Turns out last night we were all so exhausted, we just had dinner, enjoyed the cool breeze on the roof for awhile, played cards, checked out the orphanage boys for any concerns…no scut work. We knew there would be plenty to do today, so it was a good night for a break! Read More
Last night dinner was indeed delicious…rice with black bean sauce and another favorite, Legume…oh so good! We again tackled the nightly work with ease and efficiency. We have definitely developed a process and have found our groove with this necessary work. Once finished many of us retired to the roof as a group for the first time this week…there was finally a breeze and stars. We even had a natural light show with heat lightning all around us. Unfortunately, that breeze was not constant and the night proved to be a hot one again. Sleep doesn’t always come easy in these conditions, despite the fatigue.
I awoke this morning and went to the hilltop to post yesterday’s entry and was greeted by the neighborhood children requesting photos. A nice way to begin the day. When I returned, we learned clinic would be right here at the church again, so we ate breakfast and trekked down the hill ready to get busy. We were uncertain how long clinic would be today since it was our 2nd day here. It became quite clear that it would be a long, hot day right from the get go, and when we finished at 1:30, we had seen another 122 patients. That is nearly 500 patients in 4 days with one more clinic in Madame Bernard tomorrow.
We have definitely made an impact and have identified several patients in need of more definitive care on the mainland. In some cases this may in fact be life saving care. So, for every patient in need of more extensive care, we will see 50-100 who just need general care, and oftentimes just reassurance that nothing serious is wrong. No matter the issue, we strive to gain every patient’s confidence and trust…sometimes we succeed better than others (so true no matter the setting), but I believe the ledger is tilted in our favor and that bodes well for the success of our mission on this island.
After we hauled all supplies and ourselves back up the hill, we were treated to a delicious lunch of traditional Haitian pumpkin soup…despite the heat of the day, it was devoured. It may actually have restorative properties…or maybe that was the special surprise Big Boss and Big Boss Lady had in store for us…
In nearly 9 years this is the first time we actually went on a recreational excursion…and it definitely did not disappoint – swimming, snorkeling and just cooling off. The heat of the day just melted away. Talk about your own private island…there is no room for anyone or anything else, including any more sand! This is it…
I think the team has earned this…just hope it doesn’t take another 9 years to see it again. What was most interesting was the sea floor just covered in beautiful starfish, as if expecting our team’s arrival!
We are all back “home” now and rinsed of sea salt. We have the same work to do tonight in order to be ready for our last clinic. It is again breezy and we just hope it will continue thru the night. As usual, dinner smells delicious and I think the solar power kept the beverages “cold” today, so we should be fortified for the remainder of our work in this little corner of paradise.
That is all for now. Stay tuned for another chapter tomorrow, and as always…
Love to All,
The Team
Last night we powered through the work quickly and moved on to our favorite part of the trip…eating of course and building social connections with our Haitian friends!
We played some cards and Boaz seems to have filled in nicely for Wilson, when it comes to winning…and of course, it goes without saying JennyMa continued her winning ways too. We were serenaded by Flito – aka”Big Fish”, Felix – aka “Bieber”, and at times Boaz – aka “Pitit”… I think we have the makings of a Haitian boy band – “The Backwater Boyz” maybe!
It was touch and go with the generator but before we all turned in it seemed to find it’s stride and kept fans running throughout the night. However, I think on Ile a Vache it is possible to reach 110% humidity, so sleep did not come easy for some…difficult to sleep when every part of you feels damp.
This morning we were prepared for our return to Pointe Est…this time by land rather than sea, and since it is quite a bit farther east than yesterday, we decided to make the trip all at once. This meant loading the truck down with as much of our supplies as possible and as many people as we could fit – inside and out. It also meant that some of us got to go old school again – that’s right, Motos!!
And we even had a new rider after all these years…go Carey!!
Have no fear…as always, our drivers are extra careful with us and we all made it there and back safely. In fact, those of us on Motos probably had a more comfortable and cool ride…especially the ride home…
Good thing there was heavy road equipment right there to help pull our transport out of the mud!
Back to clinic though: …we were open for business for about 4hrs before our last patient was seen and we had provided services to 110 souls. This is upwards of triple the number we saw last year when here – they were clearly ready for us. The clinic was very hot and muggy with the sea breeze blocked by other structures, but it ran very efficiently – our patients were very appreciative and never unruly…a refreshing change from yesterday’s beat down.
Once the last patient was seen, we did it all in reverse…except for a brief side trip to our building site…that’s right…PLUMBING!!
The fill is compacted, trenches for PVC have been created and the drains are being set. The additional steel for the concrete pad is nearly complete and we expect a floor to be poured in the next couple weeks. Every day we are seeing more progress, and I am told the most difficult and time consuming step in the process – the foundation – has been completed. Once the floor is poured, I’m told we will see walls going up in very short order…I hope you can feel my excitement and that it’s contagious!!
Today, some of us cooled down at “short beach” while others crashed back at the guest house with a cold soda and cards…with a couple followup appointments from Monday’s clinic mixed in, of course – Go Team!!
I think we are all winding down from the hot day, awaiting dinner which is sure to be delicious. We are now more than halfway through our week of clinics and have cared for over 360 patients thus far. That is another 360 chances to connect with this population! Our potential for success is great and continues to grow!
The breeze is blowing and the night seems to be getting set up for a cool one…fingers crossed for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we are either in Madame Bernard or back here at the church. Either way, we expect another large crowd. We will need our rest to finish the week strong.
Will update again tomorrow with events from our day!
Love to All,
The Team
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