The Rest of the Story

I'm writing this about a 10 days after returning from Haiti. Our last full day was spent in Jacmel, as has become our tradition. Jacmel is located on the southern coast, over the mountains from Leogane. It is a beautiful, colonial beach town, with up and coming resorts. Jacmel is famous for its carnival in February. The artists make incredible papier mache masks for the parades.

 Jacmel is one of the areas in which the government is encouraging tourism. We spent the day at the Cyvadier Hotel and had a wonderful time swimming in the private lagoon and feasting on lobster for lunch.

 

My return to the States in always a little bitter sweet. We worked really hard during our time in Haiti, and the time there flies by. Returning to the "real world" is always a little disconcerting. To go from where there is so little to the opulence and excess of the US can be jarring. The contrast always makes me reflect on what is really important in life - family, friends, and helping others. Until our next trip..... Terry

And then it was Thursday

It is 5pm  Thursday, we are relaxing with a Prestige or cola, after our walk  around Leogane. Our day back in Jasmin yesterday was very busy. We thought we saw 250 people, so that would mean a total of 800 people over three days; however, when we counted the remaining medical record forms today, it seems we saw about 930 people. It's another Haiti mystery. Suffice it to say, that we had 3 very busy days of clinics.

 

Our patients on Wednesday walk as far as 4 hours one way to get to us. That means that our afternoons are usually busier than our mornings. We started off with an emergency. A woman had walked 2 hours to get to us, and was experiencing a racing heart so that she was very panicked when she got to us. The docs and nurses got to work and discovered that her blood sugar was quite high. We provided her with Metformin, which she took  with several glasses of water, rested awhile, and then she  headed back up the mountain.

We had two sets of twins come see Dr. Dianne yesterday. One set was 8 week old boys and the other set was 8 months old boy and girl. All were healthy and so darn cute!

Jeanne, Russ, and I  visited  our school before we got started  in the morning. The 9th grade has about 20 students, who were in their English  class when we were there. They  meet out on the porch since all the other classrooms are full.

We have about 500 students this year and they are bursting at the seams!

Our principal Jeanell Joseph and his sister who is one of the pre-school teachers with her two girls.

 

 

I may have found a possible way for the Nicholas community, and possibly others,  to make money. We saw two teenagers and some toddlers wearing very cute crocheted skirts. I asked one of the girls who had made her skirt and it turns out she had made it. So, with the help of our translator Peterson, I asked if she would make ten for me to buy when we return. She agreed. So, we will see if that happens. If it does, I think I can sell them easily and use the profit for  our clinics.

We had quite the ride home. We had only two vehicles - the Landcruiser and a pickup truck, for 22 people  and all our suitcases.

Today, Dianne went back to the St.. P and St. J school  so that she could interview a teacher for a Diocese mission project, and to see the students and the LaBordes. The rest  of us worked inventorying and organizing our left over meds and supplies. We are not quite finished, so we will have to finish  that up after dinner tonight.

This afternoon, we walked to Children's Nutrition Program so that we could talk with the director about the best way to buy meds in Haiti.. Then, we walked to the Episcopal Nursing School where Dean Hilda proudly showed us the new additions to the school, as well as her new guesthouse. All are absolutely beautiful! The new guesthouse will give HSC some competition from the teams. We stayed too long at the Nursing School and everyone was pooped, so Hilda had one of her drivers take us back to the guesthouse in one of the  school's vans.

FSIL Episcopal Nursing School Dean Hilda Alcindor and her new conference room.

And the new guesthouse

Tomorrow we are off to Jacmel with Zo Cherry as our driver, as usual. We expect to go to Hotel Cyvadier for swimming at the beach and a nice lunch.

Two days of clinics and 550 patients later

Our first two days of clinics were very successful; although Monday at St. Phillipe and St. Jacques was a very long day. Monday, we had a wonderful new clinic set up. We used the entire "old school" building, plus the new kitchen for the pharmacy.

As those of you who have  worked in the pharmacy previously will recall, the pharmacy location at St. P and St. J has been less than optimal in the past. Working in the new kitchen with meds on the counters was like heaven! Triage and lab was set up in the first large room  in  the school, then the docs were paired 2 by 2 in classrooms, with our optometrist and dentist each having their own rooms. It was much more spacious than in the past. The patients must have thought it was wonderful, too, because 300 of them came for treatment!

