Sunday, January 31, 2010
Team Two is home safe and sound 01.30.10
Team Two is home safe and sound!! Yeah!! Its great to have them home and we can't wait to hear all about their experiences in Haiti.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.29.10
EMAIL FROM DR. STEPHEN BURGHER 01.29.10
Well, long and crazy day.
I went to work at HCH hospital today. Randy and Heather went to some camps and churches today. I'll have to let them tell their day separately as we have only briefly talked and I remain at the hospital working night shift.
Lots of patients today. Still seeing injuries untreated from the earthquake (e.g. femur fracture, distal humerus fracture, complex pelvis fracture) all getting by for 15-16 days but needing surgery. Also, lots of medical illnesses like pneumonia, TB, vomiting/ diarrhea illness, uncontrolled hypertension, atrial fibrillation, etc. But the best was a motor vehicle collision, pick-up truck rollover with 3 young men ejected from the back. The injured guy had a blood pressure of 85/palp, heart rate of 110, head injury with combativeness, tender left chest with decreased breath sounds, tender right abdomen, bloody urine when catheter placed. After establishing an IV and improving his blood pressure and heart rate, we then walked him by military stretched to X-ray (exact other side of hospital). All I could get was a chest and pelvis X-ray. His left chest was full of blood (hemorhorax). We took him to ICU and placed a tube in his chest with a significant amount of blood return. Subsequent CXR showed the stomach and nasogastric tube to be in the left chest with high left diaphragm, which means he ruptured his diaphragm and implies significant blunt force trauma and high likelihood of other internal injuries. But he remained stabilized until we were able to ship him by helicopter to the US Comfort about 8 hours later, where he'll undergo exploratory surgery, as well as better testing (CT) for his head injury. The other 2 were more stable but nonetheless banged up enough to watch them over night. In the meantime, now on the night shift, I've been dealing with a woman in labor, a woman with severe abdominal pain, an 89 year old with pneumonia and severe sepsis (systemic infection).
We had a patient die tonight in the ICU. She was actually admitted to the ICU 3 days ago by me for severe pneumonia. We prayed with the son, who has been at her side the whole time. Shortly thereafter the 9 month pregnant woman came in in labor. Death and life. There is so much of both here. That is the image I have of Haiti.
That's all for now. Need go on medication rounds.
Well, long and crazy day.
I went to work at HCH hospital today. Randy and Heather went to some camps and churches today. I'll have to let them tell their day separately as we have only briefly talked and I remain at the hospital working night shift.
Lots of patients today. Still seeing injuries untreated from the earthquake (e.g. femur fracture, distal humerus fracture, complex pelvis fracture) all getting by for 15-16 days but needing surgery. Also, lots of medical illnesses like pneumonia, TB, vomiting/ diarrhea illness, uncontrolled hypertension, atrial fibrillation, etc. But the best was a motor vehicle collision, pick-up truck rollover with 3 young men ejected from the back. The injured guy had a blood pressure of 85/palp, heart rate of 110, head injury with combativeness, tender left chest with decreased breath sounds, tender right abdomen, bloody urine when catheter placed. After establishing an IV and improving his blood pressure and heart rate, we then walked him by military stretched to X-ray (exact other side of hospital). All I could get was a chest and pelvis X-ray. His left chest was full of blood (hemorhorax). We took him to ICU and placed a tube in his chest with a significant amount of blood return. Subsequent CXR showed the stomach and nasogastric tube to be in the left chest with high left diaphragm, which means he ruptured his diaphragm and implies significant blunt force trauma and high likelihood of other internal injuries. But he remained stabilized until we were able to ship him by helicopter to the US Comfort about 8 hours later, where he'll undergo exploratory surgery, as well as better testing (CT) for his head injury. The other 2 were more stable but nonetheless banged up enough to watch them over night. In the meantime, now on the night shift, I've been dealing with a woman in labor, a woman with severe abdominal pain, an 89 year old with pneumonia and severe sepsis (systemic infection).
We had a patient die tonight in the ICU. She was actually admitted to the ICU 3 days ago by me for severe pneumonia. We prayed with the son, who has been at her side the whole time. Shortly thereafter the 9 month pregnant woman came in in labor. Death and life. There is so much of both here. That is the image I have of Haiti.
That's all for now. Need go on medication rounds.
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.28.10
EMAIL FROM DR. STEPHEN BURGHER 01.28.10
Hey Family!
Well, yesterday was a long day. We started with delivering various medical supplies to different hospitals. By the end of the day we visited or assisted 4 different hospitals. Each one is augmented by a variety of relief teams and each run a bit differently, and no one communicating with the other, much like home :-). We then went to a camp and provided wound and medical care. Camps are little tent or tarp communities of people who lost their homes. We then went to the hospital Randy worked at to deliver some supplies. They needed us to take some patients in our van to another hospital for X-rays (they doing mostly ortho surgery with no X-rays!), so we became a transport ambulance service. Then back to a camp. The day ended with our finding a very ill diabetic woman who had significant abdominal pain and vomiting - found her just as we were leaving - "oh by the way doctor, can you check on my sick mother who has diabetes?" Praise God we did! We took her to HCH hospital where I have been working, got an IV and fluids going; her glucose was over 450. We will check on her this morning.
