tiffany (who was seeing patients in her own room), then sent my patients to the lab, the pharmacy, or home with pills for aches and pain and upset stomach. I saw about ten people, all women, with backaches, burning pee, constipation, abdominal pain, breast pain, and one woman with a pendulous mass in her armpit that was too big for us to take off given our resources. We stopped for lunch after seeing 63 patients (out of a scheduled 75). Lunch was something like a cross between a pancake and an omelette.
The first morning has shown me I will have a lot of autonomy here as a medical student. With no imaging and very limited history-taking ability, I feel nervous about dismissing people with a bag of what would be simple over-the-counter medications in Canada. At home, people can always come back or go to the emergency department if necessary; here, not so.
Clinic is about to start again. The temperature creeps.
Evening
After clinic finished up in the afternoon, I collected used urine cups from our examining rooms and dumped them one by one the one toilet available to us in the school/clinic. There was a sudden flash of rain. We saw a purportedly 100 year-old man, which is remarkable considering the average life expectancy at birth for a Haitian is 57 years. But Karen reminded me someone’s stated age can be deceiving, because people don’t necessarily know how old they are, and will often give a number that seems reasonable.
I sat down beside Carolyn and asked her how her day went. She had worked in triage and taught Ann-Suze, one of the local women who helps out in the pharmacy, how to take a blood pressure. Carolyn felt today was a slow day, compared to previous trips; she said we’ll have a better taste of how things usually are tomorrow, when we’re scheduled to see 150 people, double what we saw today. She was impressed by the number of people carrying cell phones. “We can’t be sure they have enough to eat, but they all have cell phones.” I wondered how they charge them, without electricity in their homes.
Karen took up her old role as pharmacy Jedi and also felt the day was very controlled. She gave out treatments for sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, high blood pressure, and six cases of scabies.
Eunnie worked in triage and pharmacy. “So much stress,” she said. “Everyone’s got GI problems, high blood pressure, headaches, and what can you do? At least we made it through today.”
After work, we assembled by the beer cooler on the gazebo and ventured out for a swim, taking our first walk through the village. Dozens of kids, some racing boats in a small lagoon that was once a soccer pitch, some skipping rope, some following along asking for photos, others just staring. Many had the distended bellies of malnutrition, lots weren’t wearing any clothes. The beach is covered in garbage – torn up shoes, bits of net, innumerable bits of plastic jetsam. We walked about a kilometre through town, over to a stretch of beach between two mighty trees and waded out into the surf. A reef lies a short distance offshore, so massive breakers rolled in just beyond where we were swimming. The water was grey with who knows what, but it was cool and it was the first bit of refreshment I’d had since arriving in Haiti.
We swam for a bit, then headed back to the compound for supper. I hauled a bucket of well water over to the cement building shell and had a wash in my shirt and bathing suit – double duty showering and laundry. As I toweled off, bats broke over the fence, doing impassioned cartwheels in the semi-darkness. Supper then – rice and goat and a salad, with real lettuce and avocado. Another meeting after supper, then the translators broke out the dominoes, slamming the pieces against the handmade table.
06:00
I woke at three, aware of the weather. There was a huge shushing outside that was either wind or the surf, and a generally wet noise suggestive of rain. The wind coming through our partially open door and open shutters set my mosquito net to shimmering. I was aware instantly of where I was: on a mattress on a table in a cement-walled school with two mango trees in the courtyard and Yoella asleep on a table on the other side of the room. It felt safe. And tropical. At four, I woke again, this time for good, staring into the lightening darkness, feeling the mosquito net against my skin. Yoella got up to prop open the door to stop its creaking, then went back to bed. I got up around five, thinking I could shower in the rain, but when I went outside in my bathing suit, there proved to be more sound than fury. I had a bit of a wash using my bandana and water bottle, feeling all soap sudsy afterward, which is better than grimy. People rose slowly, scuffing around in their sandals, wondering about water and food and toileting. The translators ran back and forth between Jo’s house and an as yet unfinished cement building where we are to take bucket showers; it seemed to me too much work to figure out where to get the water, to run the risk of waking people I can’t speak to. I’m going to have a shower after work today, and it is going to be excellent. For now, breakfast and then clinic.
Noon
First morning of clinic is complete. After a breakfast of coffee in a big soup pot served with ladles, dense white bread with a runny peanut butter called manba, scrambled eggs, a mystery juice and bananas, we went back to the clinic to begin setting up. A bit of understandable mayhem ensued as we established our registration desk, optometry room, a height & weight station, three triage stations, two doctors room and a pharmacy. I was in triage with Alex as my translator. Triage, I quickly learned, is not really triage. I took a history (awkwardly), recorded vital signs, and did a directed physical exam (after I tracked down a mattress for patients to lie on), reviewed the story quickly with Tiffany (who was seeing patients in her own room), then sent my patients to the lab, the pharmacy, or home with pills for aches and pain and upset stomach. I saw about ten people, all women, with backaches, burning pee, constipation, abdominal pain, breast pain, and one woman with a pendulous mass in her armpit that was too big for us to take off given our resources. We stopped for lunch after seeing 63 patients (out of a scheduled 75). Lunch was something like a cross between a pancake and an omelette.
The first morning has shown me I will have a lot of autonomy here as a medical student. With no imaging and very limited history-taking ability, I feel nervous about dismissing people with a bag of what would be simple over-the-counter medications in Canada. At home, people can always come back or go to the emergency department if necessary; here, not so.
Clinic is about to start again. The temperature creeps.
Evening
After clinic finished up in the afternoon, I collected used urine cups from our examining rooms and dumped them one by one the one toilet available to us in the school/clinic. There was a sudden flash of rain. We saw a purportedly 100 year-old man, which is remarkable considering the average life expectancy at birth for a Haitian is 57 years. But Karen reminded me someone’s stated age can be deceiving, because people don’t necessarily know how old they are, and will often give a number that seems reasonable.
I sat down beside Carolyn and asked her how her day went. She had worked in triage and taught Ann-Suze, one of the local women who helps out in the pharmacy, how to take a blood pressure. Carolyn felt today was a slow day, compared to previous trips; she said we’ll have a better taste of how things usually are tomorrow, when we’re scheduled to see 150 people, double what we saw today. She was impressed by the number of people carrying cell phones. “We can’t be sure they have enough to eat, but they all have cell phones.” I wondered how they charge them, without electricity in their homes.
Karen took up her old role as pharmacy Jedi and also felt the day was very controlled. She gave out treatments for sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, high blood pressure, and six cases of scabies.
Eunnie worked in triage and pharmacy. “So much stress,” she said. “Everyone’s got GI problems, high blood pressure, headaches, and what can you do? At least we made it through today.”
After work, we assembled by the beer cooler on the gazebo and ventured out for a swim, taking our first walk through the village. Dozens of kids, some racing boats in a small lagoon that was once a soccer pitch, some skipping rope, some following along asking for photos, others just staring. Many had the distended bellies of malnutrition, lots weren’t wearing any clothes. The beach is covered in garbage – torn up shoes, bits of net, innumerable bits of plastic jetsam. We walked about a kilometre through town, over to a stretch of beach between two mighty trees and waded out into the surf. A reef lies a short distance offshore, so massive breakers rolled in just beyond where we were swimming. The water was grey with who knows what, but it was cool and it was the first bit of refreshment I’d had since arriving in Haiti.
We swam for a bit, then headed back to the compound for supper. I hauled a bucket of well water over to the cement building shell and had a wash in my shirt and bathing suit – double duty showering and laundry. As I toweled off, bats broke over the fence, doing impassioned cartwheels in the semi-darkness. Supper then – rice and goat and a salad, with real lettuce and avocado. Another meeting after supper, then the translators broke out the dominoes, slamming the pieces against the handmade table.
I ventured back to the bunks in the near-perfect darkness, the only lights that from the compound, my flashlight, and the French-owned villa on the headlands across the bay. A chorus of frogs and the ever-present surf.
~ Monica Kidd
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Sunday, October 28th, 2007
First, a note. My name is Monica Kidd, and I was the October/November mission’s blogger. It was my job to try to capture the experiences of our team: Karen Cimer, Steve Clarke, Tiffany Keenan, Carolyn LeMay, Eunie McElwaine, Sara McKinnon, Angela Noble, Dana Richard, Yoella Teplitsky, Leon Waye, and myself. We came as nurses, paramedics, doctors, lab and optometry providers, general make-it-happen people, but each one of us was a student. Thanks to Yoella, who provided most of the photos in the last post of this series. Any inaccuracies below are my own.
Sunday, October 28th, 2007 Fort Lauderdale Airport
Woke up just after three this morning when Leon began moving around the hotel room, having not slept a wink. I had tried to sleep on the balcony on a cushion from the couch. The wind was wonderfully gentle and fragrant, but the ocean was roaring so I relented and came in just before midnight.
By four, we had rushed our big plastic boxes of gear, our hockey bags, our wheelie bags, and our backpacks down to the entrance of the hotel and loaded into two vans plus a trailer. Carolyn and Yoella went with Leon to return his uncle’s convertible. (Leon is the most well-connected person I know; at the age of 24, he is a clinical biochemist, a registered optician, and played The Broom on the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast last year. He managed to finagle three hotel rooms that normally go for $800 per night for a quarter the price.)
In the airport, conversation swirled around water balance – the need for coffee and water versus the lack of a toilet on the plane, the facilities that would be waiting for us in Cap Haitien. Eunnie, on her sixth trip to Haiti, was full of advice. We all wandered around, a bit restless and nervous, wondering if there was some last-minute purchase we should be making. Waiting and waiting for the plane. (Days later, Yoella figured out that we forgot to factor in daylight savings time.)
At seven, we boarded our Lynx aircraft, a Metro III with 17 seats. We taxied to take our place under threatening clouds and the full moon still high in the bluing sky. Then we lifted away from the earth.
10 o’clock Cap Haitien, Haiti
A long, noisy flight. Touched down at Exuma, Bahamas for refueling. Broke through the clouds and slowly approached Haiti, the flexed knuckles of the mountains and sprawling green valleys parceled up into neat green squares. Then Cap Haitien: low buildings with rust-coloured roofs lying at the toes of the hills. The sudden touch-down. We are in Haiti.
11 o’clock
We cleared customs without difficulty and got most of our bags, except for one containing eyeglasses and medications that failed to make it. They’re due in three flights from now, but that could be anytime. In the airport, Yoella spotted a tall, thin man and asked us in a quiet voice whether we thought he might be Harvard internist and medical anthropologist Paul Farmer; she pulled out a newspaper article with his photo for a positive ID. I thought not, Karen thought so, and Leon marched right up to him to ask. The man denied being able to speak English, but later Yoella overheard him chatting away (in English). Outside, the driver of a tap-tap (a small Toyota pick-up truck – the country’s main form of ground transportation) was arrested for not having the correct papers. We loaded our gear in the back of three tap-taps as groups of stylish Haitians stood around in the dirt streets, watching.
Afternoon
A tap-tap ride through Cap Haitien is a tempest of diesel, burning garbage, dust, cooking food. A woman in a pink dress and NYC ball cap riding a horse side-saddle. A school boy in a blue blazer and brilliant white pants. Goats, tethered and free. Roosters. Food stands. A crackling stereo bawling out lyrics that sound like this to my ears: America, America, America, break the neck of this appetite.
We arrived in Bod Me Limbe at one-thirty, having traversed some major water in the intrepid little tap-taps. Drove down the road into town to big smiles and waving hands, children delirious with excitement, down to Jo’s house, whose cement walls are whitewashed and painted with sunflowers. Hugs, kisses, staring. More kids than I could count. Into the school yard then where the people who’d been on previous trips admired the new paint job, the doors, desks and seats in the classrooms. Everything solid and calm.
We spent the next four hours unpacking medications from boxes and setting up the pharmacy, setting up the surgical supplies and triage rooms. Supper was at five o’clock in the gazebo around wooden tables and chairs. Big communal bowls of diri ak pwa (rice and beans), some kind of meat, potato and carrot salad, flatbread, beer from a cooler in the kitchen. (An army marches on its stomach, so expect plenty of details here about what we ate.) Kids gathered around the walls of the gated compound saying Bonsoir, Bonsoir. The breeze was fresh, but my skin was sticky as fly paper. I was so tired I could barely speak, anxious for sleep.
After supper, Tiffany held a meeting. She laid out all the nametags on a table and asked me to come up and draw a name, place the nametag around that person’s neck, then that person would be given the opportunity to say a few things about him or herself. The tradwi (translators) unfailingly said they were proud to be here and that it would be “no problem” to help in any way. We went over our triage procedure and were given our tasks for the next day. Then home to our rooms where we set up in the random electricity. I slid into my silk sheet under my mosquito net and was fast asleep by eight o’clock.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Haiti Meet And Greet Retreat
Hello all. This past Saturday we hosted get together of past and future volunteers at our home in Miramichi. The weather was decidedly un-Haiti and a retreat to the hot tub to get a taste of the humidity and temperature was necessary. What Momma does on her own took the better part of our team to prepare. Grigot (marinaded and fried pork) Red Beans and Rice, Plantains and Pickley. Mmmmm Haitilicious!
We watched a slideshow of previous trips and the new How-To videos are particularly informative and amusing. Through it all we did not manage to turn off any of the new recruits who can not claim that we candy coated any of the potential hardships.
I am pleased to report that we are almost fully staffed for October, February and April. I am also extremely pleased to report that little Robo seems to be one of the lucky 30% of Polio diagnoses and is recovering.
John "Big Poppo" Cormier is now well into his RCMP training. I am sure we all wish him well. I am sure he would love to hear from everyone at cormier_jon@hotmail.com.
For now until later.
We watched a slideshow of previous trips and the new How-To videos are particularly informative and amusing. Through it all we did not manage to turn off any of the new recruits who can not claim that we candy coated any of the potential hardships.
I am pleased to report that we are almost fully staffed for October, February and April. I am also extremely pleased to report that little Robo seems to be one of the lucky 30% of Polio diagnoses and is recovering.
John "Big Poppo" Cormier is now well into his RCMP training. I am sure we all wish him well. I am sure he would love to hear from everyone at cormier_jon@hotmail.com.
For now until later.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Could Not Have Done It Without You
Something we have been remiss in doing is to thank all of those who have supported us financially over the last year and who we hope will continue to do so in the coming years. All of the businesses in Miramichi who so generously dontated and the organizations such as the Lions Club, Kinsmen and K of C. To all of the Churches and to all of the individuals who supported our events. To all of the regional Medical Staff who gave of their time and money. We thank you all.
A special thanks goes out to the people of Pristine (www.pristine.ca) who provided us with our water treatment chemicals. We tried a number of devices, methods and benign chemicals and this system was by far the best for ease of use, effectiveness and cost. I do not hestitate to recommend them. They are also Canadian too. To Rob Coghlan of Coghlan's a name anyone familiar with the outdoors will recognize as they make quality products from tent pegs to super dry outdoor towels. They provided us with a number of products including collapsible water containers for the clinic and best of all a supply of mosquito nets. Also a great Canadian company that can be reached at www.coghlans.com.
Mesi Anpil
A special thanks goes out to the people of Pristine (www.pristine.ca) who provided us with our water treatment chemicals. We tried a number of devices, methods and benign chemicals and this system was by far the best for ease of use, effectiveness and cost. I do not hestitate to recommend them. They are also Canadian too. To Rob Coghlan of Coghlan's a name anyone familiar with the outdoors will recognize as they make quality products from tent pegs to super dry outdoor towels. They provided us with a number of products including collapsible water containers for the clinic and best of all a supply of mosquito nets. Also a great Canadian company that can be reached at www.coghlans.com.
