Allie's story from April 2010 trip to Haiti

Our last day in Haiti was spent in Port-au-Prince. We started off driving through town, speechless from seeing what remained 4 months after the devastating quake hit. Our first stop was to see old friends from St. Vincents. One of the nurses, Michele was there to greet us. Eluvie, who previously worked in the kitchen at St. Vincents, was there as well. Seeing their faces, hugging them and knowing they were ok, was such an incredible feeling. It was also very emotional for me to see baby Margarette (who was left orphan at St. Vincents on our previous trip in December). She was so strong, so beautiful. Next we walked to what was left of St. Vincents. There are no words to describe what it feels like to look at a place you once stayed, once slept in, and see it completely destroyed, with bodies of children we knew and loved still buried beneath. There are no words, just great sadness.

But the day had to continue on. On our walk back, we stopped at a restaurant to eat and regroup. I sat there with Michele (our Haitian nurse), drinking a Prestige (the Haitian beer), and listening to Phil Collins "Another Day in Paradise" play. There was too much to take in.

With all of this being said, I'd have to say that the drive home was the most memorable part for me. I had 2 hours, standing, not sitting, in the back of a truck driving from Port-au-Prince to Montrious to absorb all that had happened that day. We had only been on the road for 5 minutes when we all turn our heads quickly to see something in the road, and then look at each other with mouths dropped to verify the object, a dead body laying in the street. Too much devastation, too much to absorb. But as the drive continues, and as I attempt to process through all that has happened, something in me shifts from despair to hope. I am standing in a truck with hair I have only washed in the ocean, dreaded and tangled, bug bites all over my face and body that one could easily play connect the dots, and not to mention that I smell of something aweful, but at that moment, I felt like a queen. Every place we passed, people where smiling, cheerful and waving at us, so happy to see us. You couldn't help but smile and wave back. Its hard to explain, but theres something powerful about seeing these people, who have been struck over and over again with hardship, knocked down when you think it wasn't possible to get any worse, still smiling & waving. I guess Abraham Lincoln was right, people are as happy as they make up their mind to be. The Haitians have a hope that inspires. Standing there driving for 2 hours past all kinds of devastation, its easy to be disheartened, but in the forefront of that picture, are beautiful people whose lives continue on, shopping in the markets, building, laughing, playing, singing and dancing. Because the Haitians know that this terrible quake will not stop them, that they will continue on, they will perservere, and they will be happy regardless of their circumstances. That was a moment that almost took my breath away, as I stood there in awe, so incredibly humbled by the hope of the Haitains.

                                                                                              Allie Russos

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Last Full Day in Haiti (Continued)

Continued...
We also saw Michele Antoinise who visited with us for some time. She still works at the school's clinic which is now set up at the boys' foyer in a new temporary structure. Dr Ferdinand is now working 3 days per week since Dr Hilaire left after the earthquake. Michele and her fiancee are both fine.