Heather is doing awesome! Such a sweet spirit and she is so good with the kids and families. She adapts well! Her strength is in the camps. She also has been a wonderful living witness to our translator Yang.
I hope y'all are doing well. I love y'all. Say hello to everyone - family and friends. I am so encouraged, and frankly, I'm humbled, by all of the prayers from so many people and their emails of encouragement.
God's in charge.
Hey Family!
Well, yesterday was a long day. We started with delivering various medical supplies to different hospitals. By the end of the day we visited or assisted 4 different hospitals. Each one is augmented by a variety of relief teams and each run a bit differently, and no one communicating with the other, much like home :-). We then went to a camp and provided wound and medical care. Camps are little tent or tarp communities of people who lost their homes. We then went to the hospital Randy worked at to deliver some supplies. They needed us to take some patients in our van to another hospital for X-rays (they doing mostly ortho surgery with no X-rays!), so we became a transport ambulance service. Then back to a camp. The day ended with our finding a very ill diabetic woman who had significant abdominal pain and vomiting - found her just as we were leaving - "oh by the way doctor, can you check on my sick mother who has diabetes?" Praise God we did! We took her to HCH hospital where I have been working, got an IV and fluids going; her glucose was over 450. We will check on her this morning.
Heather is doing awesome! Such a sweet spirit and she is so good with the kids and families. She adapts well! Her strength is in the camps. She also has been a wonderful living witness to our translator Yang.
I hope y'all are doing well. I love y'all. Say hello to everyone - family and friends. I am so encouraged, and frankly, I'm humbled, by all of the prayers from so many people and their emails of encouragement.
God's in charge.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.27.10
MORNING EMAIL FROM DR RANDY OWEN 01.27.10
Things are going well. Have the lay of the land now. Its difficult to do surgery, but tons of other important work to do. Yesterday, I was physical therapist for thirty patients and got to pray with each one, that was a huge blessing. Today we will go back to refugee camps to minister. Thanks for your prayers.
EMAIL FROM DR STEPHEN BURGHER 01.27.10
We had a good day today. Bob, Dimas, Al, Scott, and Richard went back - an adventure with flat tire, missed flight, and hopefully catch 7AM flight this morning. Randy, Heather and I remain and split up for the day.
Randy went to a plastic surgery clinic-turned field trauma clinic / OR. As it turned out, they had enough surgeons but needed help with the post-op patients. He went to every post-op patient and did physical therapy, getting them up walking and moving, which they hadn't done since their surgery, and prayed with every patient! One woman leg amputee he got crutches fitted and got up (to her surprise) and walked her out the tent and back. When they returned all the other patients clapped and gave her an ovation! Wow! As Randy put it, he was a physical therapist for a day, not what he expected, but definitely what God planned and used for His purposes more than if he were operating.
At the hospital I worked in the "ER" we saw a combination of injuries with wounds now infected, fractures and crush injuries with swelling but no fractures, but we also saw a lot of illness - strokes, pneumonia, hypertensive crises due to blood pressure meds lost in collapsed houses, etc. Also had a chance to go to an orphanage for a couple of hours with another doc, 2 nurses, the hospital administrator and a pastor. Wow! These kids were full of smiles, laughter and joy. They all wanted to be held, hugged, swung... After we looked them all over, I suggested to the team we pray for them, but when I turned around all the kids had formed up like a choir and they sang for us songs of praise to the Lord, then after several praise songs they all bowed their heads and prayed for us! What! And I thought we'd pray for them, but we were the ones blessed!
Anyway, great day, more to share but will try to fall back asleep for now.
Things are going well. Have the lay of the land now. Its difficult to do surgery, but tons of other important work to do. Yesterday, I was physical therapist for thirty patients and got to pray with each one, that was a huge blessing. Today we will go back to refugee camps to minister. Thanks for your prayers.
EMAIL FROM DR STEPHEN BURGHER 01.27.10
We had a good day today. Bob, Dimas, Al, Scott, and Richard went back - an adventure with flat tire, missed flight, and hopefully catch 7AM flight this morning. Randy, Heather and I remain and split up for the day.
Randy went to a plastic surgery clinic-turned field trauma clinic / OR. As it turned out, they had enough surgeons but needed help with the post-op patients. He went to every post-op patient and did physical therapy, getting them up walking and moving, which they hadn't done since their surgery, and prayed with every patient! One woman leg amputee he got crutches fitted and got up (to her surprise) and walked her out the tent and back. When they returned all the other patients clapped and gave her an ovation! Wow! As Randy put it, he was a physical therapist for a day, not what he expected, but definitely what God planned and used for His purposes more than if he were operating.
At the hospital I worked in the "ER" we saw a combination of injuries with wounds now infected, fractures and crush injuries with swelling but no fractures, but we also saw a lot of illness - strokes, pneumonia, hypertensive crises due to blood pressure meds lost in collapsed houses, etc. Also had a chance to go to an orphanage for a couple of hours with another doc, 2 nurses, the hospital administrator and a pastor. Wow! These kids were full of smiles, laughter and joy. They all wanted to be held, hugged, swung... After we looked them all over, I suggested to the team we pray for them, but when I turned around all the kids had formed up like a choir and they sang for us songs of praise to the Lord, then after several praise songs they all bowed their heads and prayed for us! What! And I thought we'd pray for them, but we were the ones blessed!