Mesi Anpil
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Photos
I still have several CDs with the accumulated and edited photos from the February Trip along with the PResentation. If I missed anyone let me know and I will have Steve send them out.
One Last Indulgence
We could not resist. For our last night in country we booked into the Montana. It is the hotel in PAP. Anyone who is anyone, and actually comes to Haiti, has stayed here and they post photos on a regular basis. From contemporary personalities my favourite was the one of Brad and Angelina from last year. I like to think I stayed in their room. Or Bishop Desmond Tutu, Fmr. President Clinton and both Martin and Cretien.
For those that know them and you know who you are Eunie, we had dinner with the Tour Haiti team. Cyrile says hi Eunie ;) Had the opportunity over dinner to watch the Canada - Haiti soccer match on TV. I am pleased and more than a little bit shocked to say that we won.
And that was that. Until October. We did meet with Gessner and company and are assured that the school will be open by September and hopefully the clinic as well. However we were clear that if resources or time was in doubt that it be put into the school. Which, by the way has an extra bit of free labour since Steve and I sponsored the village soccer team to go to a regional tournament. They could not go if they did not have uniform shirts and cleats and apparently $150US can buy you 20 shirts and 12 pairs of cleats. In return the offered to help Jo with the school whenever needed. A good investment I should think. We have not yet heard how they did.
One last thing worthy of mention. To date articles about our activites have been published in a number of our local newspapers and thank you all for getting this in as it is essential to recruitment and fundraising. If you have the articles please scan and email to me so that I have included them in the book. I am happy to say that nationally we have been published in the National Review of Medicine and most recently on the cover of the Medical Post with a 2 page article inside. From this I have recieved inquiries from 4 doctors across Canada wanting to volunteer. The magazine even offered to pay for the article, I do not know how much, which I will add to the fund for Sante Pou Yo.
That is all for now. I look forward to seeing you at the get together in Miramichi in August.
For those that know them and you know who you are Eunie, we had dinner with the Tour Haiti team. Cyrile says hi Eunie ;) Had the opportunity over dinner to watch the Canada - Haiti soccer match on TV. I am pleased and more than a little bit shocked to say that we won.
And that was that. Until October. We did meet with Gessner and company and are assured that the school will be open by September and hopefully the clinic as well. However we were clear that if resources or time was in doubt that it be put into the school. Which, by the way has an extra bit of free labour since Steve and I sponsored the village soccer team to go to a regional tournament. They could not go if they did not have uniform shirts and cleats and apparently $150US can buy you 20 shirts and 12 pairs of cleats. In return the offered to help Jo with the school whenever needed. A good investment I should think. We have not yet heard how they did.
One last thing worthy of mention. To date articles about our activites have been published in a number of our local newspapers and thank you all for getting this in as it is essential to recruitment and fundraising. If you have the articles please scan and email to me so that I have included them in the book. I am happy to say that nationally we have been published in the National Review of Medicine and most recently on the cover of the Medical Post with a 2 page article inside. From this I have recieved inquiries from 4 doctors across Canada wanting to volunteer. The magazine even offered to pay for the article, I do not know how much, which I will add to the fund for Sante Pou Yo.
That is all for now. I look forward to seeing you at the get together in Miramichi in August.
Now For Some Indulgence
After a number of days sleeping on a mattress under a net in Jo's gazebo (it was way way too hot in the house, did I mention that Steve got heatstroke), it was nice to move into the Cormier Plage. A French owned hotel on its own beach with safe ice, hot water and air conditioning. I do think the best moment was pulling into the beach in a water taxi and seeing the "there goes the neighborhood" looks on the faces of less melanin endowed. Maybe the only thing better was the look of relief Steve and I stepped onto the beach!
We had Jo and Jumane with us as we figured they deserved a break and to say thanks for all the help they have provided over the last seveal months. I really think Jumane found her element.
The other denizens of the hotel included 14 UN security officers from various parts of the world who would all come to breakfast together before "work" wearing side arms. I never felt so safe in my life. Apparently there remains no accomodation in Cap so these guys get to live at what is essentially a beach resort during their tour while driving their big Land Cruisers over the Coco Beach road. Not a single one offered us a ride. Still a real rough way to live!
We had Jo and Jumane with us as we figured they deserved a break and to say thanks for all the help they have provided over the last seveal months. I really think Jumane found her element.
The other denizens of the hotel included 14 UN security officers from various parts of the world who would all come to breakfast together before "work" wearing side arms. I never felt so safe in my life. Apparently there remains no accomodation in Cap so these guys get to live at what is essentially a beach resort during their tour while driving their big Land Cruisers over the Coco Beach road. Not a single one offered us a ride. Still a real rough way to live!
Some Bad News
We did have some unfortunate serious business, little Robo, had taken ill a couple of weeks prior and had progressed to the point where he was unable to move either legs or arms, he would not eat and was not improving from the medicine that a local doctor in Bas Limbe had provided. The medicine was Vit B and antibiotics and the problem undiagnosed. I made arrangements with the Bon Samaritan Hospital in Limbe to see him and we hired a truck to haul us over what is the worst road I have ever travelled. One of the lingering benefits of colonization (I hate to say this) is that being a white they just opened the door and we walked right past the waiting room directly to Administration. I communicated the problem and accompanied Robo, Mwele and Teleora to see the Pediatrician on staff. Again with the benefits of rank they agreed to see him immediately and I waited. An hour later a preliminary diagnosis of polio was rendered and Robo was placed in an isolation ward to await further testing from the Ministry of Health.
I am pleased to report that as of yesterday however he has regained some use of his legs and seems to be improving. All is not yet lost. Please do whatever it is you do to send good thoughts his way.
I am pleased to report that as of yesterday however he has regained some use of his legs and seems to be improving. All is not yet lost. Please do whatever it is you do to send good thoughts his way.
Activities in BML
For the first time in BML with no clinic scheduled we actually slept in! Sure we did. Steve is planning on opening a goat and rooster grill restaurant on the next trip.
Our plans for the week were to open the clinic for 4 mornings (the construction at the school would have prevented more), work with the village to do a beach clean up along the entire length from the French Fort to the Basin Caiman, work with several men to dig drainage ditches at several obvious mosquito breeding areas and enjoy.
the beach clean up extended over 3 days and saw pretty much everyone from the youngest kid to the oldest grandmother out to help. The village designated a spot near the northern end of the village as the landfill, near where the composting toilet is to be constructed, and we set to work. The beach looks great but plastic will be wahing out of the sand for years. The main sandy area near the church is fantastic and has become the new hang out spot. We bought and planted 20 kokoye (coconut trees). They came a coconut shells with little trees growing out of them. Each one was planted with a handful of sugar, ash and corn by a child. The village then removed the little shacks that were used to sell stuff and rebuilt them in front of the owners homes which were just on the other side of the main path because they wanted the whole area clean. Lastly we put that plywood to good use making a village notice board where we posted laminated photos from the last three trips, the clean up and a idographic poster implying no trash no mosquitos. Everyone was very pleased that the village came together and felt that so much was accomplished. Sante Pou Yo also provided 4 trash collection barrels and on the recommendation of the village hired Jolice as the town trash collector to see how things take over the next few months. As of our departure it seem to be working. We shall see in October.
Our plans for the week were to open the clinic for 4 mornings (the construction at the school would have prevented more), work with the village to do a beach clean up along the entire length from the French Fort to the Basin Caiman, work with several men to dig drainage ditches at several obvious mosquito breeding areas and enjoy.
the beach clean up extended over 3 days and saw pretty much everyone from the youngest kid to the oldest grandmother out to help. The village designated a spot near the northern end of the village as the landfill, near where the composting toilet is to be constructed, and we set to work. The beach looks great but plastic will be wahing out of the sand for years. The main sandy area near the church is fantastic and has become the new hang out spot. We bought and planted 20 kokoye (coconut trees). They came a coconut shells with little trees growing out of them. Each one was planted with a handful of sugar, ash and corn by a child. The village then removed the little shacks that were used to sell stuff and rebuilt them in front of the owners homes which were just on the other side of the main path because they wanted the whole area clean. Lastly we put that plywood to good use making a village notice board where we posted laminated photos from the last three trips, the clean up and a idographic poster implying no trash no mosquitos. Everyone was very pleased that the village came together and felt that so much was accomplished. Sante Pou Yo also provided 4 trash collection barrels and on the recommendation of the village hired Jolice as the town trash collector to see how things take over the next few months. As of our departure it seem to be working. We shall see in October.
Back in Haiti Again
Hello again. For those of you who don't know my husband Steve and I were back in Haiti during the end of May beginning of June. The intent of the visit this time was to clear up some administrative and organizational things, see a number of recheck patients and frankly enjoy the place for a couple of weeks. Which if you are thinking of asking, we did. So much so in fact it has taken 2 weeks after our return to post to the blog.
We had a rather interesting start due to a severe thunderstorm system covering the whole of the country. Our plane north from PAP, after many unannounced delays, took off into whatI can only describe as holy crap that is a very large, dark and ominous looking cloud. After a little bumping we must have been in sight of Cap, if you could see it through the aforementioned cloud, when the pilots announced, in Spanish of course so that no one on the plan understood what was happening that we were heading back. Steve asked the pilots in his best pidgen Spanish what the plan was only to discover that they were shut down for the night and that we would be rebooked at 6am in the morning. As for everything else we were on our own.
We linked up with an Trinidadian engineer from Digcell and hired a 4x4 to go hotel hunting, which for those of you familiar with PAP is a challenge. Through the deluge we went turned away at every inn and working our way up the hill and price range into Petionville. We finally pitched at Ibo Lele way up in Petionville after spending $60 ride and almost 2 hours. We were happy to have somewhere to spend the night. Oh yeah and the rain stopped and it was a beautiful starry night.
Nothing exciting on the way out in the morning. Almost made the whole thing seem anticlimatic. However we now have a list of business cards for hotels in PAP should this ever happen again.
We spent the next day and the following morning in Cap getting a number of admin things done. Simple things like getting a used filing cabinet (they sold it out from under us before we could pick it up the next morning), meeting the Minister of Health (once again he was not in), buying wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels and picks (took 4 shops). Ah Haiti land of opportunity.
Off to BML with our booty. Did I mention the 8 ft sheet of plywood and the mattress that we would have to tie to the roof of the boat?
We had a rather interesting start due to a severe thunderstorm system covering the whole of the country. Our plane north from PAP, after many unannounced delays, took off into whatI can only describe as holy crap that is a very large, dark and ominous looking cloud. After a little bumping we must have been in sight of Cap, if you could see it through the aforementioned cloud, when the pilots announced, in Spanish of course so that no one on the plan understood what was happening that we were heading back. Steve asked the pilots in his best pidgen Spanish what the plan was only to discover that they were shut down for the night and that we would be rebooked at 6am in the morning. As for everything else we were on our own.
We linked up with an Trinidadian engineer from Digcell and hired a 4x4 to go hotel hunting, which for those of you familiar with PAP is a challenge. Through the deluge we went turned away at every inn and working our way up the hill and price range into Petionville. We finally pitched at Ibo Lele way up in Petionville after spending $60 ride and almost 2 hours. We were happy to have somewhere to spend the night. Oh yeah and the rain stopped and it was a beautiful starry night.
Nothing exciting on the way out in the morning. Almost made the whole thing seem anticlimatic. However we now have a list of business cards for hotels in PAP should this ever happen again.
We spent the next day and the following morning in Cap getting a number of admin things done. Simple things like getting a used filing cabinet (they sold it out from under us before we could pick it up the next morning), meeting the Minister of Health (once again he was not in), buying wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels and picks (took 4 shops). Ah Haiti land of opportunity.
Off to BML with our booty. Did I mention the 8 ft sheet of plywood and the mattress that we would have to tie to the roof of the boat?
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Prunnette
We spent a day at the school in Prunnette conducting our outreach medical visit. It was a warm hike even at 9:30. The photo of the village includes one of the cruise ship that was at Coco Beach that day. A little contrast of the life of the villages only feet away.
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| Day Clinic in Prunnette |
The village of Bod me Limbe
Here are just a few of many pictures from the village. You'll notice our closeness to the ocean. We had lots of fun with the kids - jumprope and duck, duck goose.
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| Bod me Limbe - Village Photos |
Jo's House
We spent plenty of time at Jo's house. We shared plenty of meals and laughs. We also conducted our village meeting and midwife session there. The Sunflower House was a welcome site at the end of a busy clinic day.
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| Life at Jo's House |
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Canada tonight!
After a sound night on lovely beds and warm showers, we had the BIG Florida buffet breakfast. Enough food wasted for all of BML. Is this really progress? All departing today at various hours, we look forward to seeing our loved ones soon. Thank you for your support and comments.
And no rice for supper tonight please!
After a sound night on lovely beds and warm showers, we had the BIG Florida buffet breakfast. Enough food wasted for all of BML. Is this really progress? All departing today at various hours, we look forward to seeing our loved ones soon. Thank you for your support and comments.
And no rice for supper tonight please!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Good Bye Haiti – for now
Breakfast at Mont Joli was fresh fruit and eggs. Great. And the cats liked the leftovers. Tiffany gave credit at breakfast to all the team members and remarked on the successes of this mission.
Other noteworthy mentions about the group include:
Carl – most resilient, in the face of no insulin delivery mechanism, shingles, no fridge and an airless blow-up mattress. But, on many levels, our spiritual force. Evidenced by a finessed, final cannonball in the Florida pool.
Linda – more resilient than the most resilient, for comforting the distressed Carl, operating her own pharmacy, and looking like a million bucks through whatever sewers we traversed.
Roxanne – coolest demeanor - in fact she even arrived with a cold which she craftily contrived to secure the best accommodation in BML. Never phased, great voodoo dancer, and tough-skinned mother, whose tears for missing her kids only seemed to fuel her focus on the mission.
Karen – chief of sarcasm and inside thoughts on the outside. This third timer’s love of the mission work was evidenced by her selfless sacrifice of vanity in appearing daily with her crazy hair and daring anyone to cross her in the pharmacy.
Caroline – girl Friday, Saturday, Sunday…- the uncontested winner of the low, mumbling curses award as she configured, reconfigured, deconfigured, and intraconfigured the Haitian method of electricity conduction. The only thing she didn’t add was water, having read up on that before arrival. Yet she couldn’t get Karen’s blow dryer going.
Mel – never phased award – armed with a chest load of pharmaceuticals and an attitude to knock any potential parasite into line, Mel’s front line social work skills had a new application in this challenging setting. And now she will go on to shine even more in the Master’s program that she succeeded admission to while we were away. Way to go, Mel.
Jonathan – Haitian wannabe and presidential candidate - as “Big Papo”, Jon kept the locals laughing, dancing, skipping, and singing. All the while being triage king and attracting every variety of biting Haitian insect known to man.
Sara – calm, cool, collected – obviously well-seasoned to expect the unexpected. We all owe our lives to her as she swam out into the bay to retrieve our wooden boat that washed away unattended. The people of BML would have otherwise had to find means to get to our clinic on the distant Carmel island.
Michelle – social enthusiast and biggest smiler – motivated as much by the medical interests as her interacting with the locals. Able to scale the highest wall as long as there is bathroom on the other side, and always happy to relate her tales.
Tiffany - leader extraordinaire – last to bed, first to rise. (Did she ever really go to bed?) She exemplified the mission’s mission, communicating to the people, in word and deed, a desire to help the people help themselves. Tireless, even with rum in her belly, her work is never done. Sorry Steve. She inspired us all, undoubtedly, to share a passion for Haiti. And she doesn’t look too bad in a plastic cape raincoat either.
Tiffany, thank you.
