Mathamagician

You have to check out this guy! A mathamagician! Wow is all I can say! I can barely do my times tables! CLICK HERE to see Art at work!

Airport, Santo Domingo and Jimani

Stops along the way

We stopped along the way and met a team on the way back from Jimani. The doc filled us in on what to expect. The driver took us to a fast food restaurant which I did not eat. I fell in love with the cute Dominican boys on the street!

On the road to Jimani

Good Samaritan

We arrived to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani after our long drive. We were greeted and given a quick tour. All of us were anxious to get started. It was very busy and people and vehicles and supplies were all over. It looked like some military scene and we found out soon how our mash unit was run.

Scenes

Much was always happening in different parts of the hospital, the orphanage, the chapel, the OR, the tent. We had sick (septic) patients and throughout our stay there were no deaths. The people there from all over the world, Spain, Canada, USA were an amazing group of people. Our goal was to get this hospital up and running like you would find in the States. We were on a roll and those that came after hopefully were able to follow those before to maintain and improve the health care these people received. I have never started IV's in the dirt with blowing winds from helicopters or the breeze that came up every night. Foleys placed with headlamps. Dressing changes that had to be timed as not to have too much dust blowing when you removed the dressing. Through their pain there were always smiles. I had to work at getting them sometimes, but once they came the white teeth showed and the smile was ear to ear. It seemed that once they smiled at you they remembered and smiled often. I carried medicine in my fanny pack so I was ready to medicate and try and keep the edge down for them. A touch helped and we were constantly holding hands and a stroke of a face, a touch on their shoulder or chest sometimes was the pain relief. All of their pain was not from the broken or missing limbs but from the terror of the quake. The knowledge that their whole family was killed, their sons and daughters were missing, or that they would never walk again from the spine injury they received when the ceilings came down on them.

Earthquakes

While we were there we had an earthquake or aftershock each day. I think there was one day when we did not have some movement. The first one occurred towards afternoon, evening and I only really heard a sound as I was busy getting the people organized by room and name onto paper so we would have some kind of record who was in our area and names. I was in the last room when I heard a noise and a woman grab her son who had a full leg cast and possibly a broken pelvis and started dragging him out side. He was crying I thought from pain but I realized it was most likely from fear. Everyone had terror in their face and started grabbing their loved ones to get them outside, no matter the injuries all were dragged from the room. A man jumped from the second story of the building. I stood there with other nurses and doctors watching the scene. I felt the fear they had and imagined the big quake and what must of been felt that day. It brought tears to my eyes and we all just watched the commotion and the fear. As it was getting darker they had sheets up for some protection around their areas. They were very close together and started to sing. A whole group, a large group of people singing acapella the same song. It was something I just can not explain. We then with out head lamps went out and checked every single person to make sure they were not injured more and had their folder with them. I learned throughout the week that they were very good about keeping that folder near and close.

Getting it all together

The leadership was amazing. Imagine coming to Mission with everyone and their family laying on mattresses on the ground the patient only having a card tired to them with a misspelled name and brief information about the injury. Now you have all these supplies coming with many people standing around wanting to help. You have hours to get it all together. We arrived after they started to "get it all together" I respect those that were there in the initial chaos and those that were trying to achieve some organization to the masses, be it the injured and the care givers. What an amazing group of doctors!

The Children

I saw so many children with injuries! They were casted with cuts, abrasions and amputations. Such suffering! They cried out as a child does and we did our best to comfort them. Some of them lost their parents in the quake and are now orphans. I was walking on evening to a secret bathroom (that was always a challenge for us) I saw a sweet little girl probably near two years old. She laughed and we played tagged. There was a bandage on her hand, which really did not phase me as many people and children had some kind of dressing or missing limb. I tried to ask the mother how old she was using my fingers. The mother proceeded to show me how many fingers and part of her hand she lost with her injury. I aknowledge that by touching her shoulder and then continued to run and play with her child. I wanted to grab her and take her with me to a safe place! The sweet little girl smiled and laugh not even caring about her injury at that time but to be a child and play with me. How grateful I was for that experience!

New Friends

We made so many new friends! The other nurses were amazing. we all worked so well together and enjoyed each other's company. The Hatians were also amazing as when we got there there were not many smiles! As we cared and touched them and helped they improved and smiled, I think Jeanette was actually laughing at me most of the time as I tried to mimic her Creole. Her daughter Bridgette advanced so fast and was walking using crutches! (She had a broken pelvis) Mryline had such a big smile and a cell phone. She said she would call me! I am not sure how that will go and she spoke no English and I said my Creole is not! I love the phrase "Pa gen problem." No problem and used it frequently. Nadia and her neighbor Stephanie were our princesses and made us smile with their contagious smiles. They were in constant pain but smiled when they saw us and held our hands. Nadia love to kiss my hand and just hold it stroking my fingers. I took care of her after surgery and as she woke up she was praying to Jesus and reliving the trauma of the earthquake. She was on the stairs and lost her son and whole family to the quake. She cried and raised her arms and hands praying to Jesus and asking for mercy. I cried as she was coming out of sedation and held her. She said she had a book, a bible, it was her protection but could not find it. Stephanie t shared her bible with Nadia and you should of seen how she cherised that book, feeling it protection! Another woman next to Stephanie was trapped for five days and knew English well, which I did not know. I looked at her and told her how beautiful she was and she answered, "yes, I am beautiful." I laughed and enjoyed her answers to my statements of her beauty." All of these people were beautiful, inside as well as out. I had a sweet older lady, she had to be over 90, with a broken pelvis and she was blind with no family. When the people were inside the rooms of the orphanage building they all took care of each other no matter who they belonged to. I lost her in the mass exodus when the first aftershock occured and then lost her again in the chaos and commotion. I did find her to have no one taking care of her. She was by herself in a room with no one around. Allison an American nurse from Honduras sat next to her for hours trying to get her to eat and gave her fluids.

Rescue

We happened to be down near the field when this helicopter took off. The man walking through the shot was a translator we had, Fabrice. He was great along with Kelly and Louis. The translators were needed and used day and night. I think they did not sleep much and were constantly being called from one pt to another. Kelly helped me so much, actually helping me turn and clean patients. These men were the heroes as well!

Towards the end of the trip. We had many evacuations of children and the ones that needed a higher level of care. Helicopters landed daily to take these people out. I am sitting here and just heard a helicopter outside and my thoughts went immediatly back to those days when they would show up and we knew some would be able to get out. Many are still waiting for the trip out. Paraplegics those with spine injuries wait in the tent for a chance to be evacuated! Jim Keaney spoke to KFI's Bill Handle daily, reviewing what we found and what we were doing to help. The stories of the people each day touched our hearts and pulled at our emotions. Things were changing daily sometimes hourly and the military presence had to be kicked up a bit with incidences happening throught the compound. I never felt unsafe during my stay though. I just knew that it would be OK and kept doing what I had come to do, taking care of people who had suffered greatly just a week or so before we arrived.