hope.gives.haiti

I know two things for certain: there is no shame in applying coconutty SPF in the security line of...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:57:00 -0400

I know two things for certain: there is no shame in applying coconutty SPF in the security line of the airport, especially to beat out the stench of battery acid and bug spray; and I will never again take the luxury of shaving my legs for granted.

One of the visuals I will cherish forever is the boisterous, big-breasted woman, pumping well water, splashing from the ground at a Tap Tap filled with blan. She laughs a deep laugh, and her contingency of men, banter in plaid and stripes, all of them openly, and maybe even forgetfully, acquainted with the smell of human feces. She sings of fresh mango and cocoa butter, glistening in a hot-pink-barely-there-onesy, three sizes too small. Haiti was sweating like a Hershey bar in August against a bright white smile, and my fear melted along with the ignorance I’d been trying to shed like the cocoon of a comfort zone stamped on my white, Midwestern forehead.

In lieu, or more so maybe in spite of sounding completely arrogant and selfish, I can confidently say that my third-world escapade shattered through the expectations I’d had regarding my future as a doctor, and maybe even one day I’ll feel like an ounce of a humanitarian. I am still scared shitless (and wow, it feels so great to curse again), and I will probably be in tears for the majority of the next year of classes, but in Haiti, I rediscovered a part of myself that I’d lost a long time ago. Because I’m already sounding crazy, maybe there is something to this notion that we were once something, or someone else, in a past life. Maybe that is where the nature part of the argument plays in. I don’t remember the last time I felt more at peace, more in my element, than I did assisting the doctors and nurses during the Go-Haiti morning clinics at the compound. I was in sync with my brothers and sisters; rubbing backs, laughing through very broken lines of French Creole turned Spanglish, and holding on to my belief that love, really is, a universal language.

There is nothing more disgusting than the thought of holding a foot care clinic in a third world country—and for some reason, cutting overgrown toenails and scrubbing calloused feet (feet that looked more like gnarly tree stumps than the pristine state mine will be in after a solid washing tomorrow) was a real blessing when I had the privilege to serve. My challenge and present, my joy, is to be bold enough to serve with a team of committed, dedicated, loving individuals.

Staph infections. Oh lovely, repulsive, living, growing skin diseases. I used to have issues with rashes, scabbing, contagious infections—the burden was lifted. I was sad, I was angry to see little people that were given triple antibiotic ointment and Azithromycin for rampant dermatological invasions that they’d more than likely caught from the other littles cohabitating in tiny, tin-roofed bedrooms. I knew damn good and well that the Z-packs handed out would be dispersed through the neighborhood, diluted and rendered useless, if not potentially immuno-harmful, within an hour of leaving our makeshift pharmacy. Public health, public education, public resources: they’re all as scarce as water in a dust bowl, but the resilience, the hope to live another day with passion, fervor, with smiles, that is why Haiti is still powerful enough to transform and make a cynic like myself believe in a God like their Jesus. I spent the afternoon scrubbing down small children, swabbing soft skin with hydrogen peroxide and alcohol, and applying salve to their grateful, brown bodies.

Adoption, even orphanages, they do not seem to be the answer. I heard an argument that Haiti is modeling itself after first world successes, when in actuality, it would be advisable to look to other third world countries like Ghana (and even Rwanda), that have made exceptional progress in the past few years, rebuilding and striding away from poverty. I don’t really know what I’m talking about, I’ll be the first to admit that, but I do think that we need to be cognizant of reality and have faith enough to continue conversation.

I swung awake in my hammock this morning to crowing roosters, acting as if the sun might forget to rise without a four A.M. chorus call; the clouds ensconced a pink sky—saying goodbye to the moon. I stretched my arms out above my head and walked along a gravel path, brushing my teeth and giving Haiti my own versions of a final good-morning and farewell. There were tears and final photos, and a Haitian like limo where the same fake first-world laden stench of barbequed baked lays, peppered into nauseating roller-coaster like ride to the airport. Palm trees, smoldering plastic and trash, joined with fresh air, fresh smiles and the warmth of a morning without alarm clocks.

