HAITI 2015: Our 2nd School and 5th Medical Mission Team - Summary Report

by Nick Candee

Mesi anpil / Thanks so much to all our friends and family that accompanied us on this educational and medical mission!  From the hand-crafted cloth bags, through donations for our ton ofmedicaments, dental supplies, the sorted and scrubbed pill bottles, and more. Thanks too to Zoll Medical for donation of an AED / Automatic External Defibrillator for Hopital St Croix.

Our team of 22 volunteers adapted to the challenges of operating in Haiti, as we worked in three zones:

v  Mobile medical clinics via Hopital St. Croix and the agentes sante / health agents: we saw about 1,185 patients (vs our record 1,030 patients last year). This is a very conservative estimate. Most of our team worked in the mobile clinics.

v  Developing a relationship with FSIL, the nursing school of the Episcopal University of Haiti; six team mates stayed at FSIL’s gleaming new guest house, and five were guest lecturers with the school:; Michelle Gillig RN on ER nursing; Gloria Korta MD on OB/GYN Caroline Larson OT on occupational therapy Marissa Seligman on pharmacology Dan Seligman DPM on podiatry.

v  Developing a relationship with Ecole St Croix, with the head of school Mr. Emmanuel, and head of lower school, Mr. Manuel; Carol Hokana, Barbara Foot, Elizabeth Foot, and Tom Mitchell were guest teachers in the English classes. Nick and team met with Mr. Emmanuel to endeavor to determine how to mobilize volunteers in the future for specific projects.

Villages and Number of Patients we treated that day (note family members are sometimes added after intake, so numbers are approximate, and conservative).

v  St Mathieu, 175 patients – Monday

v  Sarbousse, 260 patients – Tuesday

v  Fayette, 235 patients – Wednesday

v  Trouin, 240 patients – Thursday

v  K-Moncil, 275 patients – Friday

Total for the week: 1,185 patients treated – with some softness around those numbers.

A few patient cases:

Sad news: 18 month old Rose Nerlie, whom we met one year ago with an eye tumor, a retinoblastoma, died earlier this winter. A year ago we did get her and her mom to the best pediatrics hospital in Port au Prince; a spinal tap determined that the cancer was metastatic … so she received chemotherapy and de-bulking surgery to improve the quality of her life in the days left to her.

Glad news! Nancye Mims found the boy Alexandre with strabismus (crossed-eyes) in Trouin. Via eye specialist surgeons and the local priest, a team is working on surgery for this youngster so he can enter school. Kindly see Carol Hokana’s earlier report.

In Trouin Dr. Alex saw a 9 month old girl suffering from severe malnutrition and mild dehydration; the mother and child were referred to CNP / Children’s’ Nutrition Program.

On our last day in K-Moncil, two patients were so acutely ill that our team organized transportation to Hospital Ste Croix (there is presently no EMS in the region, nor a fire department).

Our last day in K-Moncil was surprisingly our busiest – in contrast to this village last year, where the clinic ended by 2 PM.

We then returned to Hopital St Croix, and bid farewell to our Haitian colleagues: the medical / dental team of Dr Alex Le Brun, Dr Emmanuel Bastien and his wife as dental assistant, and Kathiana and Kesnelda, our two nursing students from FSIL nursing school. We were delighted to see our nurse colleague from prior years, Rosaline Telfort now working in HSC Outpatient Dept., but keen to rejoin us next year (thanks Virginia Harrington). And we bid farewell to our 14 translators, many veterans of clinics past with us, our three reliable drivers, our team of 5 cooks, and the housekeeping team headed by the ever- positive Mme. Bellevue. And of course our beloved volunteer guest house managers, Dr Bob and Robin Sloane of Fort Worth, TX.

SUMMARY:

We are thankful for all the love that came with us on this trip, and thankful for the kind cooperation of our Haitian team as well as the patience of our Haitian patients.  We are thankful for the many skills our 22 teammates provided, from providers such as Dokte Reid Boswell MD who addressed issues in tropical medicine, to Henry Marks who pitched in on the eye clinic, to Jason Kinchen who joined us in the role of our spiritual advisor and chaplain – both for the team and for our patients; a prayer with our Haitian brothers and sisters is intangible but integrated our efforts in physical healing.

On Saturday 14 March 16 of our team returned home. Six of us (Linda Brown, Nick Candee, Mary Candee, Nancye Mims, Carol Hollingshead and Bill Saunders) remained to tour Haiti for a week, to discover a country outside the mobile medical clinics. Let us know if you’d like to hear the stories about what we found!