JR took us to see the tent city where his family lives now. Words can't really describe it. Imagine walking down a narrow hallway in a small house made of tents and sheets, except that you keep walking to turn left then right then left again through the maze. Its hot enough to roast a chicken in there. Behind every flap of cloth sheeting is a family of 3 to 6 people. JR told me there is an architect and a police officer living in there. Total about 1000 people. We saw the "clinic" which is a small card table tucked into a corner under a tent flap. What must that be like to work in, I wonder. I think the UN sends in supplies, and I know they have power because I saw fans going inside the tents. Actually Amy noticed some concrete work UNDER the tents which makes it look like they are planning to be permanent, which is a sobering thought.
We left there in our melted condition and were happy to return to the boys' foyer to sit with JoJo in the shade. We left him with a good supply of paintings and promises to see him again in November.
Our return trip was another rough 2 hour ride for the folks in the back of the truck, and as soon as we arrived back at our campground everyone of us got into the ocean, except Lauren who took a nap and Drew who went to his favorite spot under the tree where Yolene, Auguste, Yolande and Diana hang out. Drew plays with Yolene; she pushes a toy truck off her chair and he exclaims and makes a big fuss and puts it back on her chair so she can grin at him and push the truck off the chair again
Several small children joined Allie in the ocean (kids from Montrouis) and they had great fun until Allie stepped on a sea urchin and had to let Amy dig the spines out of her foot.
After dinner another group from Memphis came; they are from Germantown Presbyterian church and have come to put in a well here and at Gonaive. They looked quite fresh without sunburn, mosquito bites or sweat soaked hair.
Lauren and I played clapping games and ring around the rosy with Frenel, Jean Marc, Rosana and some other Montrouis children. I said my goodbyes to Marie Carmelle and Madame Marc and promised to see them in November with Sienna.
Packing is much easier on the return trip and now I am typing away with everyone asleep. We must leave here at 5 am to catch our 8:55 plane to Miami. I am sad to leave but I feel so good about the children and how they have survived the terrible earthquake. I know now that they will be all right and will continue to grow and thrive. My adult friends in Haiti have suffered much but they are rebuilding their lives as Haiti has always done. JoJo will come to Sewanee in June or July to get his new prosthetics and Jean Robert will come with him, if all goes as planned. Its nice to be a part of their lives. I told JR yesterday: "Vi pa'm pi bon paske ou"
My life is better because of you
Susan

sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Last Full Day in Haiti

Sunrise awoke us as usual, with the faint sounds of the ocean coming in the window. This morning another sweet sound woke us up; Jean Robert playing hymns on his violin. I actually got a recording of it. John, Drew and I sat and listened, on the concrete wall that sits at the top of the steps leading down to the rocky beach. We watched the fishermen putting out their nets and enjoyed the music.
After breakfast we all loaded into Pere Deravil's truck for the trip to Port au Prince. All 11 of us in a Toyota truck, including JR and Pere Sadoni, the driver. I fortunately got one of the 4 inside seats.
As we got closer to PAP the traffic got worse, the crowds got thicker and the smell and dust got worse. We saw several tent cities and many crumbled buildings although most of the rubble has been cleared from the streets. You do still see piles of concrete where a building used to be, or part of a wall standing at a crazy angle.
We went to Holy Trinity Cathedral and were shocked and saddened to see this beautiful work of art in ruins. Drew and I embraced each other and wept. Its all down except the wall with the mural of The Last Supper and the Baptism of Jesus. These are covered with wooden beams to support the wall and keep it from crumbling further. Pere Sadoni told us there is a historical society which is working to preserve the remaining murals. There are huge cracks in this wall so it will be extremely difficult I imagine. John told me his "eye" was gone; the eye on the mural that was behind the altar. His first trip to Haiti during the church service he remembered a lot of the French hymns his grandmother had taught him, and told me he thought she was looking down on him from behind the altar.
Later we saw St Vincent's school. The French army is there clearing the ruins with bulldozers. Margaret talked with the soldiers in French to explain who we were; I think she kept us out of trouble for taking pictures of their operation. They told her that when they find any bodies they stop and call someone about it. I forgot to ask Pere Sadoni what will happen to the 7 people buried there. Drew stood by the pile of rubble that was once part of the school, and committed their bodies to the earth. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, even at the grave we make our song, Alleluia"

Continued...
The griefs of the day came with joys too. We saw JoJo and Drew gave him a framed copy of Wendi Thomas' article about him with his picture in the Commercial Appeal. This actually made it to Haiti intact, glass and all. JoJo hasn't changed one bit, Drew says "he's as full of himself as ever" which is the wonderful truth. There was a teacher's meeting at the boys foyer, to prepare for starting school next week! All the kids now at Montrouis (17) will return to school as well as many students who are now with their families. There is active construction going on to build some new office and classroom space, funded by the Friends of St Vincent. We saw Lazar and I asked about his family; all are well. Pere Sadoni invited me to greet the teachers and I told them in creole: many people in America have been worried very much about them, that I was very glad to see all their faces and that Haiti has many friends in the US. Pere Sadoni congratulated me on my first speech in Creole.
We saw Elvie, who looks fine now but had a broken pelvis and was in the hospital for 3 weeks. We saw Adrian Kenson, one of the staff in a wheelchair, always friendly and smiling to greet us. We saw Dixie briefly and hugged her neck. Moliere greeted us also and said his family was safe. The woman now caring for baby Margaret brought her to us so Allie could see her. Allie had a bag of baby clothes for era; I think she changed her outfit every 20 minutes for a different photo. Margaret is growing and her skin is smooth and beautiful. She will have her shunt placed by a team coming from Jacksonville Florida to PAP in early May, then stay with this same woman for recovery before returning to St Vincent's.
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sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Visiting St. Paul's, More Medical Challenges