The airport departure was all that Cap Haitian promised. We were individually weighed in on an antiquated balance scale, papers were stamped, and the “security” was up to par. We were issued boarding passes that varied from laminated cards with large 2 digit numbers, to scraps of notebook paper.
The flight went well. “Homeland” security provided no challenges, and we had drinks at the Kon Tikki bar at the hotel by late afternoon.
Breakfast at Mont Joli was fresh fruit and eggs. Great. And the cats liked the leftovers. Tiffany gave credit at breakfast to all the team members and remarked on the successes of this mission.
Other noteworthy mentions about the group include:
Carl – most resilient, in the face of no insulin delivery mechanism, shingles, no fridge and an airless blow-up mattress. But, on many levels, our spiritual force. Evidenced by a finessed, final cannonball in the Florida pool.
Linda – more resilient than the most resilient, for comforting the distressed Carl, operating her own pharmacy, and looking like a million bucks through whatever sewers we traversed.
Roxanne – coolest demeanor - in fact she even arrived with a cold which she craftily contrived to secure the best accommodation in BML. Never phased, great voodoo dancer, and tough-skinned mother, whose tears for missing her kids only seemed to fuel her focus on the mission.
Karen – chief of sarcasm and inside thoughts on the outside. This third timer’s love of the mission work was evidenced by her selfless sacrifice of vanity in appearing daily with her crazy hair and daring anyone to cross her in the pharmacy.
Caroline – girl Friday, Saturday, Sunday…- the uncontested winner of the low, mumbling curses award as she configured, reconfigured, deconfigured, and intraconfigured the Haitian method of electricity conduction. The only thing she didn’t add was water, having read up on that before arrival. Yet she couldn’t get Karen’s blow dryer going.
Mel – never phased award – armed with a chest load of pharmaceuticals and an attitude to knock any potential parasite into line, Mel’s front line social work skills had a new application in this challenging setting. And now she will go on to shine even more in the Master’s program that she succeeded admission to while we were away. Way to go, Mel.
Jonathan – Haitian wannabe and presidential candidate - as “Big Papo”, Jon kept the locals laughing, dancing, skipping, and singing. All the while being triage king and attracting every variety of biting Haitian insect known to man.
Sara – calm, cool, collected – obviously well-seasoned to expect the unexpected. We all owe our lives to her as she swam out into the bay to retrieve our wooden boat that washed away unattended. The people of BML would have otherwise had to find means to get to our clinic on the distant Carmel island.
Michelle – social enthusiast and biggest smiler – motivated as much by the medical interests as her interacting with the locals. Able to scale the highest wall as long as there is bathroom on the other side, and always happy to relate her tales.
Tiffany - leader extraordinaire – last to bed, first to rise. (Did she ever really go to bed?) She exemplified the mission’s mission, communicating to the people, in word and deed, a desire to help the people help themselves. Tireless, even with rum in her belly, her work is never done. Sorry Steve. She inspired us all, undoubtedly, to share a passion for Haiti. And she doesn’t look too bad in a plastic cape raincoat either.
Tiffany, thank you.
The airport departure was all that Cap Haitian promised. We were individually weighed in on an antiquated balance scale, papers were stamped, and the “security” was up to par. We were issued boarding passes that varied from laminated cards with large 2 digit numbers, to scraps of notebook paper.
The flight went well. “Homeland” security provided no challenges, and we had drinks at the Kon Tikki bar at the hotel by late afternoon.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Departure for Cap Haitian
Rising to the chatter of the birds at 4am after the frogs at 3am we are packed with our Haitian memories and treasures. We say our final goodbyes to the translators and depart from the gate on Norm’s beach in tap-tap water taxi. Singing “good-bye Labadie, we will return again”… many of us wishing to stay on others anxious to return to loved ones and our homes. We are in the final stretch as we motor up to the tap-tap taxi pick-up trucks that would transport us through the muddy roads to Cap Haitian. Seasoned travelers that we are we casually board the tap-taps now and think nothing of not having a hand-hold on the steepest embankments (Karen).
We checked in at the Mont Joli hotel, a little cozier in our rooms than expected because of a reservation mix up, before setting off on the Holy Bible search. Carl and Linda generously bought Kreyol Bibles for the seriously lacking Baptist Church in BML, and we all tagged along as Jo refused to pay anything but the best price. It was suggested that next time we steal Bibles from our rooms in Fort Lauderdale instead. We then ventured into the Cap Haitian market. The middle of the market. It was by all accounts from seasoned third world travelers, the dirtiest, most chaotic, crowded and disorganized market ever experienced. Our comfort levels varied as Jo led to a booth to purchase traditional scarves and voodoo dolls. We walked passed a woman who was bound, hands and feet, and lying face down on a table. We later learned that she had tried to steal something from a vendor and the police, of sorts, were to come. It seemed a hefty penance to us in a country where any effort at securing a meal seems forgivable.
Anyone but Jon could give an account of the remainder of the evening. We had Rum PUNCH on our return to the hotel, in the pool. It was a well deserved wind down time. Most of us had one or two. Jon surpassed the 7 mark quite early on. We kept a close eye on him, suggesting he put clothes on before we go out to Lakay for dinner. (Okay he had trunks on) Dinner was terrific, as we ordered off of our first Haitian menu. And it was made all the more interesting by our dinner companion Jimmyfelter and his entourage.
All but Tiffany and Michelle returned to the hotel around 11 pm – here, again, the old and young groups mixed – and the other two followed later, having been treated by the Cap Haitian elite to fancy whiskey, conversation, and an air-conditioned SUV escort to return them safely to the hotel.
Rising to the chatter of the birds at 4am after the frogs at 3am we are packed with our Haitian memories and treasures. We say our final goodbyes to the translators and depart from the gate on Norm’s beach in tap-tap water taxi. Singing “good-bye Labadie, we will return again”… many of us wishing to stay on others anxious to return to loved ones and our homes. We are in the final stretch as we motor up to the tap-tap taxi pick-up trucks that would transport us through the muddy roads to Cap Haitian. Seasoned travelers that we are we casually board the tap-taps now and think nothing of not having a hand-hold on the steepest embankments (Karen).
We checked in at the Mont Joli hotel, a little cozier in our rooms than expected because of a reservation mix up, before setting off on the Holy Bible search. Carl and Linda generously bought Kreyol Bibles for the seriously lacking Baptist Church in BML, and we all tagged along as Jo refused to pay anything but the best price. It was suggested that next time we steal Bibles from our rooms in Fort Lauderdale instead. We then ventured into the Cap Haitian market. The middle of the market. It was by all accounts from seasoned third world travelers, the dirtiest, most chaotic, crowded and disorganized market ever experienced. Our comfort levels varied as Jo led to a booth to purchase traditional scarves and voodoo dolls. We walked passed a woman who was bound, hands and feet, and lying face down on a table. We later learned that she had tried to steal something from a vendor and the police, of sorts, were to come. It seemed a hefty penance to us in a country where any effort at securing a meal seems forgivable.
Anyone but Jon could give an account of the remainder of the evening. We had Rum PUNCH on our return to the hotel, in the pool. It was a well deserved wind down time. Most of us had one or two. Jon surpassed the 7 mark quite early on. We kept a close eye on him, suggesting he put clothes on before we go out to Lakay for dinner. (Okay he had trunks on) Dinner was terrific, as we ordered off of our first Haitian menu. And it was made all the more interesting by our dinner companion Jimmyfelter and his entourage.
All but Tiffany and Michelle returned to the hotel around 11 pm – here, again, the old and young groups mixed – and the other two followed later, having been treated by the Cap Haitian elite to fancy whiskey, conversation, and an air-conditioned SUV escort to return them safely to the hotel.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Departure for Labadie
We awaken for a 6am breakfast, a little tired from the clinic teardown yesterday, but we were well organized for our anticipated tap-tap water taxi. We packed up our bug nets and stored the mattresses to be ready for the next visit. Despite the heavy winds from the night before the morning was calm and we were told we would be alright as long as we left by 9am, as the sea was beginning to pick up. So after our breakfast, including Hyde Park Corn Flakes and milk, we collected our cases and bags outside of Jo’s. Many people gathered to send us off. Roxanne marveled as when she turned to begin dragging her suitcase to the beach Ezilia, one of Jo’s biggest supporters and 70 years old whom he calls Mama, had already thrown it on her head without a second thought. The strength and independence of these people cannot be understated. While we are thinking about how to accomplish a task they just do it.
The taxis were running on Haitian time and the seas were beginning to swell therefore it was decide to send the queasiest belly ahead with Jo on the wave runner. Carl step up! It was a funny sight seeing Carl in the 1 metre high waves across that distance wondering how is this better than the water taxi. But away he went and we caught up with him 90 minutes later.
Upon arrival in Labadie we immediately set off up “the mountain” for Prunette. Roxanne exclaimed “Tiffany you never stop do you!” We set up our mobile clinic
in a one room school house and saw approximately 50 patients. On our return we saw a voodoo baptism ceremony in the small river that runs through Labadie. We were intrigued to watch a man stripped down in the river, his underwear floating downstream as he was being christened, within a few feet others were washing clothes and bathing themselves. One hundred or so celebrants gathered to witnessed this ceremony while others obliviously went on with their days work. We kept our eyes open for the underwear for the next two days…who knows where they will wash up! We stayed at Norm’s Place and idyllic restored French fortress run by an eccentric American senior who has called Haiti home for forty years. Dinner was at the Hearts Together House, a remarkable setting in itself. We enjoyed the last of Jo’s culinary expertise, his famous lasagna, Kraft singles on top and everything! Even Sara managed to get a vegetarian plate after Jo washed the meat off some noodles, in a deft attempt at a vegetarian comeback, realizing he had forgotten to prepare a special plate for her! Sara you are a great sport! Not to mention Mel whose lethal garlic allergy meant she faced many dishes with trepidation, this fear quickly subsided knowing Jo was watching over her. It was Mel’s come-what-may attitude that rallied the troops many a day.
Roxanne departed from the old-timers group (Carl, Linda, Karen, & Caroline being lifetime members) and headed to the local beach bar to party on down with translators Keno, Bermann, Alex, Charles, Revelino, Bertoney, Blackstone, and Robert. Tiffany, who can morph into any age group, and the some members of the whipper-snapper group (Michelle and Sara). We ran into Keno who asked Jon if he was headed to the bar. Jon replied “no man, I ‘m headed to the bathroom!” We all roared with laughter. Been there done that.
We awaken for a 6am breakfast, a little tired from the clinic teardown yesterday, but we were well organized for our anticipated tap-tap water taxi. We packed up our bug nets and stored the mattresses to be ready for the next visit. Despite the heavy winds from the night before the morning was calm and we were told we would be alright as long as we left by 9am, as the sea was beginning to pick up. So after our breakfast, including Hyde Park Corn Flakes and milk, we collected our cases and bags outside of Jo’s. Many people gathered to send us off. Roxanne marveled as when she turned to begin dragging her suitcase to the beach Ezilia, one of Jo’s biggest supporters and 70 years old whom he calls Mama, had already thrown it on her head without a second thought. The strength and independence of these people cannot be understated. While we are thinking about how to accomplish a task they just do it.
The taxis were running on Haitian time and the seas were beginning to swell therefore it was decide to send the queasiest belly ahead with Jo on the wave runner. Carl step up! It was a funny sight seeing Carl in the 1 metre high waves across that distance wondering how is this better than the water taxi. But away he went and we caught up with him 90 minutes later.
Upon arrival in Labadie we immediately set off up “the mountain” for Prunette. Roxanne exclaimed “Tiffany you never stop do you!” We set up our mobile clinic
in a one room school house and saw approximately 50 patients. On our return we saw a voodoo baptism ceremony in the small river that runs through Labadie. We were intrigued to watch a man stripped down in the river, his underwear floating downstream as he was being christened, within a few feet others were washing clothes and bathing themselves. One hundred or so celebrants gathered to witnessed this ceremony while others obliviously went on with their days work. We kept our eyes open for the underwear for the next two days…who knows where they will wash up! We stayed at Norm’s Place and idyllic restored French fortress run by an eccentric American senior who has called Haiti home for forty years. Dinner was at the Hearts Together House, a remarkable setting in itself. We enjoyed the last of Jo’s culinary expertise, his famous lasagna, Kraft singles on top and everything! Even Sara managed to get a vegetarian plate after Jo washed the meat off some noodles, in a deft attempt at a vegetarian comeback, realizing he had forgotten to prepare a special plate for her! Sara you are a great sport! Not to mention Mel whose lethal garlic allergy meant she faced many dishes with trepidation, this fear quickly subsided knowing Jo was watching over her. It was Mel’s come-what-may attitude that rallied the troops many a day.
Roxanne departed from the old-timers group (Carl, Linda, Karen, & Caroline being lifetime members) and headed to the local beach bar to party on down with translators Keno, Bermann, Alex, Charles, Revelino, Bertoney, Blackstone, and Robert. Tiffany, who can morph into any age group, and the some members of the whipper-snapper group (Michelle and Sara). We ran into Keno who asked Jon if he was headed to the bar. Jon replied “no man, I ‘m headed to the bathroom!” We all roared with laughter. Been there done that.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Day 7
Last Day in Bod Mi Limbe
This would be a ½ day of clinic as we had to pack up and had much work to do. Regretfully, for the villagers, it was raining most of the night and now into the morning. This morning we had villagers lined up outside our bedroom doors in the clinic at 6:30am. I could hear Carl, after poking his head through the window exclaim, “I can’t believe they are here already!” This being our last day, many villagers came without the cards that are distributed that would ensure them a visit, as we cannot see all the villagers each trip. This meant that many were unable to see a doctor and would have to wait until our next trip.
The lab would be busy as usual, but we knew all would be well under control, as the Lab Lady (Mel) was on the job!
Mel reports:
“The lab was no one’s favorite place. Everyone came in knowing they would have to get pricked by a needle or pee in a cup. Needless to say I didn’t make too many friends being the “lab lady”. My job was to test patients for malaria, TB, pregnancy, and urine analysis. On an average day I would test 50 cups of urine and twenty samples of blood. One memorable moment for me was while I was doing a urine analysis for a 2 month old boy. The mother removed the diaper and the boy instantly began to urinate all over the place. The mother began yelling in Creole at me. I still don’t know what she said but I ran and got a cup and proceeded to try and catch the urine which was covering me, the mother, the lab, and the boy! Happily we were successful in obtaining the urine and he is one patient I will never forget. I really enjoyed working in the lab because it gave me the opportunity to interact with people and help them to be treated fully.”
Mel also reports to the team that she “so takes Pepto Bismol three times a day” and she can always be counted on to distribute her pharmaceutical wares generously where required. Right Michelle?
…and now to backtrack…
An Entry from the diary of Dr. Roxanne:
Saturday, April 21, 2007
“Jo, Mwele, and I packed up for our hike to Bouchi. As we walked through the town several people approached Jo looking for cards to be seen at the clinic and he had to tell them we were full. As we approached the village we saw several women walking with large loads on their heads. They stopped to stare at us and asked us where we were going. As we entered the village, crowds of children approached us laughing and smiling at the blanc. Bouchi is a little different than BML, with the huts separated more. Each family seems to have a little more land and they often have a garden and a fence. The houses are still mostly made of sticks and mud with tin roofs. It was fascinating to go inside some of the homes; dark and small and mostly dirt floors. We would sit on small woven chairs and with Jo translating I would do a medical visit. I saw one elderly lady on her veranda while all her neighbors looked on. When she needed to lie down for an exam, they quickly pulled out a bamboo mat for her. There were a lot of sick and malnourished children running around filthy and naked, but most had smiles on their faces.”
