The breaking news on January 12, 2010 of the devastating earthquake in Haiti left me speechless and heartbroken. For the next 10 days, I watched the footage, and listened to the stories, praying that if I was supposed to go, a way would be provided. With that said, when the offer came to travel to Haiti with CURE International, I was ready and willing to go! We arrived in Haiti on February 2, and although I’ve thought that some things would never change in Haiti, by the time we exited the airport, I knew things had changed, drastically. We stepped outside the airport, and I was shocked by the quietness. In the past, one is met by literally hundreds of Haitians, as soon as they exit the airport; this time, however, only a handful of people were outside the airport. In the past, the parking lot was full, and the taxi drivers would be overwhelming; this time, the lot was practically empty, and only one man called to us, offering a taxi ride.
While in Haiti, my team worked at the Haitian Community Hospital, assisting with patient care, and helping in any way we could. Fortunately this hospital had not been seriously damaged in the earthquake, and was reopened shortly after the quake. Staffed by both Haitians and international volunteers, thousands of patients had been operated on and cared for. The courtyard of the hospital was full of tents, housing patients and various family members. Various healthcare providers made rounds through the tents, caring for patients with casts and external fixators, and changing large bandages.
Inside the hospital, the rooms were filled, and beds lined many of the hallways. Although most of the patients were orthopedic post-operative patients, there were also patients with serious crush injuries, major infections, and limb amputations. Also mixed throughout the rooms were pediatric patients who were being treated for major fractures, deep tissue wounds, amputations, abdominal hernias, and fevers.
The atmosphere was highly charged emotionally, and I found myself bracing every time I walked into the hospital. Although there were many times my heart was breaking, and everything within me wanted to cry, I knew I had to stay strong, and be the confident smile that brought hope to a patient’s day. While there are so many patients that I will never forget, there are two particular patients who’s stories illustrated the challenges and devastation that face so many people.
One of my first days there, I met a 17 year old girl, who had as fractured pelvis, as well as a left arm fracture, both of which had been corrected with external fixators. Additionally, her left wrist was paralyzed, due to nerve damage from the fracture. Every time I stepped into her room, she greeted me with a bright smile, and usually a question about how to get better quickly. Her passion to help herself gave me confidence that she would come through this tragedy victorious. Despite the challenges facing this beautiful young girl, she taught herself to walk with crutches, and learned how to clean the pin sites, so she could be discharged.
Down the hallway was a 32 year old woman, who had lost both of her legs. While the surgical sites were healing well, and she would have been ready for discharge, the surgeon refused to write discharge orders. This woman sat alone, barely making eye contact when we entered her room. When we asked about her family, she shrugged her shoulders and looked away, and then explained that they had only come to see her once. We asked if she thought it was possible for her to go home with them soon. She looked away again, and quietly told us that they didn’t want her anymore. My heart ached as I realized how scared she was as she faced her future, alone.
Their stories are endless. And they have forever changed my life.
We drove through the city of Port au Prince, and saw the area where the most destruction had occurred. I had seen many pictures, but seeing it through my own eyes had a totally different effect. I was left silent, seeing a hillside that once was home to thousands of people, now completely uninhabited, many of the houses reduced to a pile of rubble. Makeshift buildings lined the median along the main highway, and tents filled every open area. The pictures had prepared me for so much, but to see the numbers of people drastically affected by this tragedy left me numb for days.