Amy and Allie spent the morning at St Pauls school seeing the 3rd and 4th graders, about 45 patients. Margaret visited with some of the children and teachers and apparently taught them out of the creole/english medical dictionary while they were waiting to see the doctor.
When we returned from our boat trip we found Amy and Allie and Margaret in the pharmacy filling prescriptions from the morning. One man brought me an xray to look at. I had seen his child the day before and he is 1 year old but cannot walk. His legs appeared to be weak and could not bear his weight. I thought the child might have spina bifida and told the man he needed an xray. I expected that he would go to the hospital and see a specialist to get an xray. I never expected him to bring the xray back to me to read! Unfortunately the xray was very poor quality and did not show the spine, just a picture of the chest and abdomen. I tried to explain to the dad that I could not help his son, that he needed to take him to a neurologist in Port au Prince. He was trying really hard to help his son and I felt truly sorry for him. In the US I would have lots of options to evaluate the child, but here it is very difficult.
Later in the afternoon I spent time with Marie Carmel and the St Vincents kids. Kelvin and Lauren and Amy did face painting and I had the kids draw some pictures "for Sienna". I asked Frenel to sing Bienvenue a Ayiti for me and he did, in his sweet clear boy soprano.

Tonight it is sleeping time again; after my shower I remarked that there's nothing like feeling cool and clean so you can spray yourself with bug spray and climb under your mosquito net (some bugs do get under the net somehow).
Tomorrow we go to PAP to see St Vincents and JoJo and hopefully some of the other teachers who are meeting there tomorrow, like Pierre Guy and Judith Colas. More tearful reunions.

sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Thursday and La Gonâve

Thursday started with getting up at the usual time-5:30 AM. The sun is bright by then and the rooster has been crowing since midnight. The Haitians have all been up by then anyway.
After breakfast we went on our boat adventure to La Gonâve, with Jean Robert. But first I must describe the ride to the ferry station in Pere Sadoni's new truck, with AIR CONDITIONING, and lovely music playing on the CD. Pere Sadoni told me about some of his plans for the school including several docs he is making arrangements with to work at St Vincents. Dr. Wilkins (orthopedic surgeon) plans to come to do surgeries again when the OR is rebuilt, so that sounds promising.
6 of us went with JR on the boat. Lauren asked "Where are the life jackets?" (Welcome to Haiti)
Drew thought he would not like the trip but he was transformed by the exhilarating ride across the bay, about 40 minutes. The wind was cool and the sea spray splashed our faces and made us laugh. We landed safely and quite happily at La Gonâve and after walking about 50 yards Debbie spotted a "bar and restaurant" where we went inside to have a limonade, served in the 16 oz glass bottle with a straw. 7 drinks for $5.
We walked up the only road thru town, a dusty paved road with little shade. There were some houses made of concrete block and some with skinny tree limbs propped up to hold a sort of mesh material. Motorcycles seemed to be the preferred mode of transport, with loud horns blaring to get us out of their way. A few goats and pigs were the subject of many photos, either because they were cute or more likely because that allowed us to stop in the only shade available. Drew and I agreed that these were the most interesting goats we had ever seen!
The terrain reminded me of Texas, with the rocky terrain and the scrub brush.
According to JR the temperature was 40 deg. C (about 104 F)
After a 20 minute walk we arrived at the episcopal school of St Francis of Assisi. We were surrounded by the 3rd graders at recess and Kelvin let them use his disposable camera, so he should have quite a collection of photos. They wanted to touch Lauren's hair, despite what the wind and sea had done to it.
We were invited to sit in a lovely house where the priest lives (he was out) and we shared the sandwiches made for us by "mom" (Madame Deravil) for our "field trip" before she went off to her job teaching at St Pauls school.
We refilled our water bottles and then toured the school. Many times to say "Nou kontan we ou" (we are happy to meet you) The school and church are beautiful. One concrete wall of the school is painted with marine animals like dolphins, whales even cephalopods. I thought my husband would appreciate that.
Back to the boat and homeward bound, we saw dolphins swimming in the bay! It made us all so happy to be alive and be in Haiti.
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sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Baby Rhianna, Life in the Cabins