We continue to support our medical and school partners here throughout the year – and your financial and prayer support is treasured as we look forward to our sixth year of partnership here. 

Kindly note we anticipate additional reflections from some of our 22 volunteers

FINDING ALEXANDRE: a report on accompaniment

by Nancye Mims

 “You have to write a blog about finding Alexandre,” says Dr. Linda, as we walk into the Hopital St. Croix guesthouse after Thursday’s clinic in Trouin. I say “yes, of course, I plan to,” but I know that the words will be slow to come.

After a year of tracking down this child, hundreds of e-mails with providers, clergy, and volunteers, phone calls with a driver and a close, but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to have him seen by an ophthalmologist, we have found Alexandre.

Last March, 2014, on a Thursday, second-to-last day of our medical mission, an adorable five-year old, with a sweet smile, greeted us as we arrived in the mountain village of Trouin, pronounced “Twen.” When we stepped out of our vehicle, he was right there chewing on an old plastic bottle. We noticed immediately that his eyes were crossed; it was unclear how well he could see. I asked him his name, “Kijan ou rele?” “Alexandre,” he replied

Various team members spent time with him that day, and though I was tucked away in the pharmacy, I couldn’t get him off my mind.  Having seen a lot of poverty and suffering that week, his relatively minor condition hit me hard. How could something so easily and routinely fixed in the United States, go untreated in Haiti? As we left that afternoon, we were told he could not go to school because of his crossed eyes.

On the ride home, I was at first filled with grief, but then as we descended the mountain I began to feel determination welling up inside me. 

Colleagues and family say I am stubborn, determined, and just plain hard headed. Most recently my supervisor, described this quality euphemistically as “tenacious.” When it comes to the well being of family and friends, I don’t like to take “no” for an answer. So, right then and there, on that Thursday evening in March of 2014, I knew that I could not and would not let this stand.

By April, I found my way to an ophthalmology organization that treats people in the developing world, including Haiti. The doctor was willing to see Alexandre next time she was there, but connecting them would prove difficult, given that we did not know his last name or anyone in the village who might help us reach him.

After many e-mails, my big break came in October, when I was connected with another Episcopal group that works in Trouin. Among the contacts suggested was the priest at St. Marc’s. Then, bingo, in one e-mail everything changed. “I know him,” was the first thing I heard from Pere Jois Goursse.  More e-mails ensued, and Pere Goursse was reaching out to Alexandre’s mother.  Suddenly there was hope of having him seen in November.

I called our favorite driver in Haiti, Mr. Zo Chery, and conversations began about where to take Alexandre – Fond des Blancs, or Mirebelais? There was a major complication, though. Alexandre’s mother was expecting a baby any day and could not travel with him.

More e-mails and talk of taking Alexandre to Port Au Prince where Dr. Chandra would be working for a few days. In the end, it was too much. We decided to wait for the new baby and his mother’s recovery.

By January, we had another chance of having him seen by Dr. Chandra, but again we could not connect all the dots. Alexandre’s mother was not fully recovered from the birth of her third child, and Dr. Chandra’s schedule proved tricky as well. Then her trip was postponed. We would wait for another visit in February, which was again delayed until March. By the time I arrived in Haiti on March 7, 2015, her trip was on hold.

Meanwhile, I had plans to visit with Pere Goursse. He came to Hopital St. Croix on Wednesday, on his way to Port Au Prince. Those of us who had worked at the school that day -- Nick Candee, Carol Hokana, Barbara and Elizabeth Foot -- had a chance to sit with him and learn more about Alexandre’s village.

On Thursday we headed back to Trouin. I was at peace. Coming this far already seemed like a miracle. Maybe we would see Alexandre, but anything could happen. In my heart, I knew we were close, and regardless of what transpired we would connect him with medical care eventually.

Thursday, March 12, 2015:

Our medical mission sets up shop in an area just beyond where we were in 2014.  I have an eye out for Alexandre and his mother, but by noon there’s no sign of them.

Around that time, Carol Hokana comes to me and says “Linda says we should take a walk into town for lunch. Let’s go and try to find Alexandre.” I’m on board. Victor, our wonderful translator is with us. We arrive in the center of Trouin, and start asking for Alexandre. At first people say they don’t know him. Are they protecting him and his family from prying “blancs,” or foreigners?  I wonder.