Later that afternoon, Carl gave a sexual heath talk to the men while Roxanne & Tiffany did the same for the women. Both were well attended. In the women’s room a brief anatomy lesson was given followed by a condom demonstration using a plantain. An older women told the girls “if you don’t want your boyfriend to have sex with you then just don’t shower”. Many of the women were interested in forming a women’s heath committee in the future. The local men showed boisterous enthusiasm during Carl’s talk. Some of them literally crawling in through the windows to get in. The delighted men left with handfuls of condoms and newly enlightened.
Last Day in Bod Mi Limbe
This would be a ½ day of clinic as we had to pack up and had much work to do. Regretfully, for the villagers, it was raining most of the night and now into the morning. This morning we had villagers lined up outside our bedroom doors in the clinic at 6:30am. I could hear Carl, after poking his head through the window exclaim, “I can’t believe they are here already!” This being our last day, many villagers came without the cards that are distributed that would ensure them a visit, as we cannot see all the villagers each trip. This meant that many were unable to see a doctor and would have to wait until our next trip.
The lab would be busy as usual, but we knew all would be well under control, as the Lab Lady (Mel) was on the job!
Mel reports:
“The lab was no one’s favorite place. Everyone came in knowing they would have to get pricked by a needle or pee in a cup. Needless to say I didn’t make too many friends being the “lab lady”. My job was to test patients for malaria, TB, pregnancy, and urine analysis. On an average day I would test 50 cups of urine and twenty samples of blood. One memorable moment for me was while I was doing a urine analysis for a 2 month old boy. The mother removed the diaper and the boy instantly began to urinate all over the place. The mother began yelling in Creole at me. I still don’t know what she said but I ran and got a cup and proceeded to try and catch the urine which was covering me, the mother, the lab, and the boy! Happily we were successful in obtaining the urine and he is one patient I will never forget. I really enjoyed working in the lab because it gave me the opportunity to interact with people and help them to be treated fully.”
Mel also reports to the team that she “so takes Pepto Bismol three times a day” and she can always be counted on to distribute her pharmaceutical wares generously where required. Right Michelle?
…and now to backtrack…
An Entry from the diary of Dr. Roxanne:
Saturday, April 21, 2007
“Jo, Mwele, and I packed up for our hike to Bouchi. As we walked through the town several people approached Jo looking for cards to be seen at the clinic and he had to tell them we were full. As we approached the village we saw several women walking with large loads on their heads. They stopped to stare at us and asked us where we were going. As we entered the village, crowds of children approached us laughing and smiling at the blanc. Bouchi is a little different than BML, with the huts separated more. Each family seems to have a little more land and they often have a garden and a fence. The houses are still mostly made of sticks and mud with tin roofs. It was fascinating to go inside some of the homes; dark and small and mostly dirt floors. We would sit on small woven chairs and with Jo translating I would do a medical visit. I saw one elderly lady on her veranda while all her neighbors looked on. When she needed to lie down for an exam, they quickly pulled out a bamboo mat for her. There were a lot of sick and malnourished children running around filthy and naked, but most had smiles on their faces.”
Later that afternoon, Carl gave a sexual heath talk to the men while Roxanne & Tiffany did the same for the women. Both were well attended. In the women’s room a brief anatomy lesson was given followed by a condom demonstration using a plantain. An older women told the girls “if you don’t want your boyfriend to have sex with you then just don’t shower”. Many of the women were interested in forming a women’s heath committee in the future. The local men showed boisterous enthusiasm during Carl’s talk. Some of them literally crawling in through the windows to get in. The delighted men left with handfuls of condoms and newly enlightened.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Day 6- Our Day-Off
Breakfast was still at 7am on this day but we were used to waking early by now. Carl & Linda got dressed in their finest and walked down the beach and up the hill to the Baptist church where they attended a short service from 8-12noon. They were active participants and honoured guests at the service-Carl even did a solo number which was well received. The church congregation was dressed in their finest apparel and they welcomed the onlookers peering through the doors.
Most of us went for a walk on a path overlooking Bouchi and along to Joli beach. We were regularly greeted by the locals and picked up quite a few along the way.
Later we took a twelve foot row boat with 16 passengers and rowed across to Caramel Island. Jo followed on his sea-doo with a picnic for us. Once all were set-up and baking in the sun Jo broke out the rum punch I mean rum PUNCH which was followed by hot-dogs and macaroni salad-delicious. We then snorkeled in the warm ocean waves, while some continued to literally roast on the beach (Mel, Michelle & Jon!). Then a very special treat came when Tiffany surprised us by asking a fisherman to roast his catch for the day. He had 4 lobsters, 4 snails, and 1 conch. He began by laying some dry twigs to make a small fire. Once he had a smokey fire going he laid the lobsters directly on the fire. He then broke open the snails and the conch with two rocks and laid them next to the lobsters where the scoff began to roast nicely. The food was turned with his bare hands and was then washed and laid on many palm sized leaves to be shared out and it was absolutely delicious sweet and juicy sea food!
Breakfast was still at 7am on this day but we were used to waking early by now. Carl & Linda got dressed in their finest and walked down the beach and up the hill to the Baptist church where they attended a short service from 8-12noon. They were active participants and honoured guests at the service-Carl even did a solo number which was well received. The church congregation was dressed in their finest apparel and they welcomed the onlookers peering through the doors.
Most of us went for a walk on a path overlooking Bouchi and along to Joli beach. We were regularly greeted by the locals and picked up quite a few along the way.
Later we took a twelve foot row boat with 16 passengers and rowed across to Caramel Island. Jo followed on his sea-doo with a picnic for us. Once all were set-up and baking in the sun Jo broke out the rum punch I mean rum PUNCH which was followed by hot-dogs and macaroni salad-delicious. We then snorkeled in the warm ocean waves, while some continued to literally roast on the beach (Mel, Michelle & Jon!). Then a very special treat came when Tiffany surprised us by asking a fisherman to roast his catch for the day. He had 4 lobsters, 4 snails, and 1 conch. He began by laying some dry twigs to make a small fire. Once he had a smokey fire going he laid the lobsters directly on the fire. He then broke open the snails and the conch with two rocks and laid them next to the lobsters where the scoff began to roast nicely. The food was turned with his bare hands and was then washed and laid on many palm sized leaves to be shared out and it was absolutely delicious sweet and juicy sea food!
Saturday, April 21, 2007 Continued
Day 5-Continued
After a dinner of curried goat (the kill captured on video by Jon!), rice, goat sauce, pickly (a spicy cabbage & carrot), and fried plantain, we had a visit from four local young men who would speak to us about Voodoo. They are all drummers and they spoke about how Voodoo is a way of life and it is their culture. For some it is a religion where they experience spirits speaking through them, for others it is a celebration of the music. We were honoured to experience a night of Voodoo which began by the young men starting a small fire on the beach in front of Jo’s house. The drummers sat by side and the crowd of people, us included, surrounded the fire and drummers who would break into song after song. Sometimes there was singing sometimes not but there was always dancing by people of all ages, all dancing together and inviting les blancs to join in. It was especially exciting for them when we danced in our awkward ways near the fire. Kudos to Tiffany, Roxanne, Michelle, Mel, & Jon for strutting there stuff so well! We ended the night watching from the roof as the remaining coals from the fire were tossed into the pitch black of night where they shattered on the ground, leaving specks of red glowing embers to fade into the morning.
After a dinner of curried goat (the kill captured on video by Jon!), rice, goat sauce, pickly (a spicy cabbage & carrot), and fried plantain, we had a visit from four local young men who would speak to us about Voodoo. They are all drummers and they spoke about how Voodoo is a way of life and it is their culture. For some it is a religion where they experience spirits speaking through them, for others it is a celebration of the music. We were honoured to experience a night of Voodoo which began by the young men starting a small fire on the beach in front of Jo’s house. The drummers sat by side and the crowd of people, us included, surrounded the fire and drummers who would break into song after song. Sometimes there was singing sometimes not but there was always dancing by people of all ages, all dancing together and inviting les blancs to join in. It was especially exciting for them when we danced in our awkward ways near the fire. Kudos to Tiffany, Roxanne, Michelle, Mel, & Jon for strutting there stuff so well! We ended the night watching from the roof as the remaining coals from the fire were tossed into the pitch black of night where they shattered on the ground, leaving specks of red glowing embers to fade into the morning.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Day 5
You should all know we have been eating very well, sweating a lot, and even getting the occasional swim in. The evenings have been filled with great social time with our translators-teaching us songs, dancing, and Haitian card games. Some of us stay up later than others. The night owls would include Jonathan, Michelle, Mel and Sarah…and Tiffany hard at work. The 8:30pm crowd Caroline, Karen, & the Hudson’s, slept in a room together luckily…. But they all did not get equal amounts of sleep…ZZZZZZZ Carl you know what we mean (February had Pat we have Carl)! Electricity continues to be an ongoing issue. Steve got me up to speed and showed me the ropes, long distance. How does that old song go…the generator is connected to the charger, the charger is connected to the batteries, the batteries run in parallel…and something about solar panels! When in doubt call an electrician in St. John’s…Newfoundland! Thanks loads to Jim who can always be counted on. In the end we had power which enabled us to chart well into the night and see what delights we were eating.
We awaken before sunrise, but never in our days do we see a sunrise or a sunset as time does not allow. Today is a full work day. This is what it’s like in triage-the next station in the clinic after registration. Patients are assessed initially, vital signs are done, and it is determined whether they need to go on to see the doctor or to go home with a few of the medications which we routinely distribute to combat, worms, vitamin deficiencies, heartburn, and general pains.
Sarah, our seasoned paramedic reports triage to be a pleasure and very rewarding. She enjoyed working with the young and the old but had a soft spot in her heart for the young children. “Seeing their smiling faces, after giving them toys, will forever leave a positive, lasting, impression of Haiti.”
Michelle our new nurse extraordinaire relates the following thoughts about her experience. “Triage was a great opportunity to get to know local Haitians. I really enjoyed triaging the children and it was a great feeling knowing that I am helping others. To see the smiles on their faces and see how much they appreciate everything was a great eye opener for me.”
Jonathan veteran HTFH paramedic, better known locally as “Big Papo” says that working at the BML “Sante pou ou” (the new health clinic) was great. He taught Mel the lab duties and spent most of his time triaging and entertaining the Haitian people. The new patients were great and friendly and the returning ones were happy to see him and he them. Some of them remembered him by his Haitian nickname (see big white guy translation above). His fondest memory was when he triaged an elderly couple on day one. The gentleman returned three days later bearing coconuts as a gift saying if I could return again and help him he could give me some more coconuts (he did, in fact, return 10 minutes later to ask for his burlap bag back!) John says he loves the Haitian people anpil – this team thinks it’s mutual.
You should all know we have been eating very well, sweating a lot, and even getting the occasional swim in. The evenings have been filled with great social time with our translators-teaching us songs, dancing, and Haitian card games. Some of us stay up later than others. The night owls would include Jonathan, Michelle, Mel and Sarah…and Tiffany hard at work. The 8:30pm crowd Caroline, Karen, & the Hudson’s, slept in a room together luckily…. But they all did not get equal amounts of sleep…ZZZZZZZ Carl you know what we mean (February had Pat we have Carl)! Electricity continues to be an ongoing issue. Steve got me up to speed and showed me the ropes, long distance. How does that old song go…the generator is connected to the charger, the charger is connected to the batteries, the batteries run in parallel…and something about solar panels! When in doubt call an electrician in St. John’s…Newfoundland! Thanks loads to Jim who can always be counted on. In the end we had power which enabled us to chart well into the night and see what delights we were eating.
We awaken before sunrise, but never in our days do we see a sunrise or a sunset as time does not allow. Today is a full work day. This is what it’s like in triage-the next station in the clinic after registration. Patients are assessed initially, vital signs are done, and it is determined whether they need to go on to see the doctor or to go home with a few of the medications which we routinely distribute to combat, worms, vitamin deficiencies, heartburn, and general pains.
Sarah, our seasoned paramedic reports triage to be a pleasure and very rewarding. She enjoyed working with the young and the old but had a soft spot in her heart for the young children. “Seeing their smiling faces, after giving them toys, will forever leave a positive, lasting, impression of Haiti.”
Michelle our new nurse extraordinaire relates the following thoughts about her experience. “Triage was a great opportunity to get to know local Haitians. I really enjoyed triaging the children and it was a great feeling knowing that I am helping others. To see the smiles on their faces and see how much they appreciate everything was a great eye opener for me.”
Jonathan veteran HTFH paramedic, better known locally as “Big Papo” says that working at the BML “Sante pou ou” (the new health clinic) was great. He taught Mel the lab duties and spent most of his time triaging and entertaining the Haitian people. The new patients were great and friendly and the returning ones were happy to see him and he them. Some of them remembered him by his Haitian nickname (see big white guy translation above). His fondest memory was when he triaged an elderly couple on day one. The gentleman returned three days later bearing coconuts as a gift saying if I could return again and help him he could give me some more coconuts (he did, in fact, return 10 minutes later to ask for his burlap bag back!) John says he loves the Haitian people anpil – this team thinks it’s mutual.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Clinic Day 4-Reflections of a Traveling Doctor-Dr. Linda
Accompanied by Mwele, who lives in BML, and Jo, I was apprehensive at first since Carl’s trip, yesterday, was further and longer than planned (as you all recall!). We scrambled to get appropriate meds and examining tools for a non- mobile geriatric population in Bouchi. We set out through the village greeting everyone on the way. Mwele stopped to buy snacks for us, since yesterday we were worried Carl might have gone hypoglycemic. At the village end, we took a trail that led along the beach past beautiful rolling waves and fishermen mending nets. We took a small row boat across the river and headed for Mongoio. Jo was the boss so we followed his lead. The village had about twenty houses made of various materials- woven wooden strips with thatched roofs and some with cement walls and tin roofs. The village seems to have more space than BML. The first stop was at a home where an elderly grandfather had been struck on the head by a falling breadfruit about two months ago and had headaches and visual problems since. I tried to check his blood pressure but we had no BP cuff so Mwele ran a ½ hour back to the clinic to fetch it. He is a strong and friendly fellow. We continued our house rounds telling people at each house we could see one or two sick people but not everyone. People were very appreciative and cooperative. They brought wooden chairs with woven seats to let me sit while I examined the patients, borrowing from neighbors if they had none. We saw 22 patients ranging from grandpa with the concussion to children with otitis and infected scabies and some adults with Malaria. Cards were given to people to return to the clinic in BML for required testing and some prescriptions. It was a wonderful experience to see the people in their home settings. We managed to see those who needed to be seen and made it back in time for lunch.
Accompanied by Mwele, who lives in BML, and Jo, I was apprehensive at first since Carl’s trip, yesterday, was further and longer than planned (as you all recall!). We scrambled to get appropriate meds and examining tools for a non- mobile geriatric population in Bouchi. We set out through the village greeting everyone on the way. Mwele stopped to buy snacks for us, since yesterday we were worried Carl might have gone hypoglycemic. At the village end, we took a trail that led along the beach past beautiful rolling waves and fishermen mending nets. We took a small row boat across the river and headed for Mongoio. Jo was the boss so we followed his lead. The village had about twenty houses made of various materials- woven wooden strips with thatched roofs and some with cement walls and tin roofs. The village seems to have more space than BML. The first stop was at a home where an elderly grandfather had been struck on the head by a falling breadfruit about two months ago and had headaches and visual problems since. I tried to check his blood pressure but we had no BP cuff so Mwele ran a ½ hour back to the clinic to fetch it. He is a strong and friendly fellow. We continued our house rounds telling people at each house we could see one or two sick people but not everyone. People were very appreciative and cooperative. They brought wooden chairs with woven seats to let me sit while I examined the patients, borrowing from neighbors if they had none. We saw 22 patients ranging from grandpa with the concussion to children with otitis and infected scabies and some adults with Malaria. Cards were given to people to return to the clinic in BML for required testing and some prescriptions. It was a wonderful experience to see the people in their home settings. We managed to see those who needed to be seen and made it back in time for lunch.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Clinic Day 3-Reflections of a Traveling Doctor-Dr. Carl
“6am-sitting on a hillside overlooking BML, sun reflecting on ocean, rising over the island across the cove. Yesterday was fascinating, house calls to see the old and infirm who could not make the journey to BML. On our way up the hill, past the Baptist church, down a rocky path to a lagoon, with boys naked and fishing, our guide Jordani suggested that another village “nearby” had more needy people. So we bypassed Bouchi and walked down a long beach, got a boat ride across a river, waked through bean and peanut gardens bordered by cacti, to Guillotine -named for the French revolutionary execution. Much more spacious than BML where houses are crowded 3&4 deep on a narrow coastal strip, this village has large groves of coconut and mango and shade trees.