Dentist Emmanuel Bastien and his wife who serves as his assistant

Optometrist Leguerre Guerry

Dr. Rudolph Richeme and patient

We did not get back to the guesthouse until 7, and had to have dinner without showers so that the cooks could stop working after their longer day.  After dinner, we decided to get to  work, and poured meds until 10:30. During that time, we discovered there was no water. That paired with no air conditioning made the night less than ideal. Then, thankfully, just as I was considering a shower using wet wipes, the water came on! And about that time, the generator came on and  we had a/c. All was well!

Today, we made it up the mountain, but the Daihatsu would not make it up all the way to Jasmin because the brakes were not working well. We were very glad  they knew that before we got up there! So, some of us rode up in the 4 wheel drive Land Rover and others walked up from the halfway point. Russ was an incredible trooper. He has been feeling bad all week, and  decided to join the youngsters walking up the mountain. Then on the way home tonight, he rode in the  back of the pickup truck with the translators!

It was significantly cooler in Jasmin, than yesterday in Collin. Bob has a fabulous watch which tells the temperature, altitude, and other things, in addition to the boring time. So, we  now know that it was 96 at Collin, and 88 at Jasmin. A cold front came in!

One highlight for me today were seeing Sofini again. Sofini comes to see me every clinic and today was no exception.

The second  highlight for me was when a old man brought us two herbs as a gift. One is citroen and is used for a tea and  the other is a leaf and is chewed for acid. I  was really touched that he would take the time to pick these and bring them to us.

Yesterday, a man came to the pharmacy and talked on  and on about how much our medicine had helped his stomach. As some of you know, it does not take much for me  to tear up in  Haiti, and these conversations were no exception.

We saw about 250 patients today. Dr. Rudolph had to go back to work at Doctors without Borders today, so he called a friend, Frantz Codio, who was a really nice guy. His English, which he said he  learned in Port au Prince from visiting Americans at a neighborhood orphanage, was incredible. He spoke like an American. He  told us he goes to  the States frequently and he works for a US based NGO.  We were able  to make it back to the guesthouse by 6, so Jeannine, the  guesthouse manager,  was happy!

We only  had to do a few pill preps tonight, and now we are all relaxing, listening to the thunderstorm. We are back  to Jasmin tomorrow to see the patients who walk to us from Nicholas, which is farther up the mountain.

Church at Jasmin

Today we travelled to Jasmin for church at St. Joseph's. It was a full house. Deacon Juan  preached and there were two baptisms. It was a God thing. Juan's sermon included asking the congregation to renew their baptismal covenant, something he had chosen without knowing that there would be two baptisms today. His sermon also included today's gospel to love God and to love your neighbor.  It could not have been a more  perfect message for this trip.

 My favorite part of the services in Haiti is always the Peace. We greet everyone throughout the church - la paix, la paix. The older people always greet me with kisses on both cheeks. By the time I  get back to the front of the church, I  had tears streaming.  The service included a spirited final hymn which had everyone clapping and waving their arms. It was really a fun way to end a beautiful service.

 After church,  we had a wonderful lunch of cabrit (goat), rice and beans, and pikliz which is a spicy cabbage and carrot slaw, at the house next door to the church. This was prepared by one of the women at the church and her daughter. Sharing a meal with people who have so little to share is moment which means so much to us all.

When we got back to the guesthouse, we all showered (#2 but not the last for the day) and then we got to work continuing preparation and packaging of the meds. Today we got to make Prev Packs, which is always exciting. Here's how that goes: One person puts 4 amox in a bag, then passes the bag to the next person, who inserts 2 flagyl, then the next person adds 2 Pepto Bismol, then the next person labels a sandwich bag with the formula and directions for taking the meds, and the final person adds an omeprazole to one of the four bags that are now inserted into a labeled sandwich bag. Doesn't that sound like fun! I guess you have to have been there to understand this team building exercise. We packaged a few other dry meds, poured and labeled all liquids, and packed up for tomorrow.

