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Don't Forget About the Children

HOPE's Haiti Representative, Charles Prospere is busy working to establish health programs in Haiti that will not only provide long-term care to those with earthquake-related injuries, but also educate physical rehabilitation health care providers so that they may better serve their communities. Prospere, who is a Haitian American, took some time out from his work to visit his village after the earthquake. This is his personal account:
I could not believe my sight. Here was Gerard, the once fastest and strongest man in our village of 200. I found him sitting in front of his half-destroyed house, his eyes were closed, his look stoic, his mind was still under the ruble, where rescuers, digging with their bare hands, found him two days after the earthquake.

Gerard wanted to live. He lost his legs some months before the monster earthquake which tried to kill him. But just recently, and with the little saving he had, he bought himself a pair of prosthetic legs.

It was hard to see a man whose livelihood always depended on manual labor, but... before I could even finish my thought, Gerard stood fast, looked at me straight in the eyes and said,

“I don't want your pity or your mercy, I just want you to remember where you came from, and many of us, many of those you cannot see right now, need you... Do not dare forgetting about them."

Before he walked away to never look back, he left me with this:

“Charles, tell Project HOPE do not forget about these children. Me, I'm fine, I'm a survivor, and I can make it with or without legs. Those kids, and many other Haitians, will see hell on earth soon. So go ahead, and tell them never forget about the others."

Thanks for Reading - Charles

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Physical Rehab Volunteers Arrive in Haiti

On March 11, 2010 Project HOPE volunteers Lisa Jane Evans from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Occupational Therapist and Kristin Parlman, MGH Physical Therapist, arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti for a two-week assignment that will allow further assessing of the rehabilitation need of Haitian crush victims and amputees affected by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. They will be working at Diquini Hospital, a site selected by the HOPE Assessment team that traveled to Haiti earlier this month.

Lisa and Kristin spent their first day getting oriented with HOPE’s Haiti Representative, Charles Prospere. Prospere, a Haitian American, holds a doctorate of public policy and administration and has extensive experience in non-profit work within Haiti. He was hired by Project HOPE to help HOPE establish programs that will not only provide long-term care to those with earthquake-related injuries, but also educate physical rehabilitation health care providers so that they may better serve their communities.

Here is his report from Lisa's and Kristin's first day in Haiti:

Soon after their arrival, the volunteers were given a tour of the devastated capital and were briefed about the historical and cultural context of Haiti to enrich their service.

We then made a quick visit to Diquini Hospital, where the volunteers were received by Dr. Lesly Ed Archer, the General Director of the institution. Their mission will officially start tomorrow (March 12) when they will meet with our operational counterparts Andrew Haglund, Dr. Scott Nelson and Caryn from Handicapped International.

Jane and Kristin also had another mission for the Diquini tour; they wanted to meet with Sebastian, an 8-year-old boy they learned about through the Project HOPE Assessment team. Sebastian, who lost both his mother and father during the earthquake and suffered an amputation as a result of his own injuries has become an international figure, representing the face of Haiti.

Sebastian is very lovable and he invited the team to see where he has been living since the earthquake. Sebastian has been adopted by his 23 year old aunt – a mother of four and unemployed.

Sebastian is smiling now, asking for a big truck and a Spiderman. But the future is uncertain – for him and for Haiti. It will take many years and continuing international support – in the form of funds, supplies and specialized health worker volunteers – to ensure that all victims of the earthquake, like Sebastian, have a full recovery and a productive future.

While the emergency response is now coming to an end, the work for a full recovery has just begun.

Thanks for Reading - Charles

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More on Johnny D

Johnny D Gets a Name

A few of the Project HOPE staff and volunteers were able to make a visit to the facility where Johnny D—the boy without a name-- was transferred after his stay aboard the USNS Comfort.

Johnny first became known to the staff at Mission of Hope when he was dropped anonymously not long after the January 12 earthquake—his condition appalling and his identity unknown.

He was immediately transferred to the USNS Comfort where Project HOPE volunteers and Navy medical staff cared for him for about a month, removing a tumor that had destroyed his right eye and grafting skin from his leg to cover the exposed area.

Last week he was discharged back to Mission of Hope, a spacious and well-maintained campus in the countryside outside of Port-au-Prince, which houses a school, hospital and small orphanage.

On normal days, about 1300 children attend classes at the mission. These days, the classrooms have become homes for about 60 orphans and their “moms,” Haitian women hired to take care of them. Project HOPE visitors were thrilled to visit the classroom where Johnny now lives with two other children and the three loving moms who share in their upbringing. Bright posters cover the wall. Toys and clothes are piled neatly at the foot of each child’s bed. And there are plenty of hugs to go around.

Johnny is receiving medical care at the mission’s medical facility, currently being partially staffed by volunteer teams from Austin Medical Relief for Haiti, who have been on one-week rotations since the earthquake. On the day of the Project HOPE visit, Johnny’s skin graft was derided. An infection threatened the new eye flap, which has been through three such procedures since his arrival. Doctors are discussing the possibility of a second graft.

Despite the sedatives he was under this day, Johnny’s bright smile still lit up the room and he stretched out his tiny arm to all in the room for his hallmark fist bump.

Most importantly, Johnny Doe finally has a name: Job, after a biblical figure who was tested by God, found to be true and rewarded beyond his wildest dreams.

Story and photos by photojournalist and HOPE volunteer, Allison Shelley.

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Care and Education Continue at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer

HOPE Volunteer Medical Director Dr. Neelakantan Sunder, a Massachusetts General Hospital Anesthesiologist continues his report on HOPE’s work at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti.

Project HOPE volunteer Anne Borden, an RN from MGH, spent the day with the HAS director of nursing and nurse educator. Ms Borden provided assistance, direct patient care and provided nursing leadership, coaching and mentoring. She also taught several nursing education sessions on moving patients with cervical spine fractures and answered questions regarding patients with congestive heart failure and symptoms. The HAS nursing staff really enjoyed the interaction and asked good thoughtful questions.

Dr. Rosemary Duda, Surgical Oncologist from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and I spent the day in the operating room with performing five surgical procedures. The HOPE Operating Team continues to perform numerous amputation revisions, clean infected limbs and wounds from prior surgeries, etc. The workload for these types of “cleanup” surgeries will last for several months.

HAS began the only prosthetic technician school in Haiti, graduating its first class of technicians just before the 12 Jan 10 earthquake. We have been working closely with the trained prosthetics/rehabilitation staff at the hospital, turning freshly operated patients over to their care. For amputations, post surgery care is very important. Proper wrapping of the amputation helps post surgery patients form a limb to accept a properly fitted prosthetic and prevents additional surgeries and unnecessary limb length reductions. HAS started measuring, fitting and rehabbing prosthetic fit patients from its brand new laboratory donated by Hanger in mid-January 2010.

I also had the opportunity to interact with the HAS anesthetist and anesthesiologist staff and provided them with quick clinical updates, techniques, review of anesthetic agents, etc.

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Update on "Johnny D"

While continuing her volunteer work on shore in Haiti, Project HOPE volunteer Carrie Alexander tracked down, "Johnny D", one of the