Then one person says the family moved to Jacmel. I know enough to be suspicious of that. We are told to inquire at the school office. We start asking questions, describing who we are looking for. One question leads to another. Several people are sent out to look for Alexandre. Before we know it, he comes bounding into the office.  I can’t believe my eyes. We descend on him. “Zanmi mwen,” “My friend,” I say. There is laughter and celebration. He is taller and his front teeth are missing, but it is Alexandre. He is still wearing oversized crocs, perhaps the same ones he had on last year.

We ask him to take us to his mother. He darts off but we are following close behind; she appears and I start explaining through Victor, who I am -- the lady who has been talking with Pere Goursse. A woman close by calls out to Alexandre’s mother that we should take that beautiful baby of hers to our medical clinic. We head out, baby Georgina, toddler Claudia, and Alexandre in tow. His mother walks quickly, outpacing us all.

My heart sings. But then Alexandre nearly steps in front of a speeding motorcycle. I grab his hand, and he walks with me -- as if we have known each other for a long time.

From the beginning I have cared deeply for this child, but in the process of looking for him and trying to arrange care, I have sometimes wondered if we would ever connect him to a doctor who can help. Are we doing the right thing? Will we ultimately disappoint his family?

Then I tell myself there was never any guarantee that we would identify, much less find him in person; progress is slow but steady. “Pitit pitit n’arrive,” Little by little we get there. I am living this Haitian proverb. On this day, I know that I cannot give up; I will continue to fight for him.

On our way back to the clinic, Carol carries the baby. I have Alexandre by the hand, and his mother is ahead of us with the toddler, Claudia. My heart is bursting at the seams. We walk into the church where we are seeing patients, and my eyes meet Dr. Linda’s.

I am in a joyful state of awe. Is this really happening? If I close my eyes will Alexandre and his family disappear? I stay close by, never letting them out of my sight.

All members of the family are seen at the clinic. Alexandre’s mother seems comfortable one minute and perplexed the next. I don’t blame her; this must be a shock. I marvel at her trust.

While we wait for medications, I sit with Alexandre.  He is a typical six-year-old, antsy and interested in all that surrounds us. Occasionally while we wait, he disappears. I go in search of him, mildly panicked at the thought of losing him; he is easily found -- once outside the front door, another time down in the school.

At one point I give him my cell phone to keep him busy and sitting still. He is thrilled. After I get him off the emergency phone number app, he goes to iTunes and is giggling as Cat Stevens croons “Moon shadow, moon shadow... “ Next Alexandre flips through my photo stream and lets out a gleeful shriek when he comes upon a picture of Bill Saunders holding up a big orange drink at the Arowak Hotel.

Medications are readied at last; it’s time for Alexandre and family to go home. Carol, Victor, and I walk them back down the road. I insert some money into the family’s medicine bag. Carol tells his mom, she is a good mother. She smiles from ear-to-ear and is, finally, completely at ease. I tell her that Father Goursse will soon be in touch about next steps. She seems to understand and heads off down the road toward home.

Victor, Carol, and I turn around and go back to the clinic. I am stupefied. Can this really have happened? My love for this child is intense, unlike anything I have ever experienced for someone who is not a member of my family. But in that moment, and indeed for a long time, I have no words to describe what I feel.

In the following days, talks continue about next steps for Alexandre. Before we leave Leogane on Saturday morning, I meet the wife of a local pediatrician and we learn that there is now an ophthalmologist at Hopital St. Croix.

Now it seems there is a good chance that Alexandre will be seen very soon by the pediatrician and the eye doctor, probably in the next few weeks.*

But this is Haiti, and I know that things can change. What looks easy and straightforward one day can slip away the next. By now, though, we have lots of contacts and relationships, and I have other ideas if this falls through. I know I won’t stop until we can get something done for this child.

END

*I learned a week ago that the ophthalmologist who visits Hopital St. Croix is embroiled in a contract dispute and is not expected to see patients there for the indefinite future. Other leads are in play. Stay tuned.

A CLEARER VISION FOR HAITI

by Dan Seligman

It's 2015 and my 3rd medical mission to Haiti with Marissa. For this year, I have been preparing for my role as “the eye doc". Nice role for a podiatrist of 35 years! Why was I taking on this role? Simple... not too many people have serious foot problems and I had, by osmosis, learned the eye craft from my wife's father. Armed with the basics of "is it clearer this way or that way" I took on this task in 2013. That year showed us that there was a tremendous need for glasses amongst the people of Haiti.  We examined and dispensed all of our 300 pairs of reading glasses that year.