Our Haitian team members who are staying at the guesthouse came around dinner time. This included Dr. Rudolph Richeme and his wife Myrline, and our optometrist Laguerre Guerry. Rudolph and Laguerre helped us pack up tonight. Evens brought our new doctor Pierre by this afternoon to meet everyone and to talk with Dianne. Then, later Evens brought his wife and little boy for a visit. We were pleased to see that Edna is pregnant again, this time with a little girl who is due in a month. They have a quickly growing  family!

I am the last one up. Time for another shower and then bed!

Relaxing at the Guesthouse

It's Saturday night after an action packed day. We arrived in Miami without incident and travelled together to Port au Prince where we were met by Sikhumbuzo Vundla, the COO of the Diocese of Haiti. As in the past, there was a new procedure - a $10 tourist fee. So, all the blan were sent into one line to pay the fee before going through customs. Then we met Zo who drove us to the Palm Hotel Inn. We got settled  and the women all went swimming in the pool before dinner. We all agreed that we prefer this hotel to the Visa Lodge because of the friendliness of the staff, the wonderful food, and the comfortable rooms.

Today, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast including omelets, before the guesthouse picked us up. It was about a 2 hour drive today.

 Jeannine, Jenny, and the rest of the staff were happy to see us, just as we were delighted to see them again. I was excited that Jeannine put us in the "Jack and Jill" rooms, not the dorm rooms. All of our old medicine bags were here. After enjoying our first delicious guesthouse meal, we got to work sorting and bagging meds. Evens and the nursing students came to help us at about 2, or so. We all worked steadily until 5 when we broke for a pre-dinner Prestige (least some of us enjoyed that!). Kerwin came and brought our new meds, bottles, and  other supplies we could get here. After dinner, we worked another couple hours. Those of you who have been before can appreciate that we have made it through "I" - Ibuprofen.

Fall 2014 - Returning to Haiti

Our team is preparing to leave for our trip October 24 - November 1. The American contingent is small, but powerful, and includes Dr. Dianne Pizey (our medical director) and Russ Stephens from St. John's Minneapolis, Dr. Bob Rosenthal from DC, Bob's sister-in law Jeanne Simon from CT, and Deacon Juan Sandoval and me from Christ Church, Norcross. Jeanne and Russ will be working with me in the pharmacy. Juan, who is a Registered Nurse, will be working in triage and the lab at different times. This is the first trip for Juan and Jeanne and we are excited that they are joining us. I am especially excited that Juan will be representing the clergy of Christ Church. Pere Kerwin has asked Juan to assist in the Sunday service and to give the sermon.

We are continuing our goal of increasing our Haitian staff. We will be joined by Evens Joicin, the nurse who does monthly follow up care with our patients, and five nursing students which he will supervise as part of their clinical studies at FSIL, the Episcopal Nursing School in Leogane.

Clinical Director Evens Joicin (the tallest one!) and his student nurses

 

Myrline Richeme, another nurse, will work with Evens and Juan. Dr. Rudolph Richeme will join us only one day, we believe. He is working at Doctors Without Borders as part of his orthopedic residency, so he can only devote one day to work with us. His brother, Dr. Rolph Richeme, will join us the other days. Rolph worked with us a few years ago. He is a joy to have with us. We expect a new doctor, Gamiel Pierre, who lives  in Leogane. We also will have Laguerre Guerry, our optometrist, and Emmanuel Bastien, our dentist, and his wife, who will assist him, with us. We will have 4 translators to help those of us whose Kreyol is petit petit. Our translators are those we have used in the past, including Peter as lead to  work  with Juan, Peterson to work in the pharmacy, and Valeri and Marcos to work with Bob and Diane.

Our team at the end of the clinics

Our plan is for the four traveling groups from Atlanta, Minneapolis, DC, and NY (CT) to meet in Miami and take the 12:30 flight together to Port au Prince. Friday night, we will stay at the Palm Inn Hotel in Port au Prince, where Steve, Chip, and I stayed in the spring. It is very close to the airport, so is convenient for the guesthouse to pick us up on Saturday morning.

For the first time, some of us are spraying our clothes with permethrin to help repel the mosquitoes because of the risk of catching chikungunya, which is new to Haiti. It will be interesting to see if this is helpful.