Debbie and Margaret toured the school and saw every classroom. Margaret speaks fluent french and apparently charmed all the students.

After lunch we walked back to the little house near our campground to see the 3 month old baby with the diarrhea. Her name is Rhianna. She looked more alert today although the mom had not made her the rice water we gave her the recipe for, and the baby was still having diarrhea. At least she had stopped giving her formula and was only giving breast milk. We talked with the baby's father who actually spoke english! He said he would help the mom make the rice water. Hopefully tomorrow we will see some improvement.
This afternoon we held a clinic for the seminarians and staff who cook for them, at the request of Pere Deravil. It was blazing hot in the room with no fan. John Mutin reminds me every 30 minutes to drink water, bless him. We had a child from St Paul's whom we had seen that morning with extra finger tags, come to our clinic so I could tie them off with suture. Problem was I could not find any suture. I must have forgotten to pack some. Fortunately the clinic we are using is a birthing center, with full surgical supplies including suture. One pack of ethilon (nylon) suture and we were in business. The 4 year old girl didn't like the lidocaine injections much, but when the anesthetic kicked in she sat and watched me tie off her finger tags. Not many kids in America would have been so calm, I expect.
One seminarian appeared quite professional and spoke excellent english. She had had back pain 2 weeks before which had resolved, but she just wanted a "checkup" Turns out her hemoglobin was 7.8. At least we brought plenty of vitamins!

Another delightful dip in the ocean made me forget how hot I was. Tonight I am in the "girls" cabin with everyone asleep at 9:00 except me typing away on my cell phone, which for some crazy reason can get wireless internet as long as the power is on. We only have power from 6 to 11 pm because that's when they turn on the generator. So the fan runs until 11 pm. Usually everyone wakes up then because the room gets much hotter. Amy even moved to the lower bunk because she said it was hotter in the top bunk. Everyone except me abandoned their mosquito nets after the first night, for the same reason. Anything that stops the slightest whiff of air has to go. We argued about whether keeping the overhead light on makes the room hotter. We take great care to position the rotating fan so everyone gets their due. This is quite a feat with 5 people in the room. I turned myself around so that my head was closer to the fan rather than my feet. I can't sleep with a pillow, my neck gets too hot. There was some debate about the vinyl mattress covers causing one to sweat more, but everyone decided they didn't want to be eaten by bed bugs. Except Debbie, who seems to be doing all right so far without a mattress cover. One must make these choices when it is 97 degrees outside! Actually the nights have been just a little cooler recently after a big rain Monday night. I can sleep without sweating and that's a definite plus.

Tomorrow we go on a ferry ride with Jean Robert, to the island of La Gonâve which is just across the bay from Montrouis. It will be a nice break after our hard work these last 3 days. Amy is staying here with Allie and Margaret. Amy says "if you've seen one island you've seen them all"; Allie feels like she already missed one day in Haiti so she and Amy will go back to the school to see more kids. Amy is braver now about seeing kids after seeing about 30 of them today! Margaret wants to go back to the school as well.

