Haiti update

So many thoughts as I return to life at home...Returned from Haiti yesterday afternoon after serving with our medical team of 12 at Bonne Finn, about 100 miles west of Port Au Prince.

This area had very little earthquake damage, but has seen an influx of about 85,000 people from the quake region seeking medical care and to stay with relatives, etc. Even though we didn't see the damage to all the buildings, we witnessed first-hand the devastation to the people. We worked all week at Hopital Lumiere, doing surgeries, helping in the ER, & taking care of many patients with amputations, crush injuries, fractures, wounds, surgical incisions, external fixators, complicated dressings and wound vacs, etc. We were still receiving quake victims with major untreated injuries a month after the disaster! Our group was well-rounded, with an orthopedic resident, a GP physician, Nurse Anesthetists, a Nurse Practitioner, several nurses, a PTA/Wound care specialist, lab tech, and translator. I worked from 8 am until 10 pm every day, with a break at lunch and supper. Carol Powell and I worked as nurses on a ward of almost 28 patients. It was exhausting and rewarding at the same time. We could really feel the prayers of all our families and friends back home...

We were able to get to know each of our patients and families very well. It was heartbreaking to hear story after story of how they survived even though many family and friends did not. Sherley, a teenager at school during the quake, was 1 of the 20 survivors out of 100 students. Both her legs are crushed, yet she sings and praises God for saving her life & legs thus far and told me she will live the rest of her life for Him...Ralph, a student at the university in Port, lost one leg far above the knee and broke the other knee, is too traumatized to talk of the events that day, yet is considering switching to theology to become a pastor because the Lord spared his life that day...An 80-year-old woman who was in her home with 5 other families members, including her 7-year-old granddaughter, when the house collapsed. She is the only survivor and both legs are crushed...Jodeliene, the 6-year-old whose pregnant mother and 2 sisters died beside her in the rubble and now only has 1 leg...the young police officer with a badly broken leg who I watched climb onto a mule (!) with the help of his friends and bounce down the gravel road for a few minutes away from his hospital bed...Christopher, the little boy who lost his identical twin standing beside him due to massive head injuries...Rose Marie, a seamstress whose arm was pinned in the rubble and made the life-changing decision to amputate her own arm instead of dying while trapped. She used her own fingers to tear away her flesh, used a rock to saw through the tendons, then yanked herself free from her pinned forearm & used the light from her cell phone to help her dig in between passing out several times until she could call for help. She would grasp my hand daily with her only hand and say in broken English "God bless you" ...Lubin, a 39-year-old nurse whose hospital collapsed onto her in the quake and now has a high above the knee amputation...Compere, the 22-year-old nurse whose hospital also pancaked in the quake, has a high above the knee amputation, and also developed tetanus (a condition rarely seen in the US)...Bernard, the 53-year-old rice farmer who is wondering how he will ever farm again in the marshy rice paddies with only 1 leg.

It's hard to imagine how Haiti can recuperate, a country whose people had next to nothing even before this disaster. Most are illiterate, live on less than $2 a day & have no trust that the government will ever help them. But God is already working in the lives of the survivors. Daily our patients could be heard singing familiar songs in the Creole language...Count Your Many Blessings, Be Still My Soul, & Peace, Peace Be Still. Could I count my blessings while lying in bed with crushed or missing limbs and no home or family to return to? I never saw one patient crying or asking "why me?" They all praised God for saving them and thanked me over and over for helping them heal. Not having grown up taking antibiotics for every little sniffle like we do in the States, they are responding amazingly to the meds and their wounds are healing remarkably well. Dr. Rudolph, the Haitin surgeon who has performed over 150 orthopedic surgeries in the past month, told me only 1 infection has occurred at our hospital since the quake, an unbelievable fact despite rusty beds, a very run-down hospital, no running water or bathrooms, no oxygen, incredible heat & humidity, mosquitos, mice, and our reuse of needles & syringes, including spinal needles...

The family-centered care I witnessed was amazing. The families take care of all food, water, toileting needs, and laundry during hospital stays. Our patients were extremely clean...
As the week came to an end, I noticed our patients' spirits were lifting more and more as we worked endlessly at getting our patients up and out of bed, using crutches, walkers, & wheelchairs. Some we even wheeled outside in their bed to get some fresh air and sunshine. Rita Knobloch was great in the pediatric wing, using bubbles and silly string to provide some diversion to the children who desperately needed a moment of laughter after this devastating event.

Another unprecedented event from the Haitian government- 3 national days of prayer on February 13, 14, & 15! Radios broadcasting continuous sermons, singing, and prayer could be heard in every wing of the hospital as patients listened and participated in these days of calling on the Lord for continued healing for Haiti. Driving by packed churches and seeing the townspeople returning from prayer meetings all day long was an inspiration for me. If only we could all call on the Lord Most High every day of our lives like this!

It will take years to recover from this devastating earthquake. I pray the world won't forget Haiti as time goes on. Continued medical care, prosthetics, physical therapy, psychological help, removal of rubble, reconstruction of homes/schools/businesses, and complete overhaul of the non-existant infrastructure will be required. The missionaries serving with ACWR will need extra prayers and support as they have worked endlessly, night & day, on top of all their other duties. I don't know why this event occurred, but I know God has a plan for Haiti and His people there. He loves each Haitian as much as me & you and perhaps more will turn to Him as a result of this disaster. My life has been blessed so much by this & I am so thankful I had the opportunity to serve!