I managed through our collected donations, to get for 2015 a portable field vision eye testing setup and a Lensometer to measure the prescriptions of acquired glasses. To prepare myself, I asked an Optometric friend to give me a crash course in examining and evaluating basic vision issues. We also acquired a very large collection of reading glasses from Blessings International, prescription glasses, sun glasses and eye medications.  Armed with all this, we were ready to fill a critical void: giving clearer vision for our patients. We had a bonus in having Henry Marks, a college student and member of POE assist me in this mission.  Regrettably, our portable testing equipment was too difficult to transport to Haiti this year, but we hope to donate them to the Optometry Dept of Hopital St Croix in a future trip.

So,,,how did we do?  With the help of Henry, we were able to exam and dispense over 600 pairs of reading, 70 plus sunglasses and some prescription glasses to Haitians from about 10 years old to a farmer over 85 years old. The medical group saw over 1,200 people and about half the patients saw us too.  Why were we so much in demand?  Many people, especially the women, perform household tasks that requires close-up work.  In their environment, dusty, dim indoor lighting and very bright sunlight, eyes begin to wear and strain early with simple tasks such as threading sewing needles, viewing labels, and very importantly, Bible reading.

Each day we set up our "Eye Corner" amongst the doctors and triage staff. The medical staff made a referral to Henry and me to assess their vision needs. We saw many older people with developing cataracts, young kids with eye injuries, and teens and mothers who were eager to read clearer. To the best of our abilities we addressed the needs of those people, including recommendations for follow up in a clinical setting within the local hospital. Credit should be given to my translator, Jean-Marie, a young Haitian who was very skilled in explaining, defining and instructing the patients.

FSIL: I was also given an opportunity to lecture at the Nursing School affiliated with Hopital St. Croix, in my profession of Podiatry and Orthopedics. I was very grateful that by our final field clinic day, Henry had learned (with Jean-Marie) how to exam and assess patients, and dispense glasses. Also, through arrangements of Dr. Linda and Nick, I was asked to examine a dozen teachers affiliated with the Diocese School. They are dedicated young teachers who were very much in touch with the work of the medical and church mission group.

So... what was my take on all this work?  Several interesting observations came out.

1. People are much more eager to participate in their health care compared to several years ago after the earthquake.

2. People know better what they need...probably because they have a greater awareness of their surroundings since the shock of the earthquake is behind them.

3. People, especially teenage girls, who needed glasses for reading, school or homework, actually asked for glasses in specific styles, color and shape....vanity despite their poverty!  As the adage goes, If you look good, you feel good. Happy to help them!!

4. People want to improve their circumstances and if seeing clearer improves that, then there will be a brighter future for them.

Finally, I thank the members of the parish for having invited my wife Marissa (the pharmacist) and me (the foot/eye doctor) to participate in the workings of the POE in its endeavors to help the less fortunate. There is the old tenet in the Torah that states that we all should strive to leave this earth several notches better than we found it.  Thanks to all.

Dan and Marissa are members of Temple Shir Tikveh of Winchester; this was their third mission. 

A Week in Review

by Carol Hokana

Haiti Day 8, Saturday:  

We leave our lodgings on the hospital's 2nd floor in about 3 hrs. to return to the US. I am really looking forward to being home with my family and escaping the heat and humidity. Yes, I *am* saying I seek the cold Boston weather. But I will miss the people I have worked with this past week. My three roommates have become my sisters...even to the extent that I wore Mary's shirt and sandals to the school one day! 

I also will miss the beautiful singing I have heard: in a patient's room here in the hospital (Hopital Ste Croix), the cook singing after supper, one of the interpreters singing from the back of a pickup truck as we left yesterday's mobile clinic. There is joy here. And beauty, in the people and in the landscape. I will miss it.

Haiti day 7.Friday:
Today the medical clinic was in Leogane, in a village on the shore. This community was healthier than yesterday's. The biggest difference? The usual occupation is fishing, not farming during a drought. This community eats protein (fish) 4-5 times per week. We served about 300 patients. I worked as a triage nurse all day. My lunch break at 1:30 was spent on the beach. It.was beautiful. Saw the local cock-fighting ring and a couple of guys weaving fishnets from reeds. I hope to post photos.

Tonight we pack up. We leave tomorrow with many memorable moments, mostly good but a few disturbing ones of patients requiring immediate hospitalization, including a deja vu dehydrated baby. They remain in our hearts and minds and prayers. I smile broadly when I think of all the many, many adorable children I have held hands with, been kissed by and caressed by, taught, played with, and loved. There really is something special about Haiti.