Upon meting the people I found cases such as: Multiple inguinal hernias - one in a fisherman aged ~80 on the beach who pulled down his shorts to show me, while his younger fellow fisherman hooted with laughter at his shamelessness, two in small boys and one in an old man the size of a football and almost down to the knees-he was moaning in pain, lying on a mat in the sun, intermittently vomiting, this will likely kill him-I suggest a cold compress and gave tylenol-as he is too infirm to go on a list for surgery. A women ~ 65, smoker, wasting away, abdominal pain, huge liver, probable interabdominal cancer. I gave Tylenol as this is all I had with me. A 2 y.o. boy very small for age whose heart could be see beating in his upper abdomen- it was greatly hypertrophied left ventrical from congenital heart disease. Plus a very large umbilical hernia-no prospects for surgical correction. Three old women who were cousins but looked so much alike we thought we were seeing triplets, all with hypertension. Two of them had a peculiar thickening of the sole of the foot with deep painful cracks. All were examined under a tree with 10-15 onlookers of all ages chattering surprised to see a blanc Doktè~ (white doctor) in the village.”
Back at the clinic we were wondering what had happened to Dokte Carl-Linda in particular was wanting to “kick his ass” for being three hours late on the return to BML!
Well be sure to tune tomorrow for Reflections of a Traveling Doctor-Dr. Linda!
“6am-sitting on a hillside overlooking BML, sun reflecting on ocean, rising over the island across the cove. Yesterday was fascinating, house calls to see the old and infirm who could not make the journey to BML. On our way up the hill, past the Baptist church, down a rocky path to a lagoon, with boys naked and fishing, our guide Jordani suggested that another village “nearby” had more needy people. So we bypassed Bouchi and walked down a long beach, got a boat ride across a river, waked through bean and peanut gardens bordered by cacti, to Guillotine -named for the French revolutionary execution. Much more spacious than BML where houses are crowded 3&4 deep on a narrow coastal strip, this village has large groves of coconut and mango and shade trees.
Upon meting the people I found cases such as: Multiple inguinal hernias - one in a fisherman aged ~80 on the beach who pulled down his shorts to show me, while his younger fellow fisherman hooted with laughter at his shamelessness, two in small boys and one in an old man the size of a football and almost down to the knees-he was moaning in pain, lying on a mat in the sun, intermittently vomiting, this will likely kill him-I suggest a cold compress and gave tylenol-as he is too infirm to go on a list for surgery. A women ~ 65, smoker, wasting away, abdominal pain, huge liver, probable interabdominal cancer. I gave Tylenol as this is all I had with me. A 2 y.o. boy very small for age whose heart could be see beating in his upper abdomen- it was greatly hypertrophied left ventrical from congenital heart disease. Plus a very large umbilical hernia-no prospects for surgical correction. Three old women who were cousins but looked so much alike we thought we were seeing triplets, all with hypertension. Two of them had a peculiar thickening of the sole of the foot with deep painful cracks. All were examined under a tree with 10-15 onlookers of all ages chattering surprised to see a blanc Doktè~ (white doctor) in the village.”
Back at the clinic we were wondering what had happened to Dokte Carl-Linda in particular was wanting to “kick his ass” for being three hours late on the return to BML!
Well be sure to tune tomorrow for Reflections of a Traveling Doctor-Dr. Linda!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Clinic Day 2
Good morning HTFT-Team Canada blog readers! This morning most were awakened at 3am…now let’s see was it the rooster, the cow outside our window, or one of the many goats that surround the school house? We are well and mostly sleeping soundly on mattresses laid on the concrete foundation floors of the clinic/school rooms, draped by mosquito netting and thankful to have had a cool night. Is there such a thing as snow? Not down here. This morning we met for a breakfast of coffee/tea/orange juice, porridge, bread, eggs, peanut butter, or fruit- (we are spoiled) as our meals are prepared by the women who work in the main house using some of Jo’s famous recipes (hey Jo we are still waiting for that recipe book!). The women of the house also wash our laundry by-hand , carry out all cooking and cleaning tasks, haul water, and work tirelessly to support the team.
We head to our stations and where we are assisted by enthusiastic translators
(returning Keno, Alex, & Charles) as well as four nurse assistants in training Marie-Claude, Anne Suze, Jenete, & Violete. Patients will travel to our clinic from the surrounding villages such as Noman, Bouchi, Loman, and Titwa. They are dressed in their best clothing and look immaculate. Many have made journey by foot (barefoot), for aged this can mean a walk of three hours so they must leave at 4am to arrive at the clinic.
Okay well it’s not all sun and fun. Some of us have started in with the diarrhea and vomiting but we are tough and hardy…and the hardiest will scale walls in the pitch-black of night to get to a toilet to relieve themselves (right Michelle? Luckily Nina the rotweiler was on her leash!)
Good morning HTFT-Team Canada blog readers! This morning most were awakened at 3am…now let’s see was it the rooster, the cow outside our window, or one of the many goats that surround the school house? We are well and mostly sleeping soundly on mattresses laid on the concrete foundation floors of the clinic/school rooms, draped by mosquito netting and thankful to have had a cool night. Is there such a thing as snow? Not down here. This morning we met for a breakfast of coffee/tea/orange juice, porridge, bread, eggs, peanut butter, or fruit- (we are spoiled) as our meals are prepared by the women who work in the main house using some of Jo’s famous recipes (hey Jo we are still waiting for that recipe book!). The women of the house also wash our laundry by-hand , carry out all cooking and cleaning tasks, haul water, and work tirelessly to support the team.
We head to our stations and where we are assisted by enthusiastic translators
(returning Keno, Alex, & Charles) as well as four nurse assistants in training Marie-Claude, Anne Suze, Jenete, & Violete. Patients will travel to our clinic from the surrounding villages such as Noman, Bouchi, Loman, and Titwa. They are dressed in their best clothing and look immaculate. Many have made journey by foot (barefoot), for aged this can mean a walk of three hours so they must leave at 4am to arrive at the clinic.
Okay well it’s not all sun and fun. Some of us have started in with the diarrhea and vomiting but we are tough and hardy…and the hardiest will scale walls in the pitch-black of night to get to a toilet to relieve themselves (right Michelle? Luckily Nina the rotweiler was on her leash!)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Clinic Day 1
Well who slept through that heat? We all did! Now this is the routine- breakfast at 7, clinic at 8, lunch at 12, dinner at 5. Work your swims in around that. Time flies in a day with the variety of work and the number of patients.
The patients of BML and surrounding villages are lined up at the gate by 6:30am. Many have walked two hours to get to BML- age ranges from a few months to 90 years. The very old may return by moped-taxi (5 gourds = 12 cents) for a 30 minute return ride. Imagine your ailing grandmother on a moped. This day we saw 75 patients only half of what we expect to see in the coming days as this was still a set-up day. So while the nurses are in triage, and the doctors are in their offices, there is still the pharmacy, the lab, the registration, administration, and site services to run. There is no shortage of work and no shortage of enthusiasm. Those of us who have never seen a lab are thrilled to be trained-in and hope to be in charge tomorrow (Mel) -thanks to the great teachings of Jonathan! The GP’s are seeing patients with kelloid scars, and other lumps and bumps that might require removal. When they can, some doctors are able to take the time to explain to the translator the need for such procedures. They might even quiz them about why the patient might need such a procedure (Carl)! The pharmacy is blocked with orders for prescriptions and deliveries to triage and doctors, we are mixing medications and preparing scabies treatments with a mixture of Haitian lard and sulfur. Pharmacy rocks!
Well who slept through that heat? We all did! Now this is the routine- breakfast at 7, clinic at 8, lunch at 12, dinner at 5. Work your swims in around that. Time flies in a day with the variety of work and the number of patients.
The patients of BML and surrounding villages are lined up at the gate by 6:30am. Many have walked two hours to get to BML- age ranges from a few months to 90 years. The very old may return by moped-taxi (5 gourds = 12 cents) for a 30 minute return ride. Imagine your ailing grandmother on a moped. This day we saw 75 patients only half of what we expect to see in the coming days as this was still a set-up day. So while the nurses are in triage, and the doctors are in their offices, there is still the pharmacy, the lab, the registration, administration, and site services to run. There is no shortage of work and no shortage of enthusiasm. Those of us who have never seen a lab are thrilled to be trained-in and hope to be in charge tomorrow (Mel) -thanks to the great teachings of Jonathan! The GP’s are seeing patients with kelloid scars, and other lumps and bumps that might require removal. When they can, some doctors are able to take the time to explain to the translator the need for such procedures. They might even quiz them about why the patient might need such a procedure (Carl)! The pharmacy is blocked with orders for prescriptions and deliveries to triage and doctors, we are mixing medications and preparing scabies treatments with a mixture of Haitian lard and sulfur. Pharmacy rocks!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Traveling to Bod me Limbe
We met in the hotel lobby at 5:15 this morning and loaded our many bags and boxes, generator, and meds aboard the bus to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. We checked in, or rather weighed-in, literally each of us was weighed-in with our carry on luggage. This would be a flight on a fifteen person aircraft. As we approached Haiti we looked through the clouds and Karen Cimer spotted Bod me Limbe just as we flew past-a great photo op! Upon arrival in Cap Haitian we disembark the craft into a humid 30 degrees with full sun at 9:00am. Okay-hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen-we are ready. On to customs where all eyes watch as bags and boxes clear customs (a curious process). The returning Team Canada members remark how much easier this route was than going through Port au Prince- by a long shot. We are greeted by Jo Barbosa our formidable host/guide/chef./everything. The bags are moved to three awaiting Tap Taps (taxi pick-up trucks) that would carry the 11 of us and luggage to Coco Beach where we would meet the boats to take us to Bod Me Limbe (BML).
Cap Haitian was bustling and to the new recruits this was memorizing as we watched the people go about their daily routines in a city lacking basic infrastructure-most of us were left speechless and shocked by the abject poverty.
After a 1 hour dusty trek through the hills we arrive to met other support people and Labadie friends. The boat ride to BML was another 1 1/2 hrs on calm seas.
Then they spotted-the people of BML- many gathered on the shore to greet us. The children especially cheered and raised their hands greeting us and helped us to unload. We set up the clinic, unpacked in our rooms, met with the 9 translators and, after a delicious meal of fish stew and rice, we were exhausted. It was 6:30 pm! Most of us went to off to bed to spite the heat, while others worked on well into the night. (That would be Tiffany!)
We met in the hotel lobby at 5:15 this morning and loaded our many bags and boxes, generator, and meds aboard the bus to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. We checked in, or rather weighed-in, literally each of us was weighed-in with our carry on luggage. This would be a flight on a fifteen person aircraft. As we approached Haiti we looked through the clouds and Karen Cimer spotted Bod me Limbe just as we flew past-a great photo op! Upon arrival in Cap Haitian we disembark the craft into a humid 30 degrees with full sun at 9:00am. Okay-hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen-we are ready. On to customs where all eyes watch as bags and boxes clear customs (a curious process). The returning Team Canada members remark how much easier this route was than going through Port au Prince- by a long shot. We are greeted by Jo Barbosa our formidable host/guide/chef./everything. The bags are moved to three awaiting Tap Taps (taxi pick-up trucks) that would carry the 11 of us and luggage to Coco Beach where we would meet the boats to take us to Bod Me Limbe (BML).
Cap Haitian was bustling and to the new recruits this was memorizing as we watched the people go about their daily routines in a city lacking basic infrastructure-most of us were left speechless and shocked by the abject poverty.
After a 1 hour dusty trek through the hills we arrive to met other support people and Labadie friends. The boat ride to BML was another 1 1/2 hrs on calm seas.
Then they spotted-the people of BML- many gathered on the shore to greet us. The children especially cheered and raised their hands greeting us and helped us to unload. We set up the clinic, unpacked in our rooms, met with the 9 translators and, after a delicious meal of fish stew and rice, we were exhausted. It was 6:30 pm! Most of us went to off to bed to spite the heat, while others worked on well into the night. (That would be Tiffany!)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
First Day Back
Hello All! this is the first post of the April 2007 trip to Bod Me Limbe coming to you from Miramichi, NB!
While the Team has arrived safely in BML they of course do not have internet access. However they do have a cell phone and today I was speaking with Tiffany to get an update.
All are fine except a cold bug has swept through the team. It is reported to be hot and muggy. They apparently saw 75 patients today and then retired for the first day recap meeting and charting. Delioga, Muele and Momma all send their best.
They have power thanks to the persistence of Caroline who has been issued a field promotion to Electrical Engineer and can immediately begin uploading and sorting photos and medical charts. Yeah fun at the end of a long and sticky day.
That is all. They will post as they get the opportunity or I will communicate the happenings as they are conveyed to me.
Steve
While the Team has arrived safely in BML they of course do not have internet access. However they do have a cell phone and today I was speaking with Tiffany to get an update.
All are fine except a cold bug has swept through the team. It is reported to be hot and muggy. They apparently saw 75 patients today and then retired for the first day recap meeting and charting. Delioga, Muele and Momma all send their best.
They have power thanks to the persistence of Caroline who has been issued a field promotion to Electrical Engineer and can immediately begin uploading and sorting photos and medical charts. Yeah fun at the end of a long and sticky day.
That is all. They will post as they get the opportunity or I will communicate the happenings as they are conveyed to me.
Steve
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Safe Arrival in Fort Lauderdale April 15, 2007!
We have all arrived safe and sound here in Fort Lauderdale. We familiarized ourselves with the team and heard personal stories about why we are all here, while enjoying the ice in our drinks! (Apparently a luxury we will come to appreciate in the days to come.)
We then discussed some logistics and we are now off to bed at 19:45h.
We depart from the hotel at 5:15h and head out to our tiny plane hoping to keep within weight restrictions.
We look forward to hearing from you throughout our journey so please feel free to leave us your comments and encouragement.
Again...stay tuned for our posting on the 24th.
Kenbe La.
We then discussed some logistics and we are now off to bed at 19:45h.
We depart from the hotel at 5:15h and head out to our tiny plane hoping to keep within weight restrictions.
We look forward to hearing from you throughout our journey so please feel free to leave us your comments and encouragement.
Again...stay tuned for our posting on the 24th.
Kenbe La.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
On our way
Well the time has passed quickly since the February trip. We had our team retreat on April 1st with the veteran members meeting the newcomers. Our preparation has been thorough, and the medications and supplies have been ordered. We've got 700 pounds worth of gear that we will be loading on Lynx Airlines on Monday morning. That includes our 1200 Watt generator and small refrigerator.
The Team is extremely excited with 3 returnees and 7 new members. Thank you to all those who've supported us over the past several months.
Stay tuned for our posting on the 24th.
Kenbe La.