Otherwise, things are about the same as in the past. We continue to buy as much as we can in Haiti, but are still faced with each taking 2 large suitcases full of meds and supplies, as well as our carry-on bag for our clothes and other personal items. Maybe one day, we will be able to buy everything in Haiti and will no longer need to add to the support of American Airlines by paying to check the extra bags.

Meds ready to sort and package in Haiti with some of the many suitcases.

As in the past, I will try to update this blog daily, but that is totally dependent upon the internet, electricity, and my condition after a hard day of work. So, remember, no news is good news.
Terry

Magic Haiti

When  you arrive at  the Port  au Prince  airport, you immediately see posters of the Ministry of  Tourism's current  campaign, Magic Haiti. The Ministry even publishes a magazine, Magic Haiti. We always pick up a copy as we leave  the airport and read it from cover to cover during our week. We joke that we  never see the places in the magazine during our trip, except of  Friday when we travel to Jacmel. Jacmel is located on the southwest coast in the "Southeast Department" and is the center of Carnivale, Jacmel has an amazing art community, and is especially well known for its papier mache masks and figures for Carnivale. Jacmel was a popular tourist destination for many years and is making a comeback as part of the government's concerted effort to attract tourists to Haiti.

We had a wonderful day at Hotel Cyvadier, where we had gone a few years ago. (fyi, the hotel gets a 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor!)

Since our last venture there, the  hotel has installed additional stairs so  that it is easier to get down to the nicer beach on a beautiful cove.

The water was wonderfully warm and refreshing. We had a great lunch of some Haiti favorites, including grilled fish  and lambi (conch).

Pere Kerwin relaxing on his day playing with us.

Our Jacmel trip is the perfect ending to a wonderful week.

We hope you all come  join us on  our next trip, October 24-November 1.

A Three Hour Tour of Leogane and Cutting and Stitching at Cinic

What a week of clinics! There was more cutting and stitching during this trip than in all our prior trips combined. The culmination was Wednesday at Jasmin, when Drs. David and Rudolph treated a young man who had a machete wound on his arm, which resulted in Pere Kerwin making an emergency trip down the mountain with this young man and another woman  with a head injury loaded into the back of his pick up truck. It was quite exciting and a wonderful learning experience for our nursing students. While all this was going on, Drs. Dianne and Dennis continued seeing patients outside. Dr. Alex assisted  and observed the treatments . After this event, Drs. Rudolph and David stitched up a woman's head. Luckily, David spent much of Sunday night repacking our wound kit, so we were well prepared for all these emergencies. My little friend Sofini came to see me after school today. What a relief to know that she is fine.

Sofini with the dark shoes is to my left.

Our entire team at the end  of the clinics.

Today was organization day, inventorying the meds and supplies, and re-packing for our next trip. Then, some of us went up to St. Phillippe and St. Jacques to see the schoolkids. Sadly, they were in the middle of exams, so we only got to see the  little ones. Of course, they are incredibly cute.

 Pere Kerwin shared with us that the congregation has managed to raise about $4000 of the needed $10,000 to purchase the land which is adjacent to the school so that a new  church can  be built. The old church crashed down  in the earthquake shortly after it was completed. The new school building is situated on the land where the old church was located. If anyone reading  this is moved to help with this project, please send your tax deductible donations payable to St. John's Episcopal  Church, marked St. Phillippe and St. Jacques Building Fund, to St. John's at 4201 Sheraton Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55410.

Madame LeBorde prepared a delicious soup for us to sustain us on our way back to the guesthouse where we had second lunch, also soup jamou  (pumpkin).

Following lunch, we set out with one of our interpretors, Marco, to the Episcopal nursing school (FSIL) and then  to Obama Beach where we saw the boats coming from LaGonave filled with charcoal.

This is always one of my favorite parts of the trip. The walk through town, and then out into the country and to the beach gives a beautiful snapshot of this area.

 

Tomorrow,  we are  off to Jacmel for  our last full day in Haiti, which we will spend at the beach.

This has been an amazing  trip, as usual. The amount of new construction in Leogane is really something to see. The  old spirit seems to be back.  Today, a young man took a video of us on his  phone as we walked  up the road through Leogane. What a turnabout!