Haiti day 6, Thursday:
21 team members, (including 5 Haitian medical & dental colleagues)14 translators, & 3 drivers headed for the hills...er...mountains...in 3 vehicles to Trouin (pronounced more like "twan"), about an hour's drive over very bumpy roads. We'd been to this village last year though at a different site. My FaceBook home page photo is of this mountainous road.

Per usual there were already people waiting for us, eager and/or desperate to have their medical issues addressed. For a brief time, while the others worked out the logistics like where the triage nurses, doctors, and the pharmacy would be set up in the church, I took my camera and, with my translator, spoke to the children. One little squirt refused to smile and his frown was so darn cute!

For my morning duties I was assigned to conduct well-being surveys of some of the people. Some of the questions asked were: Are you better or worse off now than a year ago? Do you have enough food to feed your family? Do you live in a tent/shelter or home? In a week how often do you eat protein (e.g., chicken, beef, eggs, fish, beans)? It was clear from their responses that this community is hurting, just as in the other villages this week. Nearly everyone reported being worse off now and not having enough food for their family. Only one person said that she had protein in her diet. Everyone spoke of the ongoing drought drastically affecting their lives. This is a farming community and without rain they had no crops to plant, had no income, had no home grown food and no or little money to buy food. Hearing the same responses time after time was heartbreaking. When asked "Is your faith important to you?" they all said, "Of course," many of them brightening up as they said it.

Now for the news that I want to shout to the world: WE FOUND ALEXANDRE!! He is a 6 old boy we met on our mobile clinic last year, with an infectious smile and sweet, sweet personality, suffering from cross eyes. [strabismus]. He was not at school then because of his eyesight and his family is very poor. We left the site last year feeling very sad for him. Teammate Nancye then tracked him down to see if a doctor could assess his problem and we hope perform surgery to correct his eye problem. She located an eye doctor in NY who often goes to Haiti who was willing to examine him. Nancy got in contact with the Episcopal priest in charge of St Mark's, the church in Trouin where our 2014 clinic was held. (This year's clinic site was at a different church.) But she had no surname or address by which to identify Alexandre, just a first name and a picture.

Yesterday at lunchtime Nancye, my translator Victor, and I walked to St Mark's--where we last saw Alexandre--and asked people if they knew a boy named Alexandre with crossed eyes. No, they did not though one person suggested we go to the school office and ask there, which we did. They listened to our story but did not seem to know him. They told a student to go find Alexandre. Three minutes later, a little boy appeared in the doorway. Alexandre! I squealed his name and he smiled, revealing a gap where his front top teeth will soon have adult teeth. So cute! We asked him to take us to his mama, so he did.

Mama greeted us cautiously. Nancye explained who she was and what she hoped to do for Alex. She needed to get Mama's permission to proceed. Mama said that she wanted his eyes fixed. Yay! We encouraged her to go back to the mobile clinic with us--about a 10-minute walk--so she ran into the house to get her two other children, Claudia (about 3) and baby Georgina, 3 months old. I called dibs on the baby and Nancye held Alex's hand. Claudia held her mama's and we walked back to the clinic where we had all four of them examined by a doctor. Turns out the baby had a respiratory infection though one would never guess by her demeanor; she was sweet as could be. She was prescribed an antibiotic and they all were given vitamins, toothpaste and brushes...well, not the baby, of course. Nancy and I could not stop smiling. And I could not part with the baby, but of course I did. As they were leaving, I hugged Mama and told her she was a good mother. Nancye said that Mama beamed when she heard that. So Mama will bring Alex to the Hopital St. Croix on Monday morning when a local ophthalmologist will be there to examine him. Alex may be able to be treated right here in Leogane--or the NY doc may treat him in Port-au-Prince--but the wheels are in motion to give this wonderful, sweet boy a much more promising future: the chance to see and go to school. HALLELUIAH!

Haiti day 5, Wednesday:
We completed our educational part of the mission today. Teaching English to kindergartners was, well, frankly exhausting. Expanding on my adage from yesterday that "teens are teens everywhere," I might also say "kindergartners are kindergartners everywhere," with loads of energy and very short attention spans. An hour with them nearly left us all feeling totally spent. smile emoticon The first-graders were a dream as were the fourth graders. I am one who likes to further math education and so we used English to not only count but to add and subtract. In other words, an English immersion math class. It worked out great. But I have to confess that it is not easy to be taken to a classroom, find out how old the kids are, how much English they have had, and then create a lesson plan for an hour's class--on the spot--with only the Dr Seuss flash cards that a team member brought. No classroom had any materials AT ALL in them. We had to ask for chalk and an eraser for the chalkboard. We would get 1 small, partial piece of chalk. Resources are in short supply, apparently. I shouldn't be surprised: this is a school that cannot meet payroll.