Anyway, great day, more to share but will try to fall back asleep for now.
Team One returns home safely 01.27.10
TEAM ONE IS HOME SAFE AND SOUND!!! AMEN!!! NEWS 12 AND THEIR FAMILIES MET THEM AT THE AIRPORT TO WELCOME THEM HOME.
News 12 coverage of TeamTwo returning 01.27.10
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.26.10
MORNING EMAIL FROM DIMAS
Al, Dimas, Heather and Randy, went into a refugee camp and cleaned wounds of the wounded and transported a family to the hospital. A lawyer for the Justice Department lost everything in 20 seconds. She was a powerful lawyer in Haiti who is now living with the poor in a camp with her two sons who are polite and groomed for success. Her teenage boys who were weak carried their mother everywhere. The demonstration of their love would crush your heart.
At the hospital we celebrated as a young girl was pulled out the cement 14 days later!! No CNN coverage because the locals did it on their own. Our team fed her first and loved up on her as the model of success and we took out Heather's camera so that her Haitian rescue crew would feel the praise of their success.
We financially blessed the families that hosted us in a community center and now we are heading home to NYC after a jaunt through DR.
God please bless Randy, Steve and Heather and the local team of drivers and interpreters Carla, Yang and Woodzey.
Al, Dimas, Heather and Randy, went into a refugee camp and cleaned wounds of the wounded and transported a family to the hospital. A lawyer for the Justice Department lost everything in 20 seconds. She was a powerful lawyer in Haiti who is now living with the poor in a camp with her two sons who are polite and groomed for success. Her teenage boys who were weak carried their mother everywhere. The demonstration of their love would crush your heart.
At the hospital we celebrated as a young girl was pulled out the cement 14 days later!! No CNN coverage because the locals did it on their own. Our team fed her first and loved up on her as the model of success and we took out Heather's camera so that her Haitian rescue crew would feel the praise of their success.
We financially blessed the families that hosted us in a community center and now we are heading home to NYC after a jaunt through DR.
God please bless Randy, Steve and Heather and the local team of drivers and interpreters Carla, Yang and Woodzey.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.25.10
MONDAY MORNING EMAIL FROM DR. STEPHEN BURGHER
There is a hospital near where we are staying that we stopped at to get some supplies yesterday morning. After visiting a camp yesterday (Sunday) and providing some field care, we stopped by another hospital near the President’s Palace. It was larger than the first. Both needed ER docs, but the first needed a surgeon also, so Randy and I decided to volunteer there. We feel our skills will better serve in a hospital as the field treatment need has slowed.
So we went back to the first hospital, Hospitale Community of Haiti (CHC), an existing hospital augmented by tents, docs, nurses, techs, etc...I don't think any of the local staff have been working since the quake. When we walked in I saw Kurt Rathjen! We checked in as staff. They had a need for someone to work triage/ER tonight (Sunday). I hadn't slept since we left for the airport Saturday, going on 40 hours, so Randy volunteered to cover the first part of the shift. He stayed and I went to our hooch, took a cold shower (felt good as pretty sweaty with temp close to 90 during day), took about an hour and half nap, ate dinner, then I relieved Randy at 21:00.
So I'm working the night shift! Things slow down quite a bit when it gets dark. Only a few patients. Otherwise check on patients in hospital. Another ER doc showed up and wants to work night shift thru Wed. I got to lay back down for a couple of hours and she covered, now I'm up and covering.
There is a pretty strong odor, especially in one area of hospital nearest dumpster. Behind it are bodies decaying that they haven't been able to dispose of. There was a rat running around some patients sleeping on the floor that I shewed away, and as I write another ran right in front of my boot that I nearly nailed!
Hope to sleep some this morning, then will come back out, probably switch to working days when it is busiest.
MONDAY NIGHT EMAIL FROM DR. RANDY OWEN
Dear all. Thank you for your prayers. Today we visited a refugee or homeless camp. These are all over the city. We were able to treat some wounds and minister well there. We dropped some of our supplies off with a hospital that needed them. Then I found another hospital where I was able to help out in the OR. Will to back there in the morning.
MONDAY NIGHT EMAIL FROM BOB THOMPSON
Well, it's 11pm and I really need that cold shower and a few hours of sleep. Long but great day.
The new team started really acclimated today with both Randy and Steve plugging into hospitals to serve. Of good news is there has been a real influx of medical talent and supplies in the last couple of days however the hospitals are all short of nurses and there are still some hospitals woefully understaffed. Further Randy Heather and an interpreter found a Haitian hospital which was short of a variety of supplies, almost all of which the Infinity team had brought! So they took several duffels of supplies to them before Randy went to perform surgical work at a hospital that used to be a private plastics clinic but is now an open surgical center.
The original team that came down went for a ride in areas we had not visited to get a last days view of the city and the scope of the disaster. Crews with heavy equipment are now really engaging in digging but It's just such a mess. Massive portions of downtown Port au Prince will simply have to be bulldozed and started over.
We passed one tent camp which was so vast our driver was estimating 20,000+ people were now living there. With nowhere to go, these camps could be there for years unless something is done about clearing sections of the city and rebuilding housing in some kind of coordinated fashion.