So now I am caught up on the blog with real time. I thank all of you reading this for your love and prayers and financial support to come here and work with these children. The St Vincents kids really are doing well and the St Pauls school has a fine priest in charge who really cares about the school. There are plenty of opportunities to come here and build or repair classrooms, to teach english to the older kids (a special request by Pere Deravil), to sing/draw/play with the children. Our St Vincents kids will be moving back to PAP very soon and will still need us to come see them and bring medical teams. Think about when you might be able to come and experience this wonderful place yourself (just be prepared for the heat)
Good night for now

sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Relfections from Our Team in Haiti--Moonlight on the Carribean

Tuesday night I swam in the ocean. There is a rocky beach and the sounds of the ocean are always in the background. The water is cool enough to melt all the heat and cares of the day away.
Afterwards we had a game of spades. John said he did not know how to play, which or course meant that he beat us all. Walking back to my cabin, I saw the full moon shining brightly on the water.

Wednesday we went back to St Paul's again to see the young kids, this time with their parents. As we pulled up to the school in Pere Deravil's truck, the red hibiscus flowers and purple morning glories were in full bloom. The little children with their school uniforms and matching hair bows were grinning and pointing at us. Drew and I agreed that we feel very privileged to get up in the morning and come to work in this place.
Today Lauren worked with me and Kelvin worked with Amy seeing patients. Amy became a pediatrician in short order, and actually saw the sickest children. One girl had a severe ear infection with swollen lymph nodes and possibly mastoiditis. Amy thought she should go to the hospital but we decided to treat her with the injectable antibiotics we have and check her again in the morning. Another child had ruptured ear drums from multiple ear infections. Every time I come to Haiti I feel like there are 1 or 2 lives we save. Today our patient with the mastoiditis was that patient. If she did not die from that infection she would surely be deaf in that ear. That's worth all the money and effort we spend to get ourselves here, I think. Also we saw a mother with a one month old baby who came in saying her baby slept a lot and did not eat well. Turns out the mother has mastitis. I examined the baby, Amy examined the mother and Allie worked with the mom to get the baby to latch on better and also helped the mom massage her milk ducts. Truly a team effort.
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sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Team is Complete, Handling Medications

Tuesday at lunchtime, Allie and Margaret arrived safely amid hugs and claps on the back for surviving a difficult trip. Now our team was complete at 9. In the afternoon we all went to the pharmacy to help out since we were expecting about 40 folks to bring their prescriptions. Margaret mixed and labeled sulfur ointment. John counted tylenol and ibuprofen tablets into bags of #30 each. Debbie counted antacids and iron tablets into bags of #30. Lauren and Kelvin actually filled the prescriptions for each patient. I wrote labels in creole. My creole is getting better each day. I say that now I can speak like a 4 year old! We...have...medication...for...you. Please ...go...to pharmacy...
One interesting event in the day happened as we were walking back from the school to our campground. We walked through the countryside where many people live, including one of our interpreters. His cousin had a sick baby so we stopped to see her. She was 3 months old and we were told she had diarrhea and vomiting. In a tropical country one always worries about horrible diseases like typhoid, but this baby looked pretty good to me. No fever no rash, good weight. We gave the mother a recipe for rice water out of Amy's book "Where there is no Doctor" which basically is boiled rice water with a little salt and sugar added. Pedialyte where there is no Walmart. We told the mom we would check on her the next day.
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sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Continuing Reflections from Our Team in Haiti--Old Friends, Setting Up the Clinic