Anyway, the primary school headmaster met with us prior to our departure and said they would've liked us to spend the whole week at the school rather than just 3 days. They definitely want us back next year. When I told him how much fun I had in the primary school working with the students, he said that the kids really liked it, too, which is why they wanted us for the entire week.

Tonight we had a representative from the Children's Nutritional Program (CNP) of Haiti (whose region office is near the hospital here in Leogane) visit and tell the entire team what we can do on the mobile med clinics when we see malnourished children. It seems they have a well thought out process that has successfully turned lives around. They are doing excellent work teaching mothers how to shop for and cook nutritional food from whatever food is available locally. They also focus on educating mothers on breastfeeding and family planning.

Tomorrow we are going up into the mountains. The Episcopal priest from that village met with us educational mission team members this afternoon. He reported that many people in the parish do not get enough to eat, that the clinic that is there is staffed 7 days per week, but that they usually have no medical or testing resources. HIV is an issue, so I asked him if there have been any widespread educational programs on how to stop the spread of HIV. He said that if they come to the local clinic, the doctor will tell the patient but that's it. The condom donation that I spoke of prior to my departure will be sorely needed here. In fact patients at all of the clinics this week have asked for condoms.

The donated reading eyeglasses, again, have been life changing. Toothbrushes and paste have been given to every patient, as have multi-vitamins. Still, the local Haitian dentist we hire has been kept very busy, pulling rotten teeth.

Today's med team saw roughly 250 patients and they were very tired when they returned after 6:00 p.m, having left here at 8:00 this morning. Long busy days doing good work.

Haiti day 4, Tuesday:
Today, two other team members and I, along with my FAVORITE TRANSLATOR from last year, Victor, walked to the school at 8:00. We spent the whole morning in the primary school teaching them numbers, colors, pronunciation. We three were thrilled with their enthusiastic participation and their quick intelligence. There were four classes of the cutest kids. One was a kindergarten class who were so confident in knowing their colors...in French. They clearly were puzzled at first as to why "rouge" is now red. It was really, really fun.

And, then, this afternoon we went into a "terminale" class (seniors) who, of course, know more than the three of us. Teens are teens everywhere. However there WAS a magical moment when one girl with the prettiest voice sang in English "All the breath of me" or something like that. And again when we had them singing John Legend's "All of Me," of which I recorded just a minute. I will try to upload but my skill is awful.

We're going on a tour of the Leogane Hospital in a little bit. We are staying on the second floor and on the third floor they have a dental clinic, a medical research facility of some kind, and a couple of other things that I'll learn about on the tour.

Temps here have been high, probably around 90 or so, and humid. Unlike last year I haven't been bothered with mosquitoes, knock on wood. On the ride from the airport on Saturday I thought that there was less trash and more new construction in Port-au-Prince (PaP). Leogane, about 20 miles west of PaP, also has some new construction. A park built by the Japanese, looked ready to open last year but apparently was just opened last Thursday... by the President of Haiti!

Day 4's med trip saw a record 230 patients. They came back exhausted. This was at the site where last year I had the really sick baby. I've thought about that sweet little girl many, many times this past year. Nurse Michelle Gillig was keeping an eye out for her but did not see her. I hope she is still alive and doing well.

Haiti day 3,Monday:
It is safe to say that I still have not adjusted to Haiti time. I don't mean a time change--they are the same as where I live. I'm talking about a time attitude. Verrrrry laid back. I feel like my short stay here is just that--short--so I need to be productive every single minute. Ha! Carol, meet Haiti, where things happen when they happen.

I'm guessing you can sense my frustration seeping out just a wee little bit. I keep telling my eager self to breathe and BE PATIENT, for crying out loud. But I don't seem to be listening to myself all of the time. For over a year I have been hoping I can help the school, Ecole St Croix (Holy Cross School) in some way.
We were to make the two-minute walk there this a.m. at 9:00. It wasn't until 10:10 am we finally did. I was still listening to myself at this point, so I was patient and calm (okay maybe just outwardly). Then the welcoming portion comes and that understandably takes 10-15 minutes (because translators are involved and all that). Then it is determined that one of us will go to the primary school to teach English, three of us will do the same for the secondary school (me!) and one will meet with administrators to assess needs and wishes. But then we end up in the director’s office instead of a class. WTH? I find that I am beginning to ignore my inner voice and I squirm visibly in my chair and finally state that I am eager to be with the students. Doesn't happen until after lunch, in fact I do not set foot in a classroom until after 1:00 p.m. But once I do, man-o-man was it fun! They enjoyed it too cuz they pleaded with us to come back tomorrow. I believe they really think their newly learned song "Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes" is a top 40 hit! wink emoticon These were 14-years-olds who know a good song when they hear it and act it out. I laugh just thinking about it.