The Team is extremely excited with 3 returnees and 7 new members. Thank you to all those who've supported us over the past several months.
Stay tuned for our posting on the 24th.
Kenbe La.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Long Road Home
Tuesday February 20, 2007
Now seasoned Haiti hands the route through the mountains, down into the experience that is Cap Haitian was a cinch we hardly even noticed the stench anymore.
Back in PAP the Healing Hands folks arranged to carry us through from Domestic to International with a pit stop at their compound for lunch and a quick dip in the pool. A little luxury on our way out. A series of “helpers” and a few payoffs later we were checked in and our overweight bags were aboard with no problems. Sometimes a little baksheesh is a good thing. Downside is that with the computer system down, the tickets hand written and open seating the load numbers for the plane did not work out and we had to go back to the terminal after the plane had rotated to the end of the runway. An hour later and a 250km headwind meant we missed our connections and due to the every high quality assistance of Air Canada (meaning we are not happy until you are not happy). We got a hotel and re-rigged for tomorrow.
Well that is all for this trip. Tiffany has already booked for April and has a team put together. As a Team we would all like to express our sincere thanks to those you supported our efforts financially and to our families and friends who supported emotionally (and probably financially too). For those that went this was a life changing experience and all have committed to returning. I know the entire village of BML would love to see Big Poppo again. I know we would like to thank Jo for his support, his guidance and all of his work for the people of Haiti. He is family.
Once again thank you all.
Now seasoned Haiti hands the route through the mountains, down into the experience that is Cap Haitian was a cinch we hardly even noticed the stench anymore.
Back in PAP the Healing Hands folks arranged to carry us through from Domestic to International with a pit stop at their compound for lunch and a quick dip in the pool. A little luxury on our way out. A series of “helpers” and a few payoffs later we were checked in and our overweight bags were aboard with no problems. Sometimes a little baksheesh is a good thing. Downside is that with the computer system down, the tickets hand written and open seating the load numbers for the plane did not work out and we had to go back to the terminal after the plane had rotated to the end of the runway. An hour later and a 250km headwind meant we missed our connections and due to the every high quality assistance of Air Canada (meaning we are not happy until you are not happy). We got a hotel and re-rigged for tomorrow.
Well that is all for this trip. Tiffany has already booked for April and has a team put together. As a Team we would all like to express our sincere thanks to those you supported our efforts financially and to our families and friends who supported emotionally (and probably financially too). For those that went this was a life changing experience and all have committed to returning. I know the entire village of BML would love to see Big Poppo again. I know we would like to thank Jo for his support, his guidance and all of his work for the people of Haiti. He is family.
Once again thank you all.
The Deluge
Monday February 19, 2007
Last night we had a storm like they have not seen here for some time. The damage done to the seawall in from of Norm’s Place was something the owners have not seen in their 13 years owning the place. A sailing yacht was washed ashore and one of the water taxis was swamped and destroyed. The walk along the beach to the village was eventful with 5 foot waves crashing into the beach.
Today we split the group for our last day of clinic. Half made the trek through the mud back to Purnette and the other half stayed in Labadie to do a kids and old folks clinic. I was assigned registration duties for the clinic which is interesting since I do not yet speak much kreyol. Luckily I was assisted by two young boys who inevitably will become Haitian bureaucrats. One kept the numbers straight and the other kept the crowd in line. I had absolutely no arguments from anybody since the only words I knew was “stay here”, “line up”, “please wait” and “please go to the doctor now”. I had good fun. Everyone learned a little English. I learned a little kreyol. A few hand tricks keep the kids entertained and you can pay people for their help with gumballs.
Jo and the house staff prepared a great final meal, made some rum punch and genuinely expressed how much of a treasured experience the whole thing was.
In the end we saw over 1200 people in 8 days of clinic.
Last night we had a storm like they have not seen here for some time. The damage done to the seawall in from of Norm’s Place was something the owners have not seen in their 13 years owning the place. A sailing yacht was washed ashore and one of the water taxis was swamped and destroyed. The walk along the beach to the village was eventful with 5 foot waves crashing into the beach.
Today we split the group for our last day of clinic. Half made the trek through the mud back to Purnette and the other half stayed in Labadie to do a kids and old folks clinic. I was assigned registration duties for the clinic which is interesting since I do not yet speak much kreyol. Luckily I was assisted by two young boys who inevitably will become Haitian bureaucrats. One kept the numbers straight and the other kept the crowd in line. I had absolutely no arguments from anybody since the only words I knew was “stay here”, “line up”, “please wait” and “please go to the doctor now”. I had good fun. Everyone learned a little English. I learned a little kreyol. A few hand tricks keep the kids entertained and you can pay people for their help with gumballs.
Jo and the house staff prepared a great final meal, made some rum punch and genuinely expressed how much of a treasured experience the whole thing was.
In the end we saw over 1200 people in 8 days of clinic.
From Land Cruiser to Cruise Liner
Sunday February 18, 2007
We headed back to Labadie early so that Jo could take the young girls that live in the Kay Nous House to Mass to pray for Janelle Spratt the young woman from Hearts Together who began the Kay Nous program. She was just recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. We took a Tap Tap our first experience with this unique local form of transportation. A Tap Tap is a small Toyota pickup circa mid 80’s with wooden benches in the back. You Tap the side to get in and Tap to get off. We put 14 people into this thing with carry on bags plus driver and drove over the Labadie road which it more an exaggeration than an actual route. Save your dollars on Disney go to Haiti and take the kids on a Tap Tap.
After Mass we hired a water taxi to take us to Coco Beach the RCI property which locals can use on non ship days. This is in fact Disney. I personally have never taken a cruise and can not comment but WOW this would be a fabulous way to spend a day. Also the shopping on non cruise day is quite negotiable if you can find a guy to open and deal before site security shows up to shut him down. That being said we have an excellent supply of masks (we met the carver), walking staffs with intricate carvings and sequined banners which would fetch a fortune. All purchases from us are fully tax deductible. Make your order early.
We headed back to Labadie early so that Jo could take the young girls that live in the Kay Nous House to Mass to pray for Janelle Spratt the young woman from Hearts Together who began the Kay Nous program. She was just recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. We took a Tap Tap our first experience with this unique local form of transportation. A Tap Tap is a small Toyota pickup circa mid 80’s with wooden benches in the back. You Tap the side to get in and Tap to get off. We put 14 people into this thing with carry on bags plus driver and drove over the Labadie road which it more an exaggeration than an actual route. Save your dollars on Disney go to Haiti and take the kids on a Tap Tap.
After Mass we hired a water taxi to take us to Coco Beach the RCI property which locals can use on non ship days. This is in fact Disney. I personally have never taken a cruise and can not comment but WOW this would be a fabulous way to spend a day. Also the shopping on non cruise day is quite negotiable if you can find a guy to open and deal before site security shows up to shut him down. That being said we have an excellent supply of masks (we met the carver), walking staffs with intricate carvings and sequined banners which would fetch a fortune. All purchases from us are fully tax deductible. Make your order early.
Karnaval! A Demain
Saturday, February 17, 2007
It is Karnaval weekend in Haiti. The flash of Rio with the beat of a Jamaican street party. That means we are heading to Cap Hatian and the Mont Joli Hotel with a few diversionary pitstops along the way.
After a short water taxi (read small fishing boat not suitable for fishing) from Labadie to Coco Beach and we all piled into a Toyota Land Cruiser. You can in fact put 15 people in such a rig. I now want one. First stop the Croissant D’Or for the best (maybe the only) baked goods in Cap. It is a hangout for the UN guys and Cuban doctors. Owned by a French guy it has the best saucissse d’pain, pain chocolate, croissant et al. Provisions for the trip to the Sacre Cour Hospital in Milo. Run by a group of nuns it is staffed regularly with surgeons from the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The head nun was very pleased to host us and Pat and I tried a brewed under license from Guiness Haitian Guiness beer. Tasted like molasses. Not recommended. Dan in his quest for the ultimate machete asked an elderly lady who was walking by with a large well worn example and a bunch of bananas on her head if a photo would be OK. She said no and let me tell you a no is never as much a no as when it is delivered by an elderly woman with bananas on her head holding a 2 foot machete.
Off in the Cruiser again from La Citadelle. Considered by many as the 8th wonder of the world. It is a UNESCO site and is a stone fortress constructed over 13 years but never finished in the early part of the 18th cent. Incidently, UNESCO has been renovating the place for almost as long as it took to non-finish the construction in the first place. Ahh Haiti. A beautiful example of one man’s juxtaposition of awe and paranoia, read George Bush. It was commissioned by a French guy from Grenada who landed in northern Haiti after the revolution and declared himself king. Unfortunately there was another guy in Port au Prince claiming the same thing and as things often go they fought. Fearing for his “kingdom” he enslaved the newly freed slaves to build this fortress on top of a mountain so high that he could see all of northern Haiti. Yet when constructed he could not see Port au Prince. He ordered it built taller so he could. It could not. He became paralyzed in an accident and vowed no one would ever kill him so he went into his well stocked powder room and lit up a Cuban. His various remaining parts are now entombed in a crypt at the fortress. Oh yeah and Big Poppo picked the most imposing and well armed Chilean UN soldier to ask for a photo. He of course obliged and his commander from the background joking remarked that it would cost 50 Haitian Gourds! Had a fun chat with the contingent members, took some photos for them and off they went G3 assault rifles and all. Ask anyone about the horses.
Back into the Cruiser and return to Mont Joli for a swim, dinner and Karnaval. We all set out in our best bib and tucker to the central square. Anne even wore makeup. Ready to party with the locals on the first night of Karnaval which would be …….tomorrow night! So we sat down outside a bar, ordered beers (there is only one available so you really can just order a beer) and listened to a local band play. I went over to watch the maraca player put a lit cigarette in his mouth, blow smoke out his nose and then bring the cigarette out again. Great party trick. John came over to give the guy another just to see the trick and in response he gave John and I the maracas wo to the entertainment of the locals we danced and shook. John shook more than me. Then a deluge hit and we went singing in the rain and the muddy streets back up the hill to our hotel with locals laughing at us and referring to us not as the usual “blanc” but “vole kabrit” which means stolen goat. A whole other story.
It is Karnaval weekend in Haiti. The flash of Rio with the beat of a Jamaican street party. That means we are heading to Cap Hatian and the Mont Joli Hotel with a few diversionary pitstops along the way.
After a short water taxi (read small fishing boat not suitable for fishing) from Labadie to Coco Beach and we all piled into a Toyota Land Cruiser. You can in fact put 15 people in such a rig. I now want one. First stop the Croissant D’Or for the best (maybe the only) baked goods in Cap. It is a hangout for the UN guys and Cuban doctors. Owned by a French guy it has the best saucissse d’pain, pain chocolate, croissant et al. Provisions for the trip to the Sacre Cour Hospital in Milo. Run by a group of nuns it is staffed regularly with surgeons from the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The head nun was very pleased to host us and Pat and I tried a brewed under license from Guiness Haitian Guiness beer. Tasted like molasses. Not recommended. Dan in his quest for the ultimate machete asked an elderly lady who was walking by with a large well worn example and a bunch of bananas on her head if a photo would be OK. She said no and let me tell you a no is never as much a no as when it is delivered by an elderly woman with bananas on her head holding a 2 foot machete.
Off in the Cruiser again from La Citadelle. Considered by many as the 8th wonder of the world. It is a UNESCO site and is a stone fortress constructed over 13 years but never finished in the early part of the 18th cent. Incidently, UNESCO has been renovating the place for almost as long as it took to non-finish the construction in the first place. Ahh Haiti. A beautiful example of one man’s juxtaposition of awe and paranoia, read George Bush. It was commissioned by a French guy from Grenada who landed in northern Haiti after the revolution and declared himself king. Unfortunately there was another guy in Port au Prince claiming the same thing and as things often go they fought. Fearing for his “kingdom” he enslaved the newly freed slaves to build this fortress on top of a mountain so high that he could see all of northern Haiti. Yet when constructed he could not see Port au Prince. He ordered it built taller so he could. It could not. He became paralyzed in an accident and vowed no one would ever kill him so he went into his well stocked powder room and lit up a Cuban. His various remaining parts are now entombed in a crypt at the fortress. Oh yeah and Big Poppo picked the most imposing and well armed Chilean UN soldier to ask for a photo. He of course obliged and his commander from the background joking remarked that it would cost 50 Haitian Gourds! Had a fun chat with the contingent members, took some photos for them and off they went G3 assault rifles and all. Ask anyone about the horses.
Back into the Cruiser and return to Mont Joli for a swim, dinner and Karnaval. We all set out in our best bib and tucker to the central square. Anne even wore makeup. Ready to party with the locals on the first night of Karnaval which would be …….tomorrow night! So we sat down outside a bar, ordered beers (there is only one available so you really can just order a beer) and listened to a local band play. I went over to watch the maraca player put a lit cigarette in his mouth, blow smoke out his nose and then bring the cigarette out again. Great party trick. John came over to give the guy another just to see the trick and in response he gave John and I the maracas wo to the entertainment of the locals we danced and shook. John shook more than me. Then a deluge hit and we went singing in the rain and the muddy streets back up the hill to our hotel with locals laughing at us and referring to us not as the usual “blanc” but “vole kabrit” which means stolen goat. A whole other story.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Prunette Here We Come
Friday Feb 16, 2007
I am extremely pleased to report, for those to whom numbers represent success, we treated over 900 people from 5 villages, narrowly missed delivering one baby, had the distinct pleasure of informing Jo and Jumane of their impending parenthood, certainly saved the life of one little boy, made one of our local Haitian Nursing Assistants extremely happy by training her to do wound care etc and leaving her a sizble med kit to tend the minor concerns of the population and I am confident made lasting relationships in the village that will facilitate. I can not speak for the others, even though I have been doing that for the duration of the trip, but this has been a life changing experience for me.
Bright and early with the entire village helping to carry the bags to the boat and waving us off we set off right on Haitian Time. Two hours late.
Arriving late in Labadie meant hiking up to Purnette, a really remote village, 45 minutes above Labadie in the high heat of noon! John weighed himself to discover a loss of 5lbs. Setting up in the school with Anne, Karen, Nancy and Dan triaging outside on school desks amongst the roving roosters and goats. Tiffany had a large chicken sitting on her desk at one point. A photo I have and hope to upload. Saw 80 people in a single afternoon at a location which has to have the most beautiful view imaginable.
Pat and I traveled around with a local kid to the village water sources and had an excellent visit. A very informative one as well. A Plan was developed. Back down the hill for dinner and a swim. Much needed I might add.
Must go now to catch the boat.
I am extremely pleased to report, for those to whom numbers represent success, we treated over 900 people from 5 villages, narrowly missed delivering one baby, had the distinct pleasure of informing Jo and Jumane of their impending parenthood, certainly saved the life of one little boy, made one of our local Haitian Nursing Assistants extremely happy by training her to do wound care etc and leaving her a sizble med kit to tend the minor concerns of the population and I am confident made lasting relationships in the village that will facilitate. I can not speak for the others, even though I have been doing that for the duration of the trip, but this has been a life changing experience for me.
Bright and early with the entire village helping to carry the bags to the boat and waving us off we set off right on Haitian Time. Two hours late.
Arriving late in Labadie meant hiking up to Purnette, a really remote village, 45 minutes above Labadie in the high heat of noon! John weighed himself to discover a loss of 5lbs. Setting up in the school with Anne, Karen, Nancy and Dan triaging outside on school desks amongst the roving roosters and goats. Tiffany had a large chicken sitting on her desk at one point. A photo I have and hope to upload. Saw 80 people in a single afternoon at a location which has to have the most beautiful view imaginable.