Sunday morning we piled into Pere Deravil's truck to go to church at St. Paul's. Pere Deravil is the priest in charge of the seminary campgrounds where we are staying, also the church and school at St Pauls. "Piled" is the correct word to describe the piles of people in the truck, with more folks added every 100 feet along the gravel road out of the campground. One of the passengers we picked up was Dieumene. She greeted us with her regal smile and climbed in to sit on Lauren's lap.
Church service began at 7:15 with about 20 people, including 6 americans, the priest and 6 acolytes. By the time we had communion we had about 60, filling the pews.
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The remainder of Sunday was spent visiting the kids from St Vincents, setting up our pharmacy supplies, and enjoying the ocean setting. There are about 40 kids and adult staff from St Vincents staying here in tents on the grounds of the seminary. There are also 21 seminarians and Pere Deravil's family. Also Pere Sadoni sleeps here in a tent and drives back and forth to PAP every day. Don't worry about the kids in tents. One of the adults, Cheriesme, showed me his tent, provided by the French Red Cross. It is tall enough for a man to stand in and has a separate sleeping compartment for a twin bed. It is mosquito proof and water proof and quite comfortable looking. I have pictures of baby Diana, Auguste, Yolene, and Yolande sleeping in their tent with Madame Yliesanne watching over them. It made me so happy and reassured to see the children safe and healthy and as smiling and friendly as ever. Some of the americans have discussed moving our sleeping quarters outside since it is so hot in the cabins.
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Monday morning we set up our first clinic, and Amy and I saw most of the St Vincent kids. They are all healthy and doing well, with no lung infections or worms. Scabies seems to be quite common, so Kelvin and Lauren have been busy mixing sulfur powder with petroleum jelly to make a medicated ointment.
Debbie and John had to figure out how to share one stethoscope between them (note to self: make sure we bring enough stethoscopes for everyone next time).
In the afternoon we saw folks from the St Paul's community including one probably pregnant lady who was unable or did not want to give us a urine sample for testing.
Monday evening we had another sumptuous meal prepared by Madame Deravil and then we had a birthday celebration for Marie Carmelle who is 47. We made her a birthday card and Amy and Lauren sang to her in french. We had sodas (limonade and orange soda) with cookies because Pere Deravil was unable to find us a cake.
She was pleased and hugged my neck and we both cried.
After that the girls went back to our cabin and got ready for bed. We thought it was at least 10 PM. Someone checked their watch and it was 20 minutes to 7.
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Allie and Margaret had been expected to arrive Monday evening but their flights to Miami had been delayed or canceled, so they did not make the plane to PAP. Allie sent Amy an email (she gets it on her phone when she can figure out how to turn the thing on) describing her tears of frustration at missing an entire day in Haiti. Drew went with Pere Sadoni to PAP on Monday. Their first stop was a gas station where the attendant filled Pere Sadoni's new truck with diesel fuel. They spent the next 3 hours draining the engine and the fuel pump and the fuel lines.
After that they went to St Vincents where Drew spent 2 hours with JoJo. JoJo was at home during the earthquake watching TV. The power went out so he went to the other building to take a shower. That's when the quake hit. Had he stayed in his house he would have been killed. JoJo is back at work painting busily, I hope to see him on Friday. They have already started a clinic at the boys foyer and JoJo is at his post as bouncer and guardian. Pere Deravil has found another pediatrician, Dr Ferdinand, to work at St Vincents 3 days per week and is looking for a new orthopedic surgeon.
More later...

Tuesday morning we piled all our medical supplies and team into Pere Deravil's truck and went to St Pauls school. They have ages 3 yrs to about 8th or 9th grade, 280 kids in all. We set up our clinic on the patio outside the school under a big shady tree. The breeze was delightful and the children of course were beautiful. Amy saw the older kids and a few adult staff, and I saw the younger kids. Kelvin helped with crowd control and signing kids in. Each kid has a medical card with name, age, and reason to see the doctor. One problem was that kids would answer yes to every question. Yes - I have stomachache. Yes I have headache. Yes I have cough. And so on. Soon we realized that we needed the parents to accompany their children, so we asked Pere Deravil to send a note home for parents of the younger kids to come with them on Wednesday.
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Just before we started seeing patients on Tuesday morning, we got a call from Pere Sadoni. He was unable to find Allie and Margaret. He had a flat tire on the way to the airport so arrived an hour late. He was afraid they had taken a taxi! We spent a frantic 20 minutes trying to find Allie's phone number among what cell phones we had with us, most of which were not operating. Finally we prayed together for their safety; Amy said a hebrew prayer of blessing.
We started seeing patients and soon heard that the women had found Pere Sadoni and were on their way to Montrouis.
We gave each patient their medical card and asked them to come to the "pharmacy" at St Pauls at 2:00 to get their prescriptions filled. I saw 5 or 6 kids with "malaria and typhoid fever" and spent many minutes with the interpreter trying to ask about their symptoms before asking the all important question "how do you know you have malaria (or typhoid)?" The answer was "because the doctor at the hospital told me so." Oh really? Are you being treated? "Yes." Are you getting better? "Yes.". Pause. So...
After the 3rd case like that I figured it out. Usually the person just wanted vitamins to go with their malaria treatment.
We checked hemoglobins on many patients and surprisingly most folks are not anemic. We did find several at 7 or 8 (normal is 11 or 12). We were very happy to see the St Vincents kids are very healthy and look better overall than on previous trips. Their weights are up, there is much less anemia than before and they had no respiratory infections. Also the adult staff are in better shape. Those with diabetes have normal glucose levels (and are taking their medication daily). Blood pressures are down also. Amy and I think the ocean air and country life are better for them than the dusty cramped conditions in Port au Prince. Yet all say they want to move back. I think the kids miss being in school. I wonder how they will feel when they get back "home" and its not the same.
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sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Incoming Updates from Team in Haiti

