First day 2/22 - Monday

We were woken up by a 4:36am with a 4.7 aftershock.    It was the beginning of a day where our team was heading out of town.  First we went to the market to purchase beans and rice which we were planning on taking to some of Charles' friends.  Boy, was the market quite an experience - a 30 minute long experience!  We were the only Americans in the market - there were a lot of sellers no buyers except for us.  We packed 7 people into a van.  The driver stopped in the middle of the road, left us, and went to bargain with his fellow Haitians for rice and beans.  All of us sat, patiently waiting in the street while the locals crowded the van, pressing their faces on the windows, begging for money and food.  After a long, blazing-hot 30 minutes, the driver returned with the rice and beans and then we drove - horn blarring - down the "street" through a sea of people.  Every mile there was a tent city.  Some fortunate families have real cloth tents donated by organizations, others were made of sheets and sticks, or even cardboard and palm leaves. Anything it seems to just have a little shelter from the elements, a little privacy from others and a space to claim as their own. Something that tangibly shows they exist - they made it.  Thousands are still on the street with no shelter at all.

We continued on our journey towards Petit Goave  through parts of town and hillsides which were filled with rubble and tent cities.  We arrived at Charles' friend, Peter's, recently built house to deliver the rice, beans, and tents.  When we arrived, he warmly welcomed us into his makeshift home which was outside--5 beds lined up under tarps.  His wife was washing clothes in a basin, rinsing in another basin, and preparing to hang the clothes to dry in the sun.   Peter offered to give us a tour of his recently built home that was damaged by the earthquake.  The home had many cracked walls and a severly damaged foundation -  1/3 of the house was completely collapsed to the ground.  Peter was very warm and welcoming but we noticed an underlying sorrow and pain that he carried.  He kept repeating over and over while pointing up the hill " I guess I am going to have to rebuild my house up there someday".  The damaged home took him 10 years to build.  His daughter had typhoid fever.  His burden's seemed many.

After a brief visit to the local opthalmic center - now being held under a tree, we journeyed on to view the devastation of the original opthalmic office.  It was a beautiful compound that had included 3 substantial buildings - an opthalmic surgery center, a general exam clinic, and a third building for general medical practice including a guest room area.  But one building was total rubble now.  The office that fronted the street was left in shambles- rubble covered a truck with an exam chair and various remnants of office supplies (glasses, hand written notations) strewn throughout.  Saddest of all was the story that accompanied this site.  Five volunteers from the states had been in the office - helping with missions work -when the original quake hit.  Two of them never made it home again - their suitcases were still standing in the corner of the guest rooms they had used.  The opthamologist who did the surgeries there and knew them, carried a heavy burden of guilt for these people who had donated their time, efforts and eventually lives to help others.

Following this visit, we were able to connect with some of the medical needs of this area.  While stopping to purchase badly needed pharmaceuticals for our next day's clinic, we heard a tremendous rumble on the streets - a skip loader followed by a convoy of 8-10 dump trucks filled the street.  They began to clear the rubble piles, that lined the road - filling the dump trucks one after another.  Its a very small beginning for a country filled with tons and tons of this rubble - lining nearly every street we saw.  And buildings everywhere that still need to be knocked down and added to the current piles.  But it was a sign of hope - a beginning - one block cleared and the start of a very long road ahead for these people of Haiti.

Meanwhile, inside the local hospital while the pharmaceuticals were being purchased, our team nurses were talking with the nurses when 2 men carried 5 aluminum boxes past.  More bodies being recovered after more than a month.  Teams are still working all over the country trying to find the lost and bring some dignity and closure to families torn apart.  As we travelled back to our guest house - we passed  more and more of this unbelievable devastation.  And mixed with the dust of the rubble - the air carries the fumes of a city in motion -  pollution - and every now and then - the smell of death, those still waiting to be found.  It seems a war zone - like bombs have gone off everywhere - and the people reflect the shock of a "war" in their faces.

We didn't know then, the evening would hold even more of a personal story.  We would meet a true "hero" of this event.  Late in the evening, we met and heard the story of James Gulley - he is a survivor of the Hotel Montana - what was once a new, 5-star hotel here in a country where 5 star luxury is scarce.   Jim was trapped under the rubble with 5 others in a space less than 3 feet high and 8X5 feet in dimension.  His rescue took 55 hours.   Amazingly, 2 more people were trapped nearby that he could hear and converse with - oddest of all, one was from APU.  Two of his friends never made it.  There he sat across from us, telling us details of this unbelievable time in his life, - only a few weeks later  - he's back - trying to help the people he cares so much for.  The Hotel Montana claimed hundreds of lives, crews continue to search for victims - that same day 2 more were found. 

The day wasn't over.

Aftershocks are unnerving. It is 2:30 a.m. - an hour ago a 4.7 hit and you never know where you'll be when it happens.  One of us was in the shower!  After such an emotional day it wasn't surprising that our team ran outside. Shouldn't people from CA know better and have steadier nerves?  No!  Other people at the Methodist Guest House were sleeping in tents outside - their nerves suffering as well.    Imagine these Haitians - this has been going on for weeks for them - and they suffer the memory of the day, lost friends and family - lost lives.

First day 2/22 - Monday

Sleep is hard after such a day - and with only a few hours, Tuesday dawned.  We had a clinic to run - and the best medicine sometimes is work!  Getting to actually help these people sounded great.  The grounds of our guest house host a tent city of 300 tents, representing over 3,500 people.  This would be our first clinic - our first chance to help.  Just like the day before, our clinic was outside, and under a tree.  First things first - shoe the chickens away, try to document and organize the people already forming a line - and we had an hour yet to begin.  Lots of moms, young moms, babies and children of all ages - some men and many grandmas - "patients" from one month to 92 years old! 

Our first case was a boy 9 yrs old, very lethargic with all the symptoms of meningitis.  We knew we were out of the boat with this first patient.  We needed to find some local, intensive treatment for this boy.  The father was asked to come back, and it was explained that his son might be seriously ill.  There would be some fast and furious phone calls later today - more work was needed to help these people!

The day had begun. 

As the faces came by all morning long - we saw lots of infections & basic hygene problems - partly due to the closeness of the  tents and harsh living conditions - the rains will only make it worse.  There were fevers, parasites, colds, stomach aches  (due to starvation as well as medical problems) - headaches from lack of glasses - head lice - scabies - strep throat -  and dehydration.  Mothers had to be instructed to stop their children from drinking the water running down the streets.  Kidney failure to arrythmias (irregular heartbeats) - needs were varied and great.  There were smiles on many faces, a feeling of anticipation - just wanting to  talk to someone.  There was definition between those who truly needed medical attention and those who needed reassurance.

After a full day of more than 130 "visits", we ended it with a clear note of truth - a young man who simply said he was afraid and felt overwhelming stress.  He summed up in two words the origin of many of the "maladies" we saw today.

But we weren't done - on returning to our guest house patio - a young family waited for us.  A man probably only  18 years old,  his wife younger than him and in her arms her 2 month old baby.  The baby has had a cough for a month - half his young life -  and not responding to stimulation.  We gave what we had - pedialyte - and advice to return tomorrow.  This child would be added to the list of those we know need intense medical treatment  - and seen by the Dr. we hope to get here tomorrow for our next clinic.  As the family was beginning to prepare to leave - the father asked for a tent - something to protect his small family - - and then the paper appeared.  The referral for his wife from a doctor - she needed a test to verify her condition.  A pregnancy test.  This woman gave birth shortly after the earthquake - and now in the chaos of the city, the uncertainty of their tomorrows - they have another life  coming.