Posts written by Adam Sarbin

So, unfortunately the generator was not feelin’ it last night and after several fits and starts, it finally gave up….

Luckily we had just finished the scut work for the day, but had no fans to keep cool through the night. Fortunately the night was not too hot and I think most slept well with small battery powered fans to keep some of the moisture off. This morning we had a breakfast favorite…oatmeal a la Ghislene and Adilene. They must have known we were in for a long day and needed something to stick to our ribs.

We were greeted with a mass of patients before we checked the first client in, and the numbers grew very quickly from there. Clinic began at 9:30 and at 2:00 this was the view from outside the “exam rooms”…

When the “Clinic Fini” call finally came at approx 3pm, we had seen 122 registered patients and probably another dozen or more “oh by the ways”. This clinic is always the biggest crush of people and felt as if we saw near 200 despite the actual numbers. Kitty (aka “Big Chief Black Cloud”) was definitely in her element – incising and draining and stitching all the livelong day…with her trusty sidekick Sondra at her side every step of the way (it’s as if she hadn’t been gone a day let alone 8 yrs!)…Minor Surgery & Wound Care R Us – they will need to create a separate logo I think!

I am so proud to be a part of this team…we soldier on for hours straight…drinking enough to stay hydrated and waiting for the return home to eat 7hrs later. Chelsea is providing consultation and treatment with great efficiency – I think she may qualify to take her NP boards when she gets home! Our newest family members Jennifer, Tristan and Maureen have hit the ground running and embraced the culture and work ethic of this team as if they have been with us from the start. We are so blessed!

Once the entire team made it “home”, we had “lunch” – spaghetti and fresh watermelon! We are told dinner is a favorite – chicken, fried plantains and MY all time favorite, piklis!! It has been a very long and somewhat challenging day but we are committed to what we are doing here…for me it is all about connections, especially with the younger generations who will hopefully learn to utilize the healthcare source we are striving to create to prevent illness:

We are learning with each iteration where we need process improvement and at Bwa Bouton, it is clearly crowd control. We must implement this now before we move into a permanent facility if we hope for success…I am confident that the lesson has been learned and it will be put to the test on our next visit in March 2019!

With the cooperation of the weather, the hard work of the construction team…and the generosity of our supporters, we hope to be holding clinic in our new building by this time next year!!

I am standing on a hilltop right now looking out at our clinic site and a big beautiful cell tower on the next hilltop over, in hopes of getting all caught up on our blog entries. It is no coincidence we chose a building site with straight line of site to a cell tower…not so much for blog posting but rather to have access to Web based resources as we meet the challenge of providing care in this remote location.

I am now truly exhausted and in need of a cooling shower before dinner is served. Thankfully, I am told the generator issues have been resolved and we hope to have fans for our slumber tonight. There is still much work to do though before we can turn in – preparation for clinic at Point Est tomorrow must be finished tonight. It has been a year since any medical team has been to this more remote location, so we are uncertain what to expect, however we do know we will likely see some of the overflow from today.

Wish us a cool night, easy rest and breezy conditions tomorrow…and continue to follow our progress right here! The culmination of the dream – ours and yours – is truly within sight, so please don’t forget, we need your continued support to cross the finish line!!

All for now.

Love to All,

The Team

So last night our prayers were answered with the generator keeping fans running until sunrise, but as usual, as soon as the fans stop the temperature rises a good 15 degrees and everything feels damp…but we are no strangers to this and the payoff is worth it!

As anticipated, today was a typical day in the tropics, making clinic very warm. There was barely a breeze and we had a brief taste of the rainy season. Can’t imagine the conditions when this continues for weeks on end.

As it were, the rain was short lived and when all was said and done, it did not deter our patients. In the end we had treated 113 patients in about 5hrs time. We had an 8 month old who appeared at the end of clinic with his mother who thought we were going to be in Bwa Bouton today…in the rain, she hurried to our location at Gran Plaine and her child was our final patient of the day. He appeared to be the most ill patient of the day…I think that is how it happens in clinics the world over. We ended up providing the necessary funds to help his mother take him to the mainland for a more thorough evaluation and treatment we cannot currently provide. As our dream progresses, this may be a patient we can care for right here on the island, or more importantly provide preventive care to avoid such dire illness. In the meantime, please join us in prayer for this innocent child and his mother as they travel across the channel seeking life saving treatment. I hope to provide an update later in the week if available.

Once all supplies were returned to the guest house for sorting, filing and counting later tonight, we had a quick lunch and then headed for the beach to cool off. We chose the “long” beach today because the sun was behind the clouds and being Monday, we were hoping to catch a glimpse of work being done at the site. The men were at the job, adding additional fill and compacting it, as well as adding more steel in preparation for pouring the concrete floor. The pictures may not reveal significant change but up close the evolution is very evident!