The first news from the April 2010 Haiti trip has just arrived (Tuesday 8:39 PM) from Dr. Susan Nelson. She had to send it in pieces so I am pasting it in the same pieces to give the flavor of the effort. (It may have been typed on a cell phone). 

David Nelson

Dear friends of Haiti,
Today is day 3 in Haiti. We had a bumpy plane ride but other than that arrived safely in Port au Prince with all our bags.
The US Military has built a new airport terminal next to the old one, which has many large cracks in the walls. You see these as you walk down the hall of the new terminal along with all the other americans traveling to Haiti. Many church groups evident. We were expecting to see Pere Sadoni right away but were instantly in the huge crowd of people trying to locate our 15 bags. We loaded all onto 3 carts and made our way outside, pushing through the chaotic crowd. Suddenly I heard my name and there was Jean Robert on the other side of the fence! It was WONDERFUL to see his smiling face and hug his neck. I wanted to send him all the love and prayers and tears from all the people in the US who have been worried sick about him and the children.
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Continued...
After a brief scuffle over tips to the various baggage handlers, we piled into 2 vehicles and were on our way.
We went to St Vincents for a brief stop. There we saw Ronald Noel, the school administrator who is working with construction crews at the school. The front wall of the school is a pile of rubble 12 feet high. The brace shop and school offices are completely destroyed. The pharmacy is intact though looted. However the beautiful wooden cabinets are still there and will be moved to a new temporary structure before the french army comes to level what's left of the school and start rebuilding.
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Ronald told us how he had to get the children down from the second floor during the earthquake. He made some sort of basket and pulley system with the ropes they use to hang the school flag, and got the wheelchair bound kids down to safety. Marie Carmelle was too heavy to lift so had to spend the night on the second floor until 4 men came to get her down the next day. Pere Sadoni was in his car during the quake and drove to the school, then told some staff to take the kids to Holy Trinity Cathedral. He did not know then that the cathedral was destroyed. He soon found out and so went to the cathedral area to get the kids and take them to College St Pierre.
Ronald told us that there are still 7 bodies buried under the rubble at St Vincent's
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We left the school and stopped by Jean Robert's house, which is still standing although his family sleeps in a tent city nearby. I gave him the 2 violins for his daughters Dida and Stephania and they gave me big smiles. Jean Robert has been appointed some sort of operations manager for this tent city of 1000 people. This does not surprise me as he is a strong and capable man with intelligence and a talent for working with all kinds of people.
Soon we connected somehow with Pere Sadoni, another face I was thrilled to see and embrace.
We then made the 2 hour drive to Montrouis. The best thing about the road is that it is well paved and a marvelous improvement from the last time I made that trip in 2008, however there are no lights and its pretty scary in the dark with people walking on the road and big trucks headed towards you. Yet we arrived safely to the campground in Montrouis.
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That first night in our cabin was the longest night of my life. I was completely exhausted but it was SO HOT I could not sleep. Imagine trying to sleep when you are soaked with sweat. Then the dogs bark at one another and the ROOSTER CROWS at 2 AM, 3 AM, 4AM, you get the picture. I thought at one point SURELY it must be time to get up, checked my watch and it was 11:30 PM.
I was SO happy to see the sun come up!
The next night (and every night) I took benadryl and slept beautifully. Oh, and ear plugs.
More later...

