The 36 hours that followed our update has been a constant flurry of activity. As with many things in Haiti there were miracles and disappointments. During the early morning hours on Tuesday, we had two women arrive in labor and multiple patients who were vomiting. The nurses and Dr. Ann Knapp worked tirelessly to help these people through the night. Come morning, one new child was born and the other was having a c-section assisted by Dr. Russo (his first!). The rest of the day pressed on with 7 surgeries finishing up in the evening. We continue to treat injuries from the earthquake and many infections.
Apparently, the info I received about the Miami hospital was inaccurate. They have committed to the long haul, but are not treating any fractures by open means. They are in tents and have an extremely high infection rate, but they are at least managing ex-fixes and casting. They also have a wound management program we will try to utilize as we were unable to connect with our wound vac source (they left Haiti yesterday).
I had read all the blogs from those who preceded us. They discussed how the experience changed them. It’s kind of like reading about a sunset. You can’t understand it until you experience it. I can’t put it to words (maybe it will take a long time), but I can feel myself changing. To be able to provide critically needed care to a people so desperate for help and hope, is rewarding. To see how their lives are devastated is heartwrenching. The whole team is unbelievable in their abilities and efforts. We are thankful to serve.
Team 6B arrives today. Their assistance will be crucial to maintaining our momentum.
We are all well and miss our loved ones, but know we are changing lives here one (sometimes more) at a time.
SDB