After that brief stop we continued on to the beach for a quick refreshing dip, with our entourage in tow, before returning up the hill to get ready for dinner. I am now on the roof, cooling down, enjoying the view and the delicious smells of dinner. Tomorrow we go to Bwa Bouton, which is usually our busiest clinic of the week. We will need to nourish ourselves and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. This is a great team and I feel certain they will not back down from any challenge!

All for now…

Love to All,

The Team

Last night did not dissapoint…sirens, roosters before sunset, dogs after dark…and all through the night, and we were even treated to a very nice, though short barrage of fireworks just down the hill. The highlight of the evening was a visit from Oyis’ oldest sister Gisette and his older brother Michlé. Sondra had a wonderful visit sharing stories and pictures and hugs all around. We look forward to the reunion of siblings some day soon!

Once dinner was over, some retired early and others to the roof for a little cooling down. Despite the wildlife, I think most had a good long rest and awoke ready for the day – breakfast at 7 and Garry arrived around 8 to help load the van, so we could get on the road by 0830. The airline industry could learn a lesson about on-time departure from Garry. We were navigating the narrow streets of the St Joseph’s neighborhood by 8:30 sharp and Garry once again found all the best routes out of the city.

After a stop for mangos and our usual pit stop in Miragoane, we arrived at the pier in just under 5 hours…smoothe traveling. Reunions with our friends ensued, the boats were loaded and we set off to Ile a Vache on calm seas. Our prayers were answered for a day of easy travel.

As usual though, the hard part was the unloading and the trek up “Agony Hill” to the guest house…could not wait to get to the roof for the breeze to dry the sweat and cool off. Once on the roof, I could see the building site and immediately felt the pull of gravity…

Soon thereafter, the whole team set off for a visit before dark…first surprise – the walking path is now a road! No surprise we had our usual chaperones on the walk…no beach today but the payoff was just as rewarding!!!

The grading and leveling has been completed and since the rains have ended, we are just awaiting more steel rebar before the concrete floor is poured and more block is laid for the walls. This is really happening!! We only had a short time to enjoy the site before heading “home” for dinner…spaghetti and mango…doesn’t get much better after a long day on the road and sea.

And then the work started in preparation for our first clinic tomorrow. We had some file organizing, med counting and the usual supply sorting to complete before we could turn in for the night…and of course there was some fun and games with our friends around the card table.

We are all whupped and ready for a good night’s rest before the clinics begin. We pray the fuel for the generator lasts all night and the fans run until sun up. It has rained and the air is very close tonight. No doubt tomorrow will prove to be a typical day in the tropics.

I think we will all sleep knowing a New Day is truly dawning here on Ile a Vache as the clinic is now taking shape, and soon we will have an established source of reliable healthcare for this deserving and needful population. Our hope is that we continue to successfully connect with these wonderful people so our efforts are fruitful for generations to come.

All for now and as always,

Love to All,

The Team

All the planning and packing done, we are on our way. I wish to take this opportunity to send a HUGE Thank You to our many supporters – donors of supplies and funds as well as time and just positive energy!! We are closing in on our 9th year of travels and we have come so far in pursuit of our Ultimate Goal. We could not have done so without your continued support! Our accomplishments are your accomplishments! Please stay tuned and engaged as we provide updates and, as always, pray for our safe travels.

We are so excited to have some family back with us and, as usual, to add to the family. We made it quickly to Atlanta, met up with Chelsea and Maureen, and had a chance to get a bite and hydrate for the next leg. This is another great group and the anticipation for our arrival is palpable. Our friends in Port au Prince have been awaiting us for months and will no doubt make our layover comfortable tonight.

We all arrived safely, had much assistance in the retrieval of our luggage (not always helpful…but always compensated), made it through Customs with no shake down at all this time and at last reunited with our good friend Garry. It is always a relief at this point of our travels to see his smiling face waiting in the parking lot!

Once all loaded, again with much assistance, Garry took us on a bona fide shortcut and demonstrated his mad skills behind the wheel yet again. We arrived at our oasis, unloaded quickly and ran for the roof for a cold beverage and rest before the dinner bell rang. Thank goodness for a breeze off the ocean…we have experienced a 50 degree change in temperature from our departure this AM.

Dinner smells delicious and we are all hungry from our travels. We may be treated with a visit from Oyis’ sister, Gisette after dinner….hard to believe we last saw her nearly 9 years ago. I am certain there will be additional “planning” on the roof this evening before we turn in. We have breakfast at 7 and departure by 8:30am. We will meet our friend Boaz near the airport to take him back to Ile a Vache for a week of translating with us. Here’s hoping for a good night’s sleep, no barricades on the road to Les Cayes tomorrow and calm seas to the island.

…and hopefully a good connection, so I can post nightly! Signing off for today and as always,

Love to All,

The Team