And now in flight, my computer has died, and I love seeing the ocean blue—as far as it can go, and I know Miami waits on the other side of this turbulence, ready to sweep me back into the habits of an unforgiving schedule and worry of what I’ll never know. It’s true here, in America, that a good education and relationships mean next to nothing without a piece of paper; that badge of honor, to get one from point A to Bill after bill, a blue ribbon from a higher education institution. That is my reality and I’m ready to face it, one day at a time.

You are beautiful. - Ou bèl. 8.18.11 Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:38:56 -0400

You are beautiful. - Ou bèl. 8.18.11 Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The entire staff was on strike at the Port Au Prince Hospital...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:29:00 -0400

The entire staff was on strike at the Port Au Prince Hospital today. It was an empty shell with crumbling walls and a few patients here and there. It felt like a haunted house, like I was walking on dead bodies and gawking at what should still be. Most of the sick people we interacted with, had come to be seen, if only every once in awhile, by a random Doctor, before dying. It was sobering, and awful.

I’m lying here with Carlos on a cot that I attempted to share last night. He’s much smaller than last night’s bed buddy, so we’re just chilling out before someone makes him jump in bed. I’ll be out in my hammock under the stars. These babies are the heart and soul of this country, they are in the care of an incredible man whom believes in them; Go-Haiti knows these boys and girls can overcome a culture where ten people are rumored to die every two seconds.

I learned a lot of random Creole today, most of which I will probably forget by the weekend. Poule, Gode, Lo…It is so revitalizing to serve without a prerogative; working in the kitchen, watching a hard piece of rocky soil be transformed into a breeding ground for a sufficient and nutritious garden, playing and losing a hard fought soccer game in penalty kicks—I had the honor of cleaning the feet of a 79 year old Haitian man suffering from a pickax injury he sustained right before the earthquake. He will be back tomorrow—I love him.

The picture above is where I lost it, and it’s the only real one that I took while we walked around the hospital. On the day of the earthquake, 400 nurses perished at Port Au Prince hospital. These relief tents now stand in the place of what was once the nursing school. All of the nurses were there, finishing up the school day when the building collapsed. My soul is heavy because this is real. I walked through a living grave today; and today, I had nothing more to give than my prayers.

Carlos is breathing deep belly breaths; he’s a total cheeseball, working the system with his brother Gaye-Paye, smiling big and inhaling candy all day. Now he’s sleeping and in a moment of juxtapose, I see how he’s a sweet little boy with soft brown skin, with a strong, tenacious soul. He knows he is loved, he does not have to be a statistic.

We drove around today and I couldn’t stop from repeating, I’m sorry…I’m so damn sorry, in my head. It’s pitiful, my response, so small and insignificant and my reach too tiny to make a dent. But it’s something, and I’m sorry that until now I don’t think it has registered that I have to give all I am to relieve the suffering. There is so much joy in the solitude of an interaction with a human being, especially one whom has been habitually accustomed to conditions that are not only unacceptable, but conditions that lack dignity and pay no respect to basic human rights. If the patients in a near vacant hospital, still have enough hope to hand over 7 month old x-rays to a visiting doctors, surely, we can join them.

The great Dokte sang How Great though Art, in French, alone, in front of our visiting group, before bed last night. In that moment, as tears streamed down my dirty face, still sticky with dust from the day, I was reminded of a brief conversation we had while organizing the pharmacy one afternoon…”You know, I didn’t choose this life, Sarah,” he said, and I thanked him for being brave enough to say yes.

8.17.11 Port Au Prince, Haiti

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:06:17 -0400

8.17.11 Port Au Prince, Haiti

"The healthcare system in Haiti represents a very industrial, lucrative form of poverty."

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:01:20 -0400

“The healthcare system in Haiti represents a very industrial, lucrative form of poverty.”

- Dr. Franco, Go-Haiti

"The Kitts Family gave money this morning that will be going straight to the bunk bed project, here..."

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:30:38 -0400

“The Kitts Family gave money this morning that will be going straight to the bunk bed project, here at the orphanage. There are about 24 orphan children here whom needed housing sooner than Dr. Franco had planned for. Building them beds is first priority. Thank you Steve, Nancy and family!”