So at the end of the school day i had found that my patience came back, thanks to the kids. Because it really is all about them.

Haiti day 2, Sunday:
This AM the kitchen staff forgot about daylight savings, so breakfast was a bit late, but so tasty that it was well worth waiting for -- especially the mango juice.  When clearing my breakfast plate my nosy self had to see what the cooks were working on. Pumpkin soup! I motioned--since I don't speak Creole--that I bake the seeds and eat them. She said, in English, "Show me." So I did! We washed the seeds, drained them, salted them, and baked them (a little too long actually). They tried them and seemed to like them, although they could've been just being polite. This was quite a cooking feat as our only common language was signing. When done, she gave me the highest compliment: she asked me to taste the beef she stewed for the soup. I did and guessed there was parsley and bell peppers in it and vinegar. She nodded enthusiastically and said "You cook." Yup, I do. But she does it better.

Haiti day 1, Saturday: Touched down in Port-au-Prince (PaP) on time,1:30 pm. Some team members had difficulty getting meds thru Customs but I had no trouble. Left the airport about 2 hrs later, heading for Croix du Bouquet, an artist colony featuring metal work. Long, crazy drive to Leogane, our base for the week. Arrived at 6:30 pm, ate a delicious chicken supper, went over some rules and logistics, and now most people are in bed, utterly exhausted from the 6 am flight out of Boston and dealing with the sudden drastic temp change: 90 and humid. Oh, and we lose an hour of sleep tonight due to daylight savings time. Yay!

Church begins at 7 am tomorrow but so does breakfast so I will show up late for church (PRIORITIES, people!) and still likely be there for two hrs. I will try to update again tomorrow. I am thrilled to be back!!

Haiti, Day -1, Friday eve: My two fifty-pound bags (filled with meds, tooth brushes, tooth paste, glasses, and more) and my one carry on (with my personal items plus a portable AED--defibrillator donated by Zoll Medical that I wanted to hand carry) are packed and parked near our front door in anticipation tomorrow's 4 AM pick up with Caroline Carrie Holt Larson and Michelle Gillig. Tomorrow being largely a travel day, I don't imagine I'll have much to report, if all goes well.

One thing that I want to highlight is the love and support I have been given by my friends and family members and people I don't even know. I really feel that there is a whole network of people behind me, helping me go on this trip. A huge thank you to my husband, Nick Bonifanti, who will be manning the fort while I'm away, and to my two dear daughters who fear they will starve during my absence. I am not worried; Nick will make sure that they eat well. I will miss them. 

My day at FSIL 13 March 2015

by Gloria Korta MD

Dean Hilda Alcindor, RN has shown us miracles.  In the 10 years since she has been in charge, FSIL (Faculty of Nursing Science of the Episcopal University of Haiti in Leogane) has become the premier school of nursing in Haiti, the only one to graduate nurses with a baccalaureate degree. The curriculum is tough.  Only about 1/4 of the current freshman class is expected to make it to graduation.  Our group from Epiphany and St. Paul's is developing a relationship with this school.  Marisa and Dan Seligman and Caroline Larson and I had the opportunity to deliver a guest lecture to a class at the school.  Michelle Gillig also did lecturing and was a guide for two of the students to accompany us during the week at our mobile medical clinics. 

Since I am a gynecologist, Hilda asked me to talk about cervical cancer. While breast cancer is the number one cancer in the world among women, cervical cancer rises to that rank in Haiti. There is inadequate screening by pap smears, and the vaccine against the HPV virus, the cause of more than 90% of cervical cancer is financially out of range for almost all Haitians.

There were about 50 freshman students in my class.  I used a PowerPoint  presentation with video from the internet to illustrate my lecture.  The students were uniformly engaged, inquisitive and polite.  Each
student rose from his or her seat before asking a question.  They were encouraged by a member of the staff to ask follow-up questions to be sure they understood their points.  Their intelligence and enthusiasm was an inspiration.  What we can leave behind when we visit Haiti is some of our knowledge and an encouragement of their natural talents while what we take away is hope for Haiti's future.