sent from Haiti by Dr. Susan Nelson

Team in Haiti this week

A team of 9 from the WTN Haiti Partnership have traveled to Montrious to see the children who were evacuated out of St. Vincent's school after the Jan. 12 earthquake. The team members are:
Susan Nelson
John Mutin
Amy Bonk-Chanin
Debbie Hooser
Lauren Coleman
Kelvin Pollard II
Drew Woodruff
Allie Russos
Margaret McLaughlin

We wish them all the best in their work and hope that they find the children in good health and good spirits. We hope that they are able to meet many of the medical needs of the children and that the children have sufficient food and clean water, which we know are difficult things to find. We have not heard directly from the team yet, but we look forward to good news from them.  They flew out of Memphis early Saturday morning and will be staying in Haiti until next Saturday, May 1st.

Medical Team going to Haiti April 24-May 1

We are taking a team of 9 members to Haiti on April 24 and travelling to Montrouis to see the children who were evacuated out of St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children after the earthquake of Jan 12. The team members are:
Susan Nelson
John Mutin
Amy Bonk-Chanin
Debbie Hooser
Lauren Coleman
Kelvin Pollard II
Drew Woodruff
Allie Russos
Margaret McLaughlin

We are taking all our medical supplies with us since we don't know the status of the pharmacies in Port au Prince. We will get to see the community of St. Paul's church in Montrouis as well, which is a parish some folks from the West Tennessee Haiti Partnership have visited in past years. The community is on the coast of Haiti, so I am looking forward to swimming in the ocean at the end of a hot day!


Our group in Memphis has been studying Creole, so I am hoping to speak to some of the children in their own language. I am sure they will laugh at my mixed up words, but it will be great fun.

I ask your prayers for the safety of our team, our medical supplies, and especially for the children and staff of St. Vincent's and St. Paul's.

Susan Nelson

West Tennessee Haiti Partnership Upcoming Trip to Haiti

We are planning another trip to Haiti April 24 - May 1.  Our team will consist of Dr. Susan Nelson, Deacon Drew Woodruff, John Mutin, Amy Bonk-Chanin, and Allie Russos, all veterans from our December 2009 trip.  Debbie Hooser may join us as well.  Debbie has been to Montrouis several times and will be a valuable addition to our medical team.  We are looking for someone to run our pharmacy.  This person must be familiar with medications; any knowledge of French is a plus! Kellar McCloy ran our pharmacy in December, but he is studying for boards in medical school and unable to join us this time.  We will also have Margaret McLaughlin with us.  She has not been to Haiti before but has worked for the peace corps for many years and has worked in the Sudan.  She has experience working with teachers in disaster/crisis situations and hopes to work with the teachers at St. Vincent's school.

Susan Nelson spoke with Dr. Diane Petrilla this week after her trip to Montrouis in March with 25 University students from Sewanee.  Dr. Petrilla ran a medical clinic in Montrouis and also toured the destruction in Port au Prince.  She reported that the team was able to sleep in beds inside the dormitories at St. Paul's compound in Montrouis, that the electricity was intermittent and there was a "drizzle of water" in the showers.  She enjoyed swimming in the ocean!  The kids from St. Vincent's were sleeping in tents since they are still afraid to be inside any buildings.  We will see how the rainy season affects their willingness to continue sleeping outside.

On previous trips we bought many medicines from Haitian pharmacies in Port au Prince.  However, since we are unsure if any pharmacies are operational now, we plan to take all our medical supplies with us.  We also hope to take clothing for the kids, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, and school supplies if space permits.

We ask your prayers for the safe travel of our team and our supplies and that we will be a blessing to our Haitian friends rather than a burden.

Susan Nelson