8.16.11 Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:57:55 -0400

8.16.11 Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Sarah French interviews Kim Cornell and Jameson in the area...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:52:00 -0400

Sarah French interviews Kim Cornell and Jameson in the area where the tent city (mentioned in the “Bonsoir” post) used to stand. Dustin Schultz has been manning the camera and feeding video back to Fox 61 in CT where both he and French are currently employed.
And because it hasn’t stopped raining, but there is such a scarcity of clean drinking water…here are a few Haiti WATER facts:

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere
It is referred to as a “fourth” world country
Water-borne diseases are the second most common cause of death in children under five
50% of the hospital beds in Haiti are occupied by patients with water-borne diseases
Only 58% of Haitians have access to clean water, and 19% have access to good sanitation
The infant mortality rate is 60/1,000 live births
The population of this country is 8.5.million
6.2 million live below the poverty line, almost 3/4ths of the population
Nearly 7.2 million lack access to reliable energy
Live expectancy for women is 56, and for men it is 52
Formal unemployment rate is 70%
Illiteracy is estimated to be 44%

Facts provided by: USAID, World Health Organization, and UNICEF

Bonsoir.

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:10:00 -0400

Things:

The first patient we saw was Berol, 16, with a Moto burn on the inside of his right leg.
I find it hilarious (and sort of sick and atrocious) that I have internet access right now, but no running water.
This place has rockin’ solar panels and people are extremely resourceful (i.e. someone is planning a biosand water filtration system because the one he homemade out of 5 gallon buckets in January, has already bitten the dust).
Sexual health education in Haiti is an atrocity, and just like the rest of you, I do not know how to fix it. Dr. Franco and I spent the morning taking woman after woman’s sexual history down, and asking them to explain their vaginal infections in detail. In the end, there is not much a clinic like ours can do for these people. I can expand on this in detail sometime later.
It’s not just sexual health, it’s the fact that there is no access to clean water, good nutrition, no education on waste disposal (or the proper resources for plumbing), no dental care, no basic sanitation techniques like hand washing etc. Dr. Franco generously reminds me daily, that I’m in a third world country.
Joannie had a very small patient come in with Pnuenomia and an 103.5 degree fever today. I found myself mixing an oral suspension of Augemtin and we sent him home with a number of things that will hopefully heal the little guy.
The tent city behind the orphanage was burned down. 4 people died in a massive fire, there are multiple rumors as to why fire was set in the first place, one of them being that the Go-Haiti compound was offering too much support to the nearby neighbors.
I’m not sure if everyone is aware of how Cholera actually broke out in Haiti, but after visiting St. Marc’s hospital the other day, Dr. Franco explained the story to us in detail. Basically, two groups have proven that the Syrian UN volunteers whom came in after the earthquake, did not follow proper sanitation procedures and dumped their fecal matter in the river that ran right through the hospital. Cholera rampantly emerged adding destructive injury to a broken country.
Haitian time is not the same as American time.
There is trash everywhere, mostly due to overcrowding. But within the orphanage compound we have a unique opportunity to influence culture by cleaning up after ourselves. This doesn’t always happen, and I have to step away and take quite a few “personal moments” during the day.
I have never in my life seen a more resilient group of people. It is a complete honor to be doing things patient intake, medicinal applications and discussing diagnoses with Dr. Franco. This is a complete blessing and as uncomfortable and irritated as I seem to find myself about every fifteen to twenty minutes, I am comforted by the big smiles I wake up to and this inexplicable zeal for life, clothing the Haitian people.
Dustin and Sarah have been shooting all week. They are really good at their jobs and I am so impressed with an unquestionable dedication to the profession of journalism. It’s refreshing to see two people working their butts off to tell stories that matter.
We are not making a dent in the “Land of NGO’s,” and I know this. But if the people here haven’t given up, I really don’t know who can honestly and righteously argue with me about Americans going on medical missions to Haiti. I would argue with Paul Farmer about it…but that’s it. This is not enough, nor will it ever be. We are watching a country that is a seven hundred and ten mile flight from Miami, rot before our eyes.
The garden, oh my, the garden. We are also building bunk beds and basketball hoops and soccer goals. We are still sorting through and organizing supplies and tomorrow will be more clinic, followed by a trip to the hospital in Port Au Prince and some healthcare on-the-go in a neighboring tent city.
I haven’t taken as many pictures as I would like, because I’m often with a group, and I feel like I’m walking through a petting zoo and gawking at people. This is no one’s fault other than my own, but it’s been a great personal lesson in humility and a reminder that I’m here for another reason.
I still want to be a doctor, but I did get kind of excited when I heard about the public health nurse practitioner program at UCSF today.
There is this delicious juice made out of cherries that are growing on a tree I sleep under. I’m not convinced they are actually cherries, but the Haitians might just think I am too stupid to understand what they actually are.
My favorite person here is a woman named Rose Ambroise that goes by the name pronounced but most likely not spelled like, “Na-Noot.” I’ve never met a human being filled with so much joy (other than Dokte Franco). She sings and cooks and translates for us…all day long.