Anybody Can Do This

by Jason Kinchen

I’ve now prayed over hundreds of people this week.  I feel I should
now have something profound to say about how the Spirit works in a place of desperate poverty like Haiti.  Sigh. I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that.  And I did wind up praying over many men during the week.  I don’t know what happened that first day, but the rest of the days plenty of men honored me by allowing me to lay hands on them and invoke God’s healing power.

So much for my treatise on gender bias in spiritual ministrations.

Though I did get more comfortable though the week, I still feel like any of my teammates would be equally qualified to do what I did. Thank God for the Bible and the Prayer Book – and mean that in a very practical sense.  I would have been a babbling fool without them.
Sidebar: If you have only seen the BCP prayers for Holy Eucharist,Rite II Sunday Morning, you are missing out on some amazingly beautiful words in the rest of it.  To wit – check out this little gem tucked away in the Ministrations to the Sick:

In the Morning

This is another day, O Lord.  I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be.If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently.And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus.

Amen.

Make these words more than words.  Amen.  I guess that is the trick,isn’t it?  I guess I could extend that to our whole team’s activities– make these pills more than pills; make these blood tests more than blood tests; make these pressure cuffs more than pressure cuffs.  All my friends who really ministered to the sick were also engaged in a form of prayer, just as I, in praying, was engaged in a form of therapy.

The temptation is to think that the therapeutic effect is mostly delivered to the Haitian people whom we served.  I suspect an even more profound impact on our own souls.  The fact of the matter is that in the vast majority of cases, we just will not ever know the effects of our physical ministrations.  The only thing we can be sure of is the transformation in ourselves.

At our last night’s reflections, we talked about the things we will bring back with us. Inevitably, we told stories of the wonderful things we had seen in Haiti – the miracles we had seen in the lives of people we know here.  But miracles are about transformation. The true blessing will be the way in which these people follow us home.

Haiti and the US are opposites in many ways – perhaps most ways.  And there are ways in which they need each other.  The conventional wisdom is all about what the US can and should do for Haiti.  She suffers crushing poverty, unemployment and completely daunting health and social issues.  But, the US suffers the burden of acquisitiveness, the addiction of adding to our store of earthly treasures which creates its own kind of spiritual poverty.  A trip to a place like Haiti is a tonic for those kinds of sickness.

O God, the source of all health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I’m telling you – that Prayer Book just rocks!

March 12, 2015

by Renie Pavilon

Greetings from Haiti. It’s been an amazing week, and hard to believe tomorrow is our last day of clinic.  We’ve traversed this area of Leogane to see many Haitian people in need of medical assistance.  Young and old have come to our “pop-up” clinic to see the doctors and nurses and to receive care.  Care is the reason the Epiphany and St. Paul’s team came to Haiti.  We are not here for a tropical vacation, but we care enough to take time to bring compassion to our brothers and sisters in need.  If you’ve read any of the blogs from earlier this week you have learned that this country is still recovering from disaster. It is a dusty and poor island only 90 minutes from Miami, but WORLDS away! We have learned that many people do not have jobs, nor can they find work. Many women work as “vendors” which means they sell, or really resell, whatever they can to earn money to feed themselves or their families.  The reality is an extraordinary unemployment rate of 80% (and we think 8% is bad in the US)!  I’m learning a lot about this country and its many people who have little or no healthcare.  There are hospitals and clinics, but they must pay. Unfortunately, with so little opportunity for work, it’s hard for many people to earn money to cover anything more than the very basic human needs of food and shelter.

Back to caring. The reason our group is here is to bring compassion and care to people who have very little means to care for their own families. There are 22 of us from the US, 5 Haitian medical staff and 12 interpreters who gather each morning. I am amazed, and so proud, of every member of our mission team.  Each and every person cares very much about the job they came here to do.  I can honestly say we are all excited to get up early in the morning (OK maybe not Henry) and begin our day; we leave the guest house at 8:30am and return a bit dusty, but fulfilled, by 6:00pm.  It is a long day, but there is joy in working hard to bring care and compassion to those who really need support.  It does really feel like a mission from God.  And I am so thankful for the new friends I’ve made - both Haitians and my neighbors at home in Massachusetts.  I can’t wait to see many of you who will read this blog and tell you more stories, and show you all the photos of my wonderful ‘vacation’ in the Caribbean!  Peace.