We also took a sort of haunting visit to an upscale neighborhood up in the hills, large nice houses, high walls gates etc. Think the Rye or Harrison equivalent of a nice neighborhood. The whole place was just demolished. There wasn't a single inhabitable house in the whole area. For some reason speaking to the people who had lived there, hearing their stories about both family members who survived and those who didn't, and really walking through a neighborhood for the first time really brought this all home to me. It was sort of banging in my ears. The first block of days was so intense and focused on roaming the camps and triaging wounded people I guess the scope of this hadn't sunk in.
Anyway, Scott, Richie and I made another visit to the orphanage called House of the Children of God before meeting up with the others for a preplanned close to our day. The family next door to where we are staying have been so beyond fantastic ranging from cooking meals for us, driving us all over creation, interpreting etc. Today the mama (who is a chef by the way) made 200 meals for us which we took way out into the Carrefour district which is past the port. Traffic down there was horrendous but we had promised the administrator of a place called Ecole Salvation that we would feed his people tonight. We finally got there and provided about 100 pounds of water and a meal to each of the 160 or so people there.
It was now dark but we had about 40 meals left and Dimas had mentioned to another camp in the same area we would try to bring them food. This was a little surreal but God provided again, just as He has done the whole time we have been down here. The camp was down at the end of a long alley with no room to turn around so we parked on the street at the mouth of the alley. The folks from the alley camp came forward and promptly responded to our request to form a line. It was now really dark and we had all heard the stories of people "mobbing" food drops particularly late in day or at night. So now there's a line of the folks from the camp and we begin handing out the food, sort of assembly line style carrying the pre-portioned meals from the van hand to hand to the front of the line. Of course when people on the street passing by saw food they began getting in line. It was clear there were way more than 40 people and we only had 40 meals. However, when we handed out the last meal, everyone from the camp and the people who had jumped in line from the street all walked away with one.
There is a hospital near where we are staying that we stopped at to get some supplies yesterday morning. After visiting a camp yesterday (Sunday) and providing some field care, we stopped by another hospital near the President’s Palace. It was larger than the first. Both needed ER docs, but the first needed a surgeon also, so Randy and I decided to volunteer there. We feel our skills will better serve in a hospital as the field treatment need has slowed.
So we went back to the first hospital, Hospitale Community of Haiti (CHC), an existing hospital augmented by tents, docs, nurses, techs, etc...I don't think any of the local staff have been working since the quake. When we walked in I saw Kurt Rathjen! We checked in as staff. They had a need for someone to work triage/ER tonight (Sunday). I hadn't slept since we left for the airport Saturday, going on 40 hours, so Randy volunteered to cover the first part of the shift. He stayed and I went to our hooch, took a cold shower (felt good as pretty sweaty with temp close to 90 during day), took about an hour and half nap, ate dinner, then I relieved Randy at 21:00.
So I'm working the night shift! Things slow down quite a bit when it gets dark. Only a few patients. Otherwise check on patients in hospital. Another ER doc showed up and wants to work night shift thru Wed. I got to lay back down for a couple of hours and she covered, now I'm up and covering.
There is a pretty strong odor, especially in one area of hospital nearest dumpster. Behind it are bodies decaying that they haven't been able to dispose of. There was a rat running around some patients sleeping on the floor that I shewed away, and as I write another ran right in front of my boot that I nearly nailed!
Hope to sleep some this morning, then will come back out, probably switch to working days when it is busiest.
MONDAY NIGHT EMAIL FROM DR. RANDY OWEN
Dear all. Thank you for your prayers. Today we visited a refugee or homeless camp. These are all over the city. We were able to treat some wounds and minister well there. We dropped some of our supplies off with a hospital that needed them. Then I found another hospital where I was able to help out in the OR. Will to back there in the morning.
MONDAY NIGHT EMAIL FROM BOB THOMPSON
Well, it's 11pm and I really need that cold shower and a few hours of sleep. Long but great day.
The new team started really acclimated today with both Randy and Steve plugging into hospitals to serve. Of good news is there has been a real influx of medical talent and supplies in the last couple of days however the hospitals are all short of nurses and there are still some hospitals woefully understaffed. Further Randy Heather and an interpreter found a Haitian hospital which was short of a variety of supplies, almost all of which the Infinity team had brought! So they took several duffels of supplies to them before Randy went to perform surgical work at a hospital that used to be a private plastics clinic but is now an open surgical center.
The original team that came down went for a ride in areas we had not visited to get a last days view of the city and the scope of the disaster. Crews with heavy equipment are now really engaging in digging but It's just such a mess. Massive portions of downtown Port au Prince will simply have to be bulldozed and started over.
We passed one tent camp which was so vast our driver was estimating 20,000+ people were now living there. With nowhere to go, these camps could be there for years unless something is done about clearing sections of the city and rebuilding housing in some kind of coordinated fashion.
We also took a sort of haunting visit to an upscale neighborhood up in the hills, large nice houses, high walls gates etc. Think the Rye or Harrison equivalent of a nice neighborhood. The whole place was just demolished. There wasn't a single inhabitable house in the whole area. For some reason speaking to the people who had lived there, hearing their stories about both family members who survived and those who didn't, and really walking through a neighborhood for the first time really brought this all home to me. It was sort of banging in my ears. The first block of days was so intense and focused on roaming the camps and triaging wounded people I guess the scope of this hadn't sunk in.