Pat and I traveled around with a local kid to the village water sources and had an excellent visit. A very informative one as well. A Plan was developed. Back down the hill for dinner and a swim. Much needed I might add.
Must go now to catch the boat.
Old Mand Pat Turns 54
Thursday Feb 15, 2007
Thursday is our last day of clinic in BML. Started early and ran through 2:00pm to get everyone seen. Saw some unfortunately sad cases today. That type of thing really makes you take stock of what we have, what we can give and what we have no power over.
There was also a great reason to get everything rigged down. It was Pat’s 54th. We circulated a card among all the staff and locals who we had come to know and prepared ourselves for a lovely repast of kabrit (goat). Did I mention that we were witness to the goat’s demise? Bright and early the neighbors came to get said goat who we had taken to calling merely Snacks since his future had already been set and there was no point in getting too close. Food chain positioning and all that. Dan, ever the hunter, did a National Geographic video of the deed. Not for the weak of heart. Although Karen, who has a soft spot for every scrawny dog and stray cat down here, did soldier up to witness the event.
It was excellent goat. Served both fried and in a sauce. Fresh. You don’t know the meaning of fresh until you have participated in the preparation of your own meat. For those of you who have never had goat. It does not taste like chicken.
For his birthday Pat found a contaminated well which made him about as happy as a pig rooting around a well. Which really is the reason for the contamination in the first place. Jo outdid himself again and baked a cake consisting of flour, sugar, eggs, raisin bran! He made boiled frosting and took some of the M&Ms from the trail mix to decorate. A few rum drinks and compleanos later it was a late night (9:00) and time for the last sleep at Sunflower House.
Thursday is our last day of clinic in BML. Started early and ran through 2:00pm to get everyone seen. Saw some unfortunately sad cases today. That type of thing really makes you take stock of what we have, what we can give and what we have no power over.
There was also a great reason to get everything rigged down. It was Pat’s 54th. We circulated a card among all the staff and locals who we had come to know and prepared ourselves for a lovely repast of kabrit (goat). Did I mention that we were witness to the goat’s demise? Bright and early the neighbors came to get said goat who we had taken to calling merely Snacks since his future had already been set and there was no point in getting too close. Food chain positioning and all that. Dan, ever the hunter, did a National Geographic video of the deed. Not for the weak of heart. Although Karen, who has a soft spot for every scrawny dog and stray cat down here, did soldier up to witness the event.
It was excellent goat. Served both fried and in a sauce. Fresh. You don’t know the meaning of fresh until you have participated in the preparation of your own meat. For those of you who have never had goat. It does not taste like chicken.
For his birthday Pat found a contaminated well which made him about as happy as a pig rooting around a well. Which really is the reason for the contamination in the first place. Jo outdid himself again and baked a cake consisting of flour, sugar, eggs, raisin bran! He made boiled frosting and took some of the M&Ms from the trail mix to decorate. A few rum drinks and compleanos later it was a late night (9:00) and time for the last sleep at Sunflower House.
Friday, February 16, 2007
This Is What We Get For Killing A Pig
Tuesday Feb 13, 2007
The pregnant lady did not deliver in the clinic. In fact she went home. Here is a point of reference. Every new mother down here breast feeds. Let me say there is no shyness about it. Anywhere. Anytime. Something we in North America should consider.
Nothing really overly dramatic at the clinice. Except maybe for the cleaning of the urine bottles. Pat really should not have been standing around that day looking for something to do, Thankfully I was doing something else that day. Who really cares what it was I was not cleaning urine bottles. Think about it John and Dan did over 300 urine samples. Pi Pi Anpil (that is a "lot of pee")
Shortly after dinner/dark before bed. About 7:30pm. Yes we are all in bed by no later than 8:30. Best rest ever. Oh yeah did I mention that Pat snores. Really snores! Oddly no one seems to hear it anymore. Scares the goats away though.
Anyway, back to the evening. Rained. Rained like only Noah before us has seen. Lightning. Thunder. Rain. Rain. Rain. Within 10 minutes the water leve at the pavillion was knee deep. We had to move all the tents and hunker down. By the time we had all the prep completed and everything battened down the rain laid off. The next morning we had ponds everywhere! The clinic yard was flooded. The rain scared all the cockroaches, spiders, frogs and a particularly amourous toad into John's, Karen's and Angela's room. For those of you interested her kissing the toad did not result in any interesting results (Karen). Just quoted from Karen, "It was a beautiful toad"
The pregnant lady did not deliver in the clinic. In fact she went home. Here is a point of reference. Every new mother down here breast feeds. Let me say there is no shyness about it. Anywhere. Anytime. Something we in North America should consider.
Nothing really overly dramatic at the clinice. Except maybe for the cleaning of the urine bottles. Pat really should not have been standing around that day looking for something to do, Thankfully I was doing something else that day. Who really cares what it was I was not cleaning urine bottles. Think about it John and Dan did over 300 urine samples. Pi Pi Anpil (that is a "lot of pee")
Shortly after dinner/dark before bed. About 7:30pm. Yes we are all in bed by no later than 8:30. Best rest ever. Oh yeah did I mention that Pat snores. Really snores! Oddly no one seems to hear it anymore. Scares the goats away though.
Anyway, back to the evening. Rained. Rained like only Noah before us has seen. Lightning. Thunder. Rain. Rain. Rain. Within 10 minutes the water leve at the pavillion was knee deep. We had to move all the tents and hunker down. By the time we had all the prep completed and everything battened down the rain laid off. The next morning we had ponds everywhere! The clinic yard was flooded. The rain scared all the cockroaches, spiders, frogs and a particularly amourous toad into John's, Karen's and Angela's room. For those of you interested her kissing the toad did not result in any interesting results (Karen). Just quoted from Karen, "It was a beautiful toad"
Start Of Another Work Week
Monday February 12, 2007
Back to Clinic for another day. Set up is now old hat. Up at the crack of rooster crowing for a refreshing, sic cold, shower. You have never really appreciated a cold shower so much! A beautiful breakfast prepared by Momma and the crew, Jumane, Diego (because I am unable to pronounce her name) and off to clinic. Amazing that at 7:30 we already have a line. As I have said we are the Show.
The daily events will from this time on be a little more mundane. Mundane if practicing medicine in a swamp with goats can be considered mundane. Oh yeah Dokte Angela discovered a large tarantula had taken up residence in here clinic this afternoon. He was a short, hairy dark stranger. Not really here type but despite her best effort he did not get the point and leave. No one else had the gallantry to ask him to leave. They say their are no poisonous spiders here. But then again the english/kreyol translation is questionable.
Note I am not referencing any of the sad cases we see as that is just a downer. I am pleased to say we are making a difference. New and expectant mothers are getting nutrition and counselling. Malnourished kids are being introduced to Centrum. We had one cute little kid who came in in a bad state with pneumonia and received an antibiotic shot. He came in the next day a new kid. It certainly gave everyone a lift. Oh yeah we had one woman come in and we very much thought we might even deliver our first baby. Let me tell you as a non medical guy walking into that room was a bit of an eye opener!
After clinic we went for an afternoon swim to the beach at the end of town. On the way back John and I got into a pick up game of soccer with a group of little kids to whom I gave a ball from the clinic the previous week. Equipe Canada represented well. So well in fact that two local kids changed sides and joined us.
A Demain.
Still having photo upload problems. I should not complain as we have power and at least weak satellite internet.
Back to Clinic for another day. Set up is now old hat. Up at the crack of rooster crowing for a refreshing, sic cold, shower. You have never really appreciated a cold shower so much! A beautiful breakfast prepared by Momma and the crew, Jumane, Diego (because I am unable to pronounce her name) and off to clinic. Amazing that at 7:30 we already have a line. As I have said we are the Show.
The daily events will from this time on be a little more mundane. Mundane if practicing medicine in a swamp with goats can be considered mundane. Oh yeah Dokte Angela discovered a large tarantula had taken up residence in here clinic this afternoon. He was a short, hairy dark stranger. Not really here type but despite her best effort he did not get the point and leave. No one else had the gallantry to ask him to leave. They say their are no poisonous spiders here. But then again the english/kreyol translation is questionable.
Note I am not referencing any of the sad cases we see as that is just a downer. I am pleased to say we are making a difference. New and expectant mothers are getting nutrition and counselling. Malnourished kids are being introduced to Centrum. We had one cute little kid who came in in a bad state with pneumonia and received an antibiotic shot. He came in the next day a new kid. It certainly gave everyone a lift. Oh yeah we had one woman come in and we very much thought we might even deliver our first baby. Let me tell you as a non medical guy walking into that room was a bit of an eye opener!
After clinic we went for an afternoon swim to the beach at the end of town. On the way back John and I got into a pick up game of soccer with a group of little kids to whom I gave a ball from the clinic the previous week. Equipe Canada represented well. So well in fact that two local kids changed sides and joined us.
A Demain.
Still having photo upload problems. I should not complain as we have power and at least weak satellite internet.
No Wait This Feels Like Vacation
Sunday Feb 11, 2007
BEACH DAY!. Once again thanks to the roosters and goats we were up at the crack of an hour before dawn for breakfast. We hailed a couple of outgoing poissionaires to row us across to Ile Caramel. The island just to the east of BML for those of you following on Google Earth. Site of one of the first brick kilns in the new world. If this was in Canada there would be a bilingual interpretive center, a campground and a $50 fee to visit. Here you stumble across it on a walk through the bush. Did I mention there is a 14th century French cannon lying derelict 20 metres from where I am sitting. It would look great in my backyard in case any marauding English privateers tries to take my gazebo.
We helped the locals pull in their nets. I can not see how they can do that 4 times a day 7 days a week. I had gloves on and got blisters. I am doux (soft). Snorkeled until sunburned. Drank from coconuts taken from the trees above our heads and ate cous-cous on the beach. The locals sold us lobster and conch to each later!
Back on dry land in BML we took a stroll through the whole village (5 minutes). To the next village (5 minutes). Up the beach on the western side of the peninsula to yet another village. Planted manioc with a local farmer. Amused the kids by placing my hand and theirs on Tiffany’s sunburned back to make a white handprint. 40 kids later……we headed back.
The evening was taken up with a village meeting. Several of the elders came so we could ask how we were doing. If the village was supportive. What were the concerns they had that we might be able to assist with. I am happy to saw all went very well. Great people. Very pleased. Extremely thankful and very much looking forward to the completion of the HTFH school that we are occupying and our return. They asked if the same people could come back. Good luck living up to our reputation Carl, Linda and Roxanne ;)
Again a great meal cooked by Jo and Momma and the most surreal experience we have yet had. Voudou Dancing. For those of you don’t like dancing or west African inspired animist religions please turn the page. For those of you who live for authentic experiences outside of your comfort zone this is it. Total darkness except for the fires and the exceptional flare caused by high proof rum being thrown into it, drumming like I have never heard, a cacophony of singing and what can best be described as wonton dancing. Yes I used the word wonton. Now I know what that means. Tiff, Mary Anne and Carolyn wore their Vouvou head scarves. Angela and Nancy danced like their lives depended on it. I think I got married. Still trying to get a handle on how that went.
BEACH DAY!. Once again thanks to the roosters and goats we were up at the crack of an hour before dawn for breakfast. We hailed a couple of outgoing poissionaires to row us across to Ile Caramel. The island just to the east of BML for those of you following on Google Earth. Site of one of the first brick kilns in the new world. If this was in Canada there would be a bilingual interpretive center, a campground and a $50 fee to visit. Here you stumble across it on a walk through the bush. Did I mention there is a 14th century French cannon lying derelict 20 metres from where I am sitting. It would look great in my backyard in case any marauding English privateers tries to take my gazebo.
We helped the locals pull in their nets. I can not see how they can do that 4 times a day 7 days a week. I had gloves on and got blisters. I am doux (soft). Snorkeled until sunburned. Drank from coconuts taken from the trees above our heads and ate cous-cous on the beach. The locals sold us lobster and conch to each later!
Back on dry land in BML we took a stroll through the whole village (5 minutes). To the next village (5 minutes). Up the beach on the western side of the peninsula to yet another village. Planted manioc with a local farmer. Amused the kids by placing my hand and theirs on Tiffany’s sunburned back to make a white handprint. 40 kids later……we headed back.
The evening was taken up with a village meeting. Several of the elders came so we could ask how we were doing. If the village was supportive. What were the concerns they had that we might be able to assist with. I am happy to saw all went very well. Great people. Very pleased. Extremely thankful and very much looking forward to the completion of the HTFH school that we are occupying and our return. They asked if the same people could come back. Good luck living up to our reputation Carl, Linda and Roxanne ;)
Again a great meal cooked by Jo and Momma and the most surreal experience we have yet had. Voudou Dancing. For those of you don’t like dancing or west African inspired animist religions please turn the page. For those of you who live for authentic experiences outside of your comfort zone this is it. Total darkness except for the fires and the exceptional flare caused by high proof rum being thrown into it, drumming like I have never heard, a cacophony of singing and what can best be described as wonton dancing. Yes I used the word wonton. Now I know what that means. Tiff, Mary Anne and Carolyn wore their Vouvou head scarves. Angela and Nancy danced like their lives depended on it. I think I got married. Still trying to get a handle on how that went.
I Could Get Used To This Aid Thing
Saturday Feb 10, 2007
We started the day with the hope that we could finish earlier, go to the beach at the end of town. You do not want the beach in town. Play some soccer with the locals and frankly not gas ourselves with kerosene fumes in a small concrete room. Did I mention the similarity to cells from a Dante novel?
We had the next village today. Members of each village were given colour coded cards so that not everybody showed up on the same day. Way to go Jo! Again promptly at 8:30 our traveling medical road show began in earnest. A more manageable flow of people. No great crowds just a constant flow.
Pat, took the opportunity to travel with a guide around the village taking detailed photos and notes of the various wells, mangrove swamps and rock structures with an eye to water source improvement and security, sanitation and a general understanding of how the system worked. A sense a real world assignment for his students upon his return. Maybe a CIDA proposal in his future.
We did finish at around 3:00pm and still on the count saw 130 people. Clearly the crew was getting better. Dan even convinced me to draw blood and assist with an injection. He could not however persuade me to assist with the “recycling” of his prized urine containers. In fact, surprisingly enough, he was unable to convince anyone to help.
Taking over from Mary Anne a regimental sergeant major I promptly spent most of the afternoon playing soccer with a bunch of local kids in the courtyard of the clinic. My lack of skills much to the amusement of the entire crowd. Did I mention that the kids here are adorable.
A little beach time and then back to Jo’s for dinner. If I am unable to get it on the Blog please ask Jon to see the video of him skipping with the village kids. His success almost started a riot. Did I mention that he and Momma are excellent cooks and that this place is a little like a cross between an MSF project, and all inclusive resort and camping. Half of us are sleeping in tents in Jo’s yard. Some in his house and the rest on mattresses on the floor of their clinic rooms with mosquito nets.
We started the day with the hope that we could finish earlier, go to the beach at the end of town. You do not want the beach in town. Play some soccer with the locals and frankly not gas ourselves with kerosene fumes in a small concrete room. Did I mention the similarity to cells from a Dante novel?
We had the next village today. Members of each village were given colour coded cards so that not everybody showed up on the same day. Way to go Jo! Again promptly at 8:30 our traveling medical road show began in earnest. A more manageable flow of people. No great crowds just a constant flow.
Pat, took the opportunity to travel with a guide around the village taking detailed photos and notes of the various wells, mangrove swamps and rock structures with an eye to water source improvement and security, sanitation and a general understanding of how the system worked. A sense a real world assignment for his students upon his return. Maybe a CIDA proposal in his future.
