More Miracles in Haiti - Volunteer Optometrics in Service to Humanity

by Mary Lou Larkin

February 23, 2010

On Wednesday 2/17, we said our sad good byes to Megan at the airport and went on to the Mont Joli Hotel in Cap Haitien to meet Jennifer Schmidt's team of one doctor and three nurses and a volunteer as well as Dave McPhillips and his VOSH (Volunteer Optometrics In Service to Humanity) team of 6 people.

Then began another adventurous day of work. We traveled to Nativity Village in Cap Haitien. This is the poorest part of Cap Haiten (CAP) I have ever seen. The homes themselves were built by Food for the Poor (FFP) and while sturdy appearing, are practically built in a swampland somewhere near the sea. The road became rockier and muddier and the huge puddles gradually became the size of ponds. Eventually the FFP bus could go no further and we had to get out with all our medicine, supplies and Vosh's equipment and walk. But...eventually WE could go no further because the ponds were getting larger and larger. People appeared with cement blocks and rocks placing them in these monster puddles so we could gingerly cross, with packs on our backs praying we wouldn't fall. Then they became so deep we couldn't go any further.

Suddenly out of nowhere about 6 motor bikes roared up to us, and yes we climbed on and were each ferried across the water to a path that eventually led to St. Anthony clinic, where the VOSH team quickly set up their eye examination equipment, meds, and hundreds of eyeglasses in a community center, and the medical team set up rooms and meds to see the long lines of people hoping to see a doctor or nurse. It was organized chaos as people crowded the doorway determined to be seen. Our wonderful Haitian translators also did crowd control and we all went to work. This clinic has a doctor one day a week and few medicines.

I worked with Jennifer who is also an Nurse Practitioner, with whom I hope to open a second clinic in Pilette in the near future. We saw pediatric patients some who were vaccinated, many who were not. I saw many children with the tell-tale signs of malnutrition, red hair tips and swollen bellies. Many mothers came because they said they no longer had enough milk to nurse their babies and the babies were weak and dehydrated. The mothers were skin and bones themselves and never had enough to eat. We gave every child vitamins and treated them with albendazole for worms. We saw so many children itching with infected pustular scabies. We poured scabacide into plastic baggies for them to take home.

A father brought his 20 month-old son because he had a cough for a month, but now it was worse and he had a fever. The boy had croup. We had a nebulizer and saline, but the generator didn't work, thus no power to turn it on. There was no prednisone available even in the adult room. The only medication that was remotely helpful was liquid albuterol. The boy was very dehydrated and we mixed our own clean water in an empty coke bottle and added oral rehydration salts, helping the father to frequently give him small amounts. After a few hours he was not much better, breathing faster, more stridorous, a little less dehydrated. It was a horrible feeling not to be able to do anything for him, when the treatment is always pretty routine back home. We finally gave the father money to use at the hospital, but there was no way that I could see for him to get there through the mud and water.

Thankfully, Dr.Maklin, a truly great person and doctor who visits different clinics everyday and is part of the Cap Haitien Health Network, suggested he contact Carwyn Hill whose organization has the only ambulance in northern Haiti. Two of our nurses went through the swampy waters with the father and son as far as they could and the ambulance was able to meet them at the edge of the swamp. Another small miracle.

Meanwhile doctors Maklin, Morgan and Green saw adult and pediatric patients in a sweltering little room next to us. The Haitians tried so hard to get the generator and fan going, but with no luck. You could feel the desperation in people so hopeful that maybe something we brought would make them or their child well again, so afraid we would leave without them even being seen and people just kept coming and coming.

In Haiti the sun sets early and no one wants to be on the road in the dark without streetlights. Cows and goats lay in the roads, people hurry home along the roads and it seems like there are so many accidents waiting to happen. We began packing up around four o'clock. As I walked back along the path to where the motorbikes would once again meet us, so many children accompanied us, each wanting to hold my hand. If they couldn't hold a hand they held my arm, nearly up to the elbow, all the time smiling and laughing and chatting away in Creole. They laughed at my Creole, but seemed thrilled to hear me speak it. It made me wish that we could stay awhile and play with them. They were so beautiful, so excited to have visitors.

We climbed back onto the motorbikes and headed back to our waiting bus. We are tired, sweaty, and very muddy. Everyone has stories to tell. Can you call it a satisfying day? We did the best we could, but there is so much more to be done. For me one day clinics seem like band aids, yet we made a difference for those we saw for that day.

Besides, eye glasses and medicines we were the biggest show in town and brought smiles and laughter. And maybe we helped save the life of the baby with croup.

After a quick shower at the Hotel Joli which is a beautiful old hotel we head to the Hotel Roi Cristof for the Cap Haitien Health Network meeting. This is the organization of many different non-profit groups committed to working in northern Haiti. There are health workers, hospital administrators, people working in sanitation projects, latrine projects, soap and albendazole distribution, and many more. We share information and contacts and work together so no one has to recreate the wheel. It was only formed three years ago, but is making a tremendous difference in connecting organizations spread all over the north.

The VOSH eye team is there for the first time and many people are anxious to talk to them. When we return to the Hotel we finally relax for awhile, talking about the day and getting to know the people from VOSH. If I didn't know better it would seem like we were in a beautiful Caribbean paradise, but tomorrow we hit the muddy roads early and head back to Jacquesyl.

Mary Lou Larkin