Anyway, Scott, Richie and I made another visit to the orphanage called House of the Children of God before meeting up with the others for a preplanned close to our day. The family next door to where we are staying have been so beyond fantastic ranging from cooking meals for us, driving us all over creation, interpreting etc. Today the mama (who is a chef by the way) made 200 meals for us which we took way out into the Carrefour district which is past the port. Traffic down there was horrendous but we had promised the administrator of a place called Ecole Salvation that we would feed his people tonight. We finally got there and provided about 100 pounds of water and a meal to each of the 160 or so people there.
It was now dark but we had about 40 meals left and Dimas had mentioned to another camp in the same area we would try to bring them food. This was a little surreal but God provided again, just as He has done the whole time we have been down here. The camp was down at the end of a long alley with no room to turn around so we parked on the street at the mouth of the alley. The folks from the alley camp came forward and promptly responded to our request to form a line. It was now really dark and we had all heard the stories of people "mobbing" food drops particularly late in day or at night. So now there's a line of the folks from the camp and we begin handing out the food, sort of assembly line style carrying the pre-portioned meals from the van hand to hand to the front of the line. Of course when people on the street passing by saw food they began getting in line. It was clear there were way more than 40 people and we only had 40 meals. However, when we handed out the last meal, everyone from the camp and the people who had jumped in line from the street all walked away with one.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.24.10 PM Report
01.24.10 PM REPORT
Hey sorry to have missed a day but you will understand in a minute.
So we got up yesterday around 515 to get Dimas and I together with Carla's (our interpreter) husband to drive to Sanford Domingo to pick up more supplies, most notably water as we had largely consumed our provision and had given out the 600 pounds of water we brought in the first time, and to pick up One Life/Infinity Church Team Two scheduled to arrive in two batches between 3:30pm and 4:20pm. Scott and Al stayed in Port au Prince to keep working the camps.
Well the drive took 6 hours instead of 4-5 and then the Infinity team members, Randy, Heather and Richie (videographer) had a significant flight delay. So we were somewhat disappointed as the game plan had been to fetch supplies, fetch the team and a slew of medical supplies and haul straight back to Port au Prince arriving around 11 pm. We bought around 800 pounds more water and some food supplies for ourselves, Team Two and the family of our interpreter plus a couple hundred pounds of rice, beans etc for serving hot cooked meals to a few camps.
We headed to the airport to meet our new friend Steve Burgher, an Emergency Room doctor in Texas and friend of the Chapmans, who has come to Haiti for a week of medical mission work with One Life. I will confess I was getting agitated and impatient as the New York team members flight kept getting pushed back and to top it off one of the pick-up trucks and it's driver fell through at the last minute.
So now Dimas and I are in Santo Domingo with three people now scheduled to arrive at 1030pm and short a vehicle! Yes agitation was setting in, but as usual God was at work.
First a man named Juan who works at Dollar car rental at the SD airport called me on my cell to say he had a van for me. Actually he had found one at a competitor and arranged it for me. I kid you not it was the only van for rent in the city as all the charity news and aid orgs have rented everything. The lady at the Rental counter was Haitian. Juan had told her what we were up to. She said "Sir, people have been calling me all day asking for vans and for some reason I kept telling them I didn't have one. God saved it for you!". Problem one solved.
Then it got fun. While waiting for the New York flight I had my first coffee in the last week. Then as I am standing around the airport a woman from the Israeli search and rescue team walks up to ask if I know of any hotels in SD. Their flight had been delayed so they missed their military transport into Haiti and had to wait until AM but had no hotel. So we called American Express Intl travel and found them 6 rooms for the night.
Then two people in orange jumpers from the Mexico search and rescue team walked up. They were stranded in SD. Their flights had been a mess so these two missed the rest of their team who had already gone into Haiti and they had no way to get there. We told them if and I do mean IF we have room after the team and all the boxes and bags they could hop a ride and get in the next day. Then the airlines informed Steve his 5 boxes of medical supplies didn't make the second flight out if Miami so they wouldn't be in until next day. All of a sudden we had room for the two Mexico SAR members.
Finally the New York flight arrived around 1030, only 6 hours late, and we loaded the vehicles, including the Mexico two. THEN, a guy walks up to Dimas and in short story version says “My name is John. I live in California, but I lived in Haiti for 12 years and 5 of us are driving to Haiti but I don't know the way from here. Can you help us?
So finally at 12:15 in the AM we left Santo Domingo with Randy, Heather, Richie, Steve, Dimas and myself, plus a new van, two Mexico SAR members and a carload of Americans tagging on our convoy.
Well, we drove to Barahona arriving at and finding the hotel, Thank God. We got there at 3am and slept gratefully until 6am when the wagon train moved on to Haiti and to another day of serving the camps.
It was fun to have real Doctors! We spent a couple hours at one camp where we set up shop on a basketball court up on a crazy hillside. There were the usual cuts and scrapes however many of the kids are starting to show some signs of dehydration, night fevers, etc. We were able to provide water and mixed rehydration solution.
Then Dimas and Scott delivered 125 meals fully prepped rice beans and chicken to one camp and another 100 meals to the first camp we attended the first day. Meanwhile I took Randy and Steve to one of the hospitals where we have spent a lot of time this week. Randy immediately stepped into a shift on the ER while Steve took a quick nap, had some dinner and a shower. I dropped Steve off around 8:30PM at the hospital where he had volunteered to do the overnight shift in the ER.