This is Triku. This is how I feel right now. Tomorrow’s...

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:51:00 -0400

This is Triku. This is how I feel right now. Tomorrow’s medical clinics start at 7 a.m. We spent the day sorting through barrels of supplies and picking Joannie (and 23 others) up from the airport. Joannie Ericson has ample experience as a burn unit nurse in both NYC and more recently, right outside of San Francisco. She’s starting school in the Fall at UCSF to become a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner. She’s a great friend of Sarah French’s, and a wonderful person, we’re excited to have her here.

Here are a few non-jarring photos from today. I will try to...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:26:00 -0400

Here are a few non-jarring photos from today. I will try to follow up with an informative blog post. There are delicious mangos, alter calls, bumpy Tap Tap rides and a few stories about the always jovial Doctor Franco, currently in the works.

Image One is the hammock Sarah and I have been sleeping in together. It has been hot and snuggly…until tonight. Yes, that river right there, that is rain on the ground. We set up shop indoors. We will miss the sounds of the animal kingdom and the all-night worship fests that take place in Go-Haiti’s backyard.

For the record, Haiti is the only place I know of that has random roosters crowing at 2:30 a.m.

Image Two is a picture of the indoor situation. 22 more people are coming tomorrow. The mosquito nets are clutch, as I have always been one of those people that feels more comfortable swimming in the ocean with an open wound, than I do walking through a room full of the blood-sucking insects. As you can see, things are about to get really cozy in here.

Image Three is a little intro to the “Mountain Man,” John. John arrived today. He’s a favorite among the kids and just finished nursing school with a couple of the other volunteers. He’s headed to a job in Wyoming post Haiti; open clinics will start Tuesday and will continue throughout the week.

Amy Zipf has been giving all of the kids daily ringworm...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 07:51:00 -0400

Amy Zipf has been giving all of the kids daily ringworm treatments with Coltrimazole Cream, an antifungal medication, also used to combat jock itch. Zipf adopted two young boys from Ethiopia, and says the likelihood of catching ringworm from these treatments, is far less likely than getting it from the dirt.

Day 2

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:59:00 -0400

My goal here is to get the most words on a page, if at all possible, in a somewhat entertaining fashion, while exhausting the least amount of battery charge and draining precious resources.

First things first, one of my oldest and best friends is engaged. I saw that she called multiple times today, but because of where we were, I had extremely spotty service and no access to the internet, so my initial thoughts were: A.) Someone died or B.) I have a wedding to attend! I have a special spot in my heart for Sarah Kitts and Judson Howard, and I’ve been waiting for this announcement since a phone call Sarah and I had two years ago after their first encounter. You can ask her for those details.

I’m sitting on a dusty concrete floor, in a perpetual post-sponge-bath sweat, in a half made housing structure. This “compound” serves as an orphanage, a guest house, a kitchen, a medical clinic, and a garden. The most recent addition, and personal favorite as of today, a soccer field.

To describe Haiti as rustic would be little more than a sarcastically misplaced stab at a country that proves its resilience by getting out bed in the morning. This place is akin to a Christmastime furnace, the ecological conditions remind me of the way gravel road-rash feels, and the St. Marc’s hospital I visited today is proof enough that every American medical student should spent at least a semester in a third world setting.

It was sad, and hard to see, and at times I wanted to throw-up. There were also the moments where I got lost in the art of hard work, and marveled in the beauty of a brand new orphanage with a view of Calico beach. We redressed an elderly woman’s broken leg and provided tension with resources like kitchen twine, and a jug filled with sand. There were babies today, lots of babies. And in Haiti, there are a lot of dying babies.