We did finish at around 3:00pm and still on the count saw 130 people. Clearly the crew was getting better. Dan even convinced me to draw blood and assist with an injection. He could not however persuade me to assist with the “recycling” of his prized urine containers. In fact, surprisingly enough, he was unable to convince anyone to help.
Taking over from Mary Anne a regimental sergeant major I promptly spent most of the afternoon playing soccer with a bunch of local kids in the courtyard of the clinic. My lack of skills much to the amusement of the entire crowd. Did I mention that the kids here are adorable.
A little beach time and then back to Jo’s for dinner. If I am unable to get it on the Blog please ask Jon to see the video of him skipping with the village kids. His success almost started a riot. Did I mention that he and Momma are excellent cooks and that this place is a little like a cross between an MSF project, and all inclusive resort and camping. Half of us are sleeping in tents in Jo’s yard. Some in his house and the rest on mattresses on the floor of their clinic rooms with mosquito nets.
Did I Mention The Goats
Friday Feb 9, 2007
Did I mention the goats? Did I forget the roosters? How could I forget the roosters! My new favourite food is deep fried gallo! Crow at dawn? Only if dawn hits at 3:00am and continues through noon! Don’t goats sleep? Can it really rain that hard? All great questions I hope one day to answer. Are you getting the idea that sleep was rather illusive. See last statement from previous entry. An equation for a long day.
I will say that the crew did a fantastic job. Nancy, Anne, Jon/Big Poppo and Karen in the triage each with a tradwi (translator). Yes for those of you who know Jon he was doing the triage nurse thing. Licence? We don’t need no stinking licence! Dan the Urine Man in the lab constantly moving his desk around his cell to have enough light to read preg tests. He was the first to know that Jo’s wife Jumane is pregnant. Eunie and Carolyn in the famasi. Refer previous licence reference. Last but not least Angela (clearly a woman in great demand) and Tiffany who removed something from somebody. Too icky I am sure to elaborate. Of course Mary Anne who like an extremely calm drill sergeant kept everyone flowing where they were supposed to be.
All said and done a pretty impressive first day. Did I mention the completion of the day under kerosene lamps?
Pat and I spent the day lamenting the fact that the tubing for our solar powered water pump got left in Montreal with Air Canada so that we could not have the lazy way out. Lament not however with the help of some locals we bucket loaded up a ladder and into the tank so that everyone could have a working shower, sink and flush toilet. Again something you take for granted until you have a day in a remote clinic in 30 degree heat with 100% humidity. Once the solar shower was rigged up someone could even have a hot shower if they were inclined to do it in full view of the entire village. We are what we have come to describe as the Show.
Did I mention the goats? Did I forget the roosters? How could I forget the roosters! My new favourite food is deep fried gallo! Crow at dawn? Only if dawn hits at 3:00am and continues through noon! Don’t goats sleep? Can it really rain that hard? All great questions I hope one day to answer. Are you getting the idea that sleep was rather illusive. See last statement from previous entry. An equation for a long day.
I will say that the crew did a fantastic job. Nancy, Anne, Jon/Big Poppo and Karen in the triage each with a tradwi (translator). Yes for those of you who know Jon he was doing the triage nurse thing. Licence? We don’t need no stinking licence! Dan the Urine Man in the lab constantly moving his desk around his cell to have enough light to read preg tests. He was the first to know that Jo’s wife Jumane is pregnant. Eunie and Carolyn in the famasi. Refer previous licence reference. Last but not least Angela (clearly a woman in great demand) and Tiffany who removed something from somebody. Too icky I am sure to elaborate. Of course Mary Anne who like an extremely calm drill sergeant kept everyone flowing where they were supposed to be.
All said and done a pretty impressive first day. Did I mention the completion of the day under kerosene lamps?
Pat and I spent the day lamenting the fact that the tubing for our solar powered water pump got left in Montreal with Air Canada so that we could not have the lazy way out. Lament not however with the help of some locals we bucket loaded up a ladder and into the tank so that everyone could have a working shower, sink and flush toilet. Again something you take for granted until you have a day in a remote clinic in 30 degree heat with 100% humidity. Once the solar shower was rigged up someone could even have a hot shower if they were inclined to do it in full view of the entire village. We are what we have come to describe as the Show.
The Peaceful Invasion
Sorry for the delay but we have been without access to the outside world for several days. Might I add personally it was lovely. Still having problems with the photo up load so we will have to work that out later.
Thursday Feb 8, 2007
Our first full day on the coast of Haiti. A beautiful morning in Labadie. Pat our resident H2O expert and I took a walk through the village with one our translators, Alex, to check out the water situation. RCI money and efforts by another organization run by Jimmy Felter, Vwa Haiti, have ensured that there are several pipe water sources in the village. Everyone has equal access within a few minutes walk. A simple thing to those used to hot and cold running luxury a god send to those having to walk a long way carrying 2-20L pails. Try it sometime. We checked out the reservoir and the spring source. Unfortunately the reservoir is not protected and while the water flowing in may be in relatively good shape, what comes out is certainly not. That being said there does not seem to be great evidence of water bourne illness
We had a great experience walking by the HTFH school as it let out for lunch. We were swarmed by over 100 fresh faced identically dressed timoins (kids) of all makes and models. They loved it. We loved it. Good for all. It was like being in a riot of ankle biters.
Then we visited the clinic in Labadie with Miguel the Cuban doctor who is just finishing his 2 year obligatory overseas volunteer service. Cuba which has an excellent medical systems sends doctors and nurses all over the world to provide medical care for villages. Unfortunately they receive little support and their supplies are very low.
Jo, our local contact and chief of mission left us to play for the afternoon while he met with some of the representatives of HTFH who were in town on the RCI Voyager of the Seas. The contrast of this massive floating city in the background of the local fishermen was striking. While we thought it a terrible display of the inherent disparity of our world the locals with whom we spoke thought differently. They saw opportunity.
Just after noon we said goodbye to Labadie and loaded our traveling circus into the boats for the trip to Bod Me Limbe. Small boat. Long trip. Guy needs a bigger motor! Passed what we were told is a drug boat run aground.
Hitting the beach in BML was a truly consciousness shifting experience. Everyone. I do mean everyone met us on the sand singing and cheering. I missed the best photo of the trip when three little kids were each carrying a backpack up the beach. Each one had a Canadian flag on the back. We all trooped into Jo’s house to set up shop behind the sunflower walls. He painted them on because the goats kept eating the ones that he planted. Did I mention there are goats everywhere. Pigs too, which we have taken to calling pork chop, bacon and scrunchion for those of you familiar with Newfoundland.
Several hours of organizing, unpacking and rigging up took a series of concrete cells that will someday become a school and transformed it into a very impressive clinic complete with 4 Triage rooms, 2 Doctor consultation rooms, a lab (Dan has truly found a new calling in urine sampling) and a Famasi! I have to use the few Kreyol words I have when I can.
A beer and bed. By the end of the next day we would triage and treat 165 patients with no medical history over 14 hours. Finishing well after dark which to say the least was an interesting experience.
Thursday Feb 8, 2007
Our first full day on the coast of Haiti. A beautiful morning in Labadie. Pat our resident H2O expert and I took a walk through the village with one our translators, Alex, to check out the water situation. RCI money and efforts by another organization run by Jimmy Felter, Vwa Haiti, have ensured that there are several pipe water sources in the village. Everyone has equal access within a few minutes walk. A simple thing to those used to hot and cold running luxury a god send to those having to walk a long way carrying 2-20L pails. Try it sometime. We checked out the reservoir and the spring source. Unfortunately the reservoir is not protected and while the water flowing in may be in relatively good shape, what comes out is certainly not. That being said there does not seem to be great evidence of water bourne illness
We had a great experience walking by the HTFH school as it let out for lunch. We were swarmed by over 100 fresh faced identically dressed timoins (kids) of all makes and models. They loved it. We loved it. Good for all. It was like being in a riot of ankle biters.
Then we visited the clinic in Labadie with Miguel the Cuban doctor who is just finishing his 2 year obligatory overseas volunteer service. Cuba which has an excellent medical systems sends doctors and nurses all over the world to provide medical care for villages. Unfortunately they receive little support and their supplies are very low.
Jo, our local contact and chief of mission left us to play for the afternoon while he met with some of the representatives of HTFH who were in town on the RCI Voyager of the Seas. The contrast of this massive floating city in the background of the local fishermen was striking. While we thought it a terrible display of the inherent disparity of our world the locals with whom we spoke thought differently. They saw opportunity.
Just after noon we said goodbye to Labadie and loaded our traveling circus into the boats for the trip to Bod Me Limbe. Small boat. Long trip. Guy needs a bigger motor! Passed what we were told is a drug boat run aground.
Hitting the beach in BML was a truly consciousness shifting experience. Everyone. I do mean everyone met us on the sand singing and cheering. I missed the best photo of the trip when three little kids were each carrying a backpack up the beach. Each one had a Canadian flag on the back. We all trooped into Jo’s house to set up shop behind the sunflower walls. He painted them on because the goats kept eating the ones that he planted. Did I mention there are goats everywhere. Pigs too, which we have taken to calling pork chop, bacon and scrunchion for those of you familiar with Newfoundland.
Several hours of organizing, unpacking and rigging up took a series of concrete cells that will someday become a school and transformed it into a very impressive clinic complete with 4 Triage rooms, 2 Doctor consultation rooms, a lab (Dan has truly found a new calling in urine sampling) and a Famasi! I have to use the few Kreyol words I have when I can.
A beer and bed. By the end of the next day we would triage and treat 165 patients with no medical history over 14 hours. Finishing well after dark which to say the least was an interesting experience.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Wasting Away in Labadie
Sitting here at breakfast at the HTFH House in Labadie with the sounds of kids singing How Great Thou Art in the school across the street. This is a more heavenly sound than the goats and roosters that keep the world going. All awoke this morning after a beautiful night at Norm's with a strange new desire for goat BBQ. Which incidently we will have later this week as the refrigerator in BML will not work and our protein will be on the hoof. Sorry to all the vegetarians out there.
We are departing for BML in a couple of hours. Our gear is already there having preceeded us yesterday. We have had our organizational and prep meetings and have over 900 people registered. All are ready to go.
Up to date report the RCI cruise liner just pulled into the bay and the incongruity of it all is shocking. Can't imagine how it affects these great people who have been so friendly to us since we invaded their village. Johnathan, one of the members from Moncton has recieved the new Haitian name of Big Papa and is now know throughout the village. I think it is safe to say he has conversed with every single HAitian that he has crossed paths with since we landed. This includes the non-Haitians of the large RCMP contingent in PAP.
Battery is dying and we will not have internet for several days while in BML. That along with running water, electricity....... All the while with the RCI in the background.
All are well. Updates to follow.
We are departing for BML in a couple of hours. Our gear is already there having preceeded us yesterday. We have had our organizational and prep meetings and have over 900 people registered. All are ready to go.
Up to date report the RCI cruise liner just pulled into the bay and the incongruity of it all is shocking. Can't imagine how it affects these great people who have been so friendly to us since we invaded their village. Johnathan, one of the members from Moncton has recieved the new Haitian name of Big Papa and is now know throughout the village. I think it is safe to say he has conversed with every single HAitian that he has crossed paths with since we landed. This includes the non-Haitians of the large RCMP contingent in PAP.
Battery is dying and we will not have internet for several days while in BML. That along with running water, electricity....... All the while with the RCI in the background.
All are well. Updates to follow.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Bienvenue Haiti
No photos yet uploaded as we have just arrived in Cap Haitian after a looong day. Photos of course to follow. We are all however safe and sound. Highlights of the day. 1) lost 3 bags on Air Canada. Thankfully nothing we can't live without. Highlight 2. Angela Noble charmed the pilot of CaribeAir to allow her to sit in the co-pilot seat. Unfortunately she did not get the chance to actually take the controls but they did offer her that opportunity on the return leg.
We are spending the night at the Roi Christophe Hotel and on to visit Konbit Sante in the morning while we wait for the remainder of our bags to catuch up with us. This is a beautiful hotel and gardens that I would recommend if you ever find yourself in Cap. Not at all indicative of what is to come from our more rustic final destination.
We are all safe and sound. We have linked up with our local contacts Mr. Big, Joe, Julex and Gessner and all is well.
We will upload some photos tomorrow before we head out and again leave the world of the web for a few days.
We are spending the night at the Roi Christophe Hotel and on to visit Konbit Sante in the morning while we wait for the remainder of our bags to catuch up with us. This is a beautiful hotel and gardens that I would recommend if you ever find yourself in Cap. Not at all indicative of what is to come from our more rustic final destination.
We are all safe and sound. We have linked up with our local contacts Mr. Big, Joe, Julex and Gessner and all is well.
We will upload some photos tomorrow before we head out and again leave the world of the web for a few days.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Our upcoming trip photos
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Planning Retreat Weekend
Well its official. Now that we have had our final planning session and weekend retreat (Jan 6-7) we are on. We have our full complement of staff Angela, Jan, Anne, Eunie, Nancy, Carolyn, Daniel, Jonathan, Mary Anne, Pat, Tiffany and myself, Steve. Your new official blogger. As you can see we did a little urban planning with respect to the clinic neighborhood as well.
We had an extremely informative series of presentations about tropical diseases we might expect to see and a thorough orientation to Haiti, Bod Me Limbe. Now all we have to do is pack ;)
While we went loooong on our discussions Brenda our invaluable assistant managed to complete a scrapbook of our events and coverage up to this week. How she managed to complete that masterpiece in 3 hours I have no idea.
By the way I would like to thank the Red Rock Lodge for hosting us. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a place.
We have also begun working with an organization based out of Washington DC called Vwa Ayiti organized by Jimmy Felter who is doing great work in Labadie and recent completed construction of piping for a new water supply and the first of a series of Dry Raised Latrines. These ingenious designs are courtesy of an organization based out of Stanford called SOL. We hope to do a community survey in BML along with members of SOL (www.oursoil.org) to investigate the possibility of installing one of them there. It is all about cooperation and community sustainability.
We had an extremely informative series of presentations about tropical diseases we might expect to see and a thorough orientation to Haiti, Bod Me Limbe. Now all we have to do is pack ;)
While we went loooong on our discussions Brenda our invaluable assistant managed to complete a scrapbook of our events and coverage up to this week. How she managed to complete that masterpiece in 3 hours I have no idea.
By the way I would like to thank the Red Rock Lodge for hosting us. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a place.
We have also begun working with an organization based out of Washington DC called Vwa Ayiti organized by Jimmy Felter who is doing great work in Labadie and recent completed construction of piping for a new water supply and the first of a series of Dry Raised Latrines. These ingenious designs are courtesy of an organization based out of Stanford called SOL. We hope to do a community survey in BML along with members of SOL (www.oursoil.org) to investigate the possibility of installing one of them there. It is all about cooperation and community sustainability.
The final preparations are underway and we will be packing next weekend. The next update will be from Labadie.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
WELCOME
Welcome to Hearts Together for Haiti's blogspot. This site will hold information about the work we do and will be a place for friends and family to get updates from the group working in Haiti and leave comments for us.
Welcome to Hearts Together for Haiti's blogspot. This site will hold information about the work we do and will be a place for friends and family to get updates from the group working in Haiti and leave comments for us.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
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Blog Archive
Links
- Life Line Haiti - our partner in Jacmel
- IDA - affordable healthcare
- Medical Mission Exchange - Links to Missions in Haiti, Resources
- Blessings International - Low Cost Medications
- Map International - Low Cost Medications
- Health Partners Canada - Med Packs
- Medika Mamba
- Ora International
- Konbite Sante -helping the Justinian Hospital
- Our Nutrition Partner- Meds and Food for Kids
- Vwa Ayiti
- Narrating Haiti, a documentary by Monica Kidd