Hey sorry to have missed a day but you will understand in a minute.
So we got up yesterday around 515 to get Dimas and I together with Carla's (our interpreter) husband to drive to Sanford Domingo to pick up more supplies, most notably water as we had largely consumed our provision and had given out the 600 pounds of water we brought in the first time, and to pick up One Life/Infinity Church Team Two scheduled to arrive in two batches between 3:30pm and 4:20pm. Scott and Al stayed in Port au Prince to keep working the camps.
Well the drive took 6 hours instead of 4-5 and then the Infinity team members, Randy, Heather and Richie (videographer) had a significant flight delay. So we were somewhat disappointed as the game plan had been to fetch supplies, fetch the team and a slew of medical supplies and haul straight back to Port au Prince arriving around 11 pm. We bought around 800 pounds more water and some food supplies for ourselves, Team Two and the family of our interpreter plus a couple hundred pounds of rice, beans etc for serving hot cooked meals to a few camps.
We headed to the airport to meet our new friend Steve Burgher, an Emergency Room doctor in Texas and friend of the Chapmans, who has come to Haiti for a week of medical mission work with One Life. I will confess I was getting agitated and impatient as the New York team members flight kept getting pushed back and to top it off one of the pick-up trucks and it's driver fell through at the last minute.
So now Dimas and I are in Santo Domingo with three people now scheduled to arrive at 1030pm and short a vehicle! Yes agitation was setting in, but as usual God was at work.
First a man named Juan who works at Dollar car rental at the SD airport called me on my cell to say he had a van for me. Actually he had found one at a competitor and arranged it for me. I kid you not it was the only van for rent in the city as all the charity news and aid orgs have rented everything. The lady at the Rental counter was Haitian. Juan had told her what we were up to. She said "Sir, people have been calling me all day asking for vans and for some reason I kept telling them I didn't have one. God saved it for you!". Problem one solved.
Then it got fun. While waiting for the New York flight I had my first coffee in the last week. Then as I am standing around the airport a woman from the Israeli search and rescue team walks up to ask if I know of any hotels in SD. Their flight had been delayed so they missed their military transport into Haiti and had to wait until AM but had no hotel. So we called American Express Intl travel and found them 6 rooms for the night.
Then two people in orange jumpers from the Mexico search and rescue team walked up. They were stranded in SD. Their flights had been a mess so these two missed the rest of their team who had already gone into Haiti and they had no way to get there. We told them if and I do mean IF we have room after the team and all the boxes and bags they could hop a ride and get in the next day. Then the airlines informed Steve his 5 boxes of medical supplies didn't make the second flight out if Miami so they wouldn't be in until next day. All of a sudden we had room for the two Mexico SAR members.
Finally the New York flight arrived around 1030, only 6 hours late, and we loaded the vehicles, including the Mexico two. THEN, a guy walks up to Dimas and in short story version says “My name is John. I live in California, but I lived in Haiti for 12 years and 5 of us are driving to Haiti but I don't know the way from here. Can you help us?
So finally at 12:15 in the AM we left Santo Domingo with Randy, Heather, Richie, Steve, Dimas and myself, plus a new van, two Mexico SAR members and a carload of Americans tagging on our convoy.
Well, we drove to Barahona arriving at and finding the hotel, Thank God. We got there at 3am and slept gratefully until 6am when the wagon train moved on to Haiti and to another day of serving the camps.
It was fun to have real Doctors! We spent a couple hours at one camp where we set up shop on a basketball court up on a crazy hillside. There were the usual cuts and scrapes however many of the kids are starting to show some signs of dehydration, night fevers, etc. We were able to provide water and mixed rehydration solution.
Then Dimas and Scott delivered 125 meals fully prepped rice beans and chicken to one camp and another 100 meals to the first camp we attended the first day. Meanwhile I took Randy and Steve to one of the hospitals where we have spent a lot of time this week. Randy immediately stepped into a shift on the ER while Steve took a quick nap, had some dinner and a shower. I dropped Steve off around 8:30PM at the hospital where he had volunteered to do the overnight shift in the ER.
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.24.10
Yesterday (1/23/10) was a long day starting at 5:30 to get back to Santa Domingo to meet Team Two. They stopped for supplies and then met Dr. Steve Burgher and then waited in the airport for 6 hours until the delayed flight from JFK landed with Dr. Randy Owen, Mt Sinai Surgeon; Heather Butcher, Team Leader at Infinity NY Church and Richard Mamary, Docudrama Producer/Cameraman.
Bob said that while waiting for the plane seemed long, God was able to use them to help an Israeli Search and Rescue Team with 14 people whose flight had been delayed and they missed the military plane going into Port au Prince. They were able to give them help in finding lodging for the night.
They then ran into a Mexican Search and Rescue Team who was trying to meet up with 25 other members of their team that also missed the military plane. These couple of people went with our team to enter into Port au Prince by road. Bob said that each member of this Mexican team paid for their own supplies and airfare to have the privilege to serve in Haiti. If we all could feel that way! Incredible!