I marveled at Doctor Franco, and his story. The Haitian born doctor was raised an orphan, and when his house mom told him it was time to go away to Theological school in Houston, Franco rebutted. His concern, at the time, was that he really felt like he wanted a profession that would allow him to be financially independent, but also, one that would help him give back. Franco asked to go to medical school. This was an unlikely dream, considering Franco started schooling as a Haitian orphan as a nine year old, and had no resources to invest into an education. Out of over 30,000 applicants, 100 were chosen. Franco was 46^th.

He is the kind of man that can run this place and not know where the next $1,000 dollars are going to come from. It has been incredible to see him work, to see the way he loves. It’s a privilege to be surrounded by wonderful people who are not only intelligent and committed to human dignity, but convicted in the belief that even the smallest attempts to create change are important enough to travel to Haiti for.

Sasha on Day One.

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:42:39 -0400

Sasha on Day One.

I fear this photo doesn’t do it justice, but this is over...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:43:35 -0400

I fear this photo doesn’t do it justice, but this is over $600 dollars of supplies, plus donations, for the people down at the Go-Haiti medical clinic and orphanage. Picture this multiplied by thirty four volunteers (my few personal belongings are not included). You have yourselves to thank. I feel like I’m cheating when I use words like awesome, amazing, blown away, humbled etc. but you will have to forgive me, because my friends, family and people that I don’t even know, showed true compassion and selflessness through this process. It’s going to be a great week when volunteers and medical professionals show up with open hearts and a willingness to offer all that they have for a few days. Please keep the Haitian people, Go-Haiti Volunteers and Dr. Franco in your thoughts and/or prayers…and if you could throw up a good intention that I can drag these goods through the airport, and talk the Continental employee at the kiosk into turning a blind eye during the weigh-in process, I would appreciate that as well :) Thank you, so much love for each and every single one of you.

Haitian Creole

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:32:00 -0400

I just downloaded the free Byki Haitian Creole application on my iPhone. I won’t be using my phone much (if at all) down in Haiti, as resources are extremely limited, but this might come in handy in the next few days.

I’ll be swinging by TJ Maxx this afternoon to pick up cloth hammocks and rope because it’s so hot in Haiti right now, that sleeping inside is unbearable…and hammocks are better than tents…

I also just picked up an extra case of bugspray for a family of 4 that’s been at the orphanage building bunk beds all week. I might have a personal Come to Jesus moment with the mosquitos.

Flight is at 9:15am tomorrow morning.

Chloroquine

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:52:00 -0400

I could write an entirely inappropriate and witty expose on the trials Chloroquine, the Malaria medication I’m taking, has presented over the past two weeks. But seeing as I have a little more than twenty-four hours before take-off and a list longer than the Shake Shack line on a summer day, I will keep this brief. Thank you to everyone whom has donated. Even tonight, another good friend poured $50.00 into this project. I feel so much responsibility to all of the people who have offered advice, patted me on the back and even given to help buy supplies and finance this trip. If you’re reading this, you have in some way inspired me to follow my heart…a big, half-mad, crazy heart. One of the young women who has made an astronomical impact on my life, is leading our group. I barely know Kim Cornell, but her blog post here, is an amazing story about what it means to take a leap of faith (take a moment and read; Kim was in Haiti during the earthquake of 2010 and her story will at least give you a goosebump or two, if it doesn’t bring on the rain).

Waiting for Haiti

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:51:00 -0400

Waiting for Haiti:

Photos by Robert Larson (via Beth Carpenter, @bethshanna, thank you Beth for your support and donation). For those of you that haven’t yet, enjoy playing around with the new Google+ photoviewer…

"Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money..."

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:58:23 -0400

“Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God - the rest will be given.”

- -Mother Teresa

Big Shout out to the University of Missouri School of Journalism and Many an Aunt and Uncle for donating to the Haiti fund. It’s such a beautiful thing to see people sacrifice for the greater good.

10 Days to Takeoff

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:08:31 -0400

I’ve spent the past few weeks moving cross country and visiting with family and friends. I had the privilege of spending time with my Grandpa Riffel in Moberly, Missouri. The Riffel family, including my Grandpa and a few uncles, Steve and Joe, have all contributed to the funds. I broke $600 today. This has been an amazing experience, and as long as Haiti steers clear of devastating tropical storms, I am planning on filling suitcases with your donations and taking off from Newark Airport to Port Au Prince, on August 12th, 2011. Thank you all for continued prayers over the next few months, especially as I take on and enjoy this journey, one day at a time.