They got to Baharama, in the Dominican Republic at 2:30am and were back on the road at 6:00am (1/24/10). They are now back at the Church Mission Center and setting out in 2 teams for the day’s work.
Bob said that while waiting for the plane seemed long, God was able to use them to help an Israeli Search and Rescue Team with 14 people whose flight had been delayed and they missed the military plane going into Port au Prince. They were able to give them help in finding lodging for the night.
They then ran into a Mexican Search and Rescue Team who was trying to meet up with 25 other members of their team that also missed the military plane. These couple of people went with our team to enter into Port au Prince by road. Bob said that each member of this Mexican team paid for their own supplies and airfare to have the privilege to serve in Haiti. If we all could feel that way! Incredible!
They got to Baharama, in the Dominican Republic at 2:30am and were back on the road at 6:00am (1/24/10). They are now back at the Church Mission Center and setting out in 2 teams for the day’s work.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.22.10
So the day started with an elderly man walking down the street who saw me carrying my kit bag for the day. He asked if I was a medecin (French for doctor). I explained no but asked what he needed. Turned out he had a variety of cuts and gashes including an infected one on his head which we cleaned and were able to give him antibiotics for. First of God just favoring us today.
Anyway we were now behind schedule to get back to the Belgian’s hospital to run some patients from yesterday back to their camp in the Carrefour section. Further Scott's family was not doing well so we all stopped and Scott just prayed so powerfully for God to direct and ordain our efforts and for angelic protection and healing for his family.
Once at the Belgian hospital we split into two teams. Scott, Dimas and a new driver took the jeep to run to a hospital for supplies the Belgians needed (diapers, Enfamil etc) and then to try and find the Child Hope Orphanage. Al and I took the van and our interpreter and driver to run back to Carrefour which we anticipated would be a simple run, drop the patients back, provide some meds to a few people we had seen previously and then head on. Scott and D took care of the hospital run and they actually found the Child Hope Orphanage. This is the one which has been on the news because 20 armed men attacked it several days ago. Scott actually knows really close friends of the family who started and still run the place. Anyway the people are just full on Christians who moved to Haiti and started an orphanage and school because their daughter who was eight at the time had a dream where God called HER to do so
Al and I got to the camp and instead of 15 mins in and out we spent 4 hours treating person after person after person, some with scrapes and so forth but a couple dozen with significant infections. Mixed in where several people we agreed had to be taken back to the Belgians, a lady with a fractured foot, an elderly lady with several broken ribs, a man vomiting blood, and so forth. After literally four hours of this, a van from International Medical Corps rolled in with an actual doctor and nurse (as opposed to us). He took the fractures and others but the man with issue of vomiting blood had to go with us to Belgians. This was a crazy draining experience just due to 4 hour nonstop sweaty hot assembly line of it.
At the Belgian camp, the man was diagnosed as a severe bleeding ulcer so they went to work on him. We spent an hour plus at the Belgian camp as they were cool enough to replenish our supplies so we wouldn't have to go all the way home.
Al and I decided to go back to the camp where we found Louis Charles, the man with the open skill fracture, to see if more people were there or bandages needed changing, etc. Also when we had been there we didn't have any antibiotics.
When we got there the camp was gone, dispersed. Unsure what to do we turned up the road to try and find where to go. God directed us to stop at a camp just up the road in Delmas where no one had been. The camp was run by a big strong woman who literally was IT. They had 125 families surviving in a space way too small to comprehend that number.
So Al and I jumped into more mobile triage with usual infections cuts etc but we started running into people with serious issues. As we saw them we had Carla the interpreter tell them to get a parent and wait because they had to go to the hospital. This became a little crazy as we found so many that had go. Including Al and I, our driver and interpreter plus injured and parents we had 18 people in a 9 person van. Here are just a couple:
- A 5 year old boy that Al treated who had a foot threatening rent across his foot and ankle, (the Belgians put him under and were able to save his foot)
- A little girl with a 9 day persistent fever (turns out malaria, again the Belgians...)
- A 14 year old who I believe has a neuro-trauma from a boulder landing on her. She couldn't see in one eye and couldn't reliably follow my finger with the "good eye". (She had more serious issues so we took her to a hospital near the Belgians run by the Cubans and Spanish don't know her outcome but she was in grave shape)
- An absolutely beautiful 4 year old boy who couldn't move his left arm because his shoulder hurt. When he moved it his shoulder reminded me of how mine used to look when I would dislocate it. I asked how he hurt it and his father explained the little boy had been buried in the rubble after the quake and he (dad) and some others had dug the boy out! He was so beautiful I just couldn't picture him buried under his house. ( The Belgians put him under and fixed up a severely dislocated shoulder. What a gift of life that boy Louis Kenzie is.).
Well we got back to the center way after dark to another gift of a shower and a meal of black rice, beans and plantains. Tomorrow Dimas and I leave at six to drive to Santo Domingo to pick up team two comprised of two doctors, a missionary from Infinity and a photographer who is going to shoot footage for us. Off to bed on the rooftop under a just startling big sky.
Anyway we were now behind schedule to get back to the Belgian’s hospital to run some patients from yesterday back to their camp in the Carrefour section. Further Scott's family was not doing well so we all stopped and Scott just prayed so powerfully for God to direct and ordain our efforts and for angelic protection and healing for his family.
Once at the Belgian hospital we split into two teams. Scott, Dimas and a new driver took the jeep to run to a hospital for supplies the Belgians needed (diapers, Enfamil etc) and then to try and find the Child Hope Orphanage. Al and I took the van and our interpreter and driver to run back to Carrefour which we anticipated would be a simple run, drop the patients back, provide some meds to a few people we had seen previously and then head on. Scott and D took care of the hospital run and they actually found the Child Hope Orphanage. This is the one which has been on the news because 20 armed men attacked it several days ago. Scott actually knows really close friends of the family who started and still run the place. Anyway the people are just full on Christians who moved to Haiti and started an orphanage and school because their daughter who was eight at the time had a dream where God called HER to do so
Al and I got to the camp and instead of 15 mins in and out we spent 4 hours treating person after person after person, some with scrapes and so forth but a couple dozen with significant infections. Mixed in where several people we agreed had to be taken back to the Belgians, a lady with a fractured foot, an elderly lady with several broken ribs, a man vomiting blood, and so forth. After literally four hours of this, a van from International Medical Corps rolled in with an actual doctor and nurse (as opposed to us). He took the fractures and others but the man with issue of vomiting blood had to go with us to Belgians. This was a crazy draining experience just due to 4 hour nonstop sweaty hot assembly line of it.
At the Belgian camp, the man was diagnosed as a severe bleeding ulcer so they went to work on him. We spent an hour plus at the Belgian camp as they were cool enough to replenish our supplies so we wouldn't have to go all the way home.
Al and I decided to go back to the camp where we found Louis Charles, the man with the open skill fracture, to see if more people were there or bandages needed changing, etc. Also when we had been there we didn't have any antibiotics.
When we got there the camp was gone, dispersed. Unsure what to do we turned up the road to try and find where to go. God directed us to stop at a camp just up the road in Delmas where no one had been. The camp was run by a big strong woman who literally was IT. They had 125 families surviving in a space way too small to comprehend that number.
So Al and I jumped into more mobile triage with usual infections cuts etc but we started running into people with serious issues. As we saw them we had Carla the interpreter tell them to get a parent and wait because they had to go to the hospital. This became a little crazy as we found so many that had go. Including Al and I, our driver and interpreter plus injured and parents we had 18 people in a 9 person van. Here are just a couple:
- A 5 year old boy that Al treated who had a foot threatening rent across his foot and ankle, (the Belgians put him under and were able to save his foot)
- A little girl with a 9 day persistent fever (turns out malaria, again the Belgians...)
- A 14 year old who I believe has a neuro-trauma from a boulder landing on her. She couldn't see in one eye and couldn't reliably follow my finger with the "good eye". (She had more serious issues so we took her to a hospital near the Belgians run by the Cubans and Spanish don't know her outcome but she was in grave shape)
- An absolutely beautiful 4 year old boy who couldn't move his left arm because his shoulder hurt. When he moved it his shoulder reminded me of how mine used to look when I would dislocate it. I asked how he hurt it and his father explained the little boy had been buried in the rubble after the quake and he (dad) and some others had dug the boy out! He was so beautiful I just couldn't picture him buried under his house. ( The Belgians put him under and fixed up a severely dislocated shoulder. What a gift of life that boy Louis Kenzie is.).
Well we got back to the center way after dark to another gift of a shower and a meal of black rice, beans and plantains. Tomorrow Dimas and I leave at six to drive to Santo Domingo to pick up team two comprised of two doctors, a missionary from Infinity and a photographer who is going to shoot footage for us. Off to bed on the rooftop under a just startling big sky.
Email from Haiti Relief Team 01.21.10
We actually found it (referring to the House of Children of God orphanage)! I understand how no one had been there. We picked a guy up in the street who took us. The people were not desperate but were frustrated and out of water. Another aid group had checked them out this morning as result of CNN and FOX and was going to helicopter in some supplies for them.
As they were out of water we left them several jugs plus Enfamil which they had one of. We patched up one lady who had a badly infected wound on leg and supplied her with antibiotics which the very cool docs at hospital had given us for mobile triage.
A lady named Tonya Constantino from Utah who is their medical liaison spoke with us about their challenges. They have 133 kids there of which 100 have adoptive waiting parents in US Venezuela and Canada. However are struggling with red tape and can't get the kids out yet. We were able to help with water and Enfamil and a larger team is bringing tem full kit tonight.
Right now we are on our way from another camp in an area called Carrefour back to the Belgians with three sick kids and one of their parents. One of the kids has been sick for ten days fever etc. Two other babies urinating blood.
God bless these Belgians.
As they were out of water we left them several jugs plus Enfamil which they had one of. We patched up one lady who had a badly infected wound on leg and supplied her with antibiotics which the very cool docs at hospital had given us for mobile triage.
A lady named Tonya Constantino from Utah who is their medical liaison spoke with us about their challenges. They have 133 kids there of which 100 have adoptive waiting parents in US Venezuela and Canada. However are struggling with red tape and can't get the kids out yet. We were able to help with water and Enfamil and a larger team is bringing tem full kit tonight.
Right now we are on our way from another camp in an area called Carrefour back to the Belgians with three sick kids and one of their parents. One of the kids has been sick for ten days fever etc. Two other babies urinating blood.
God bless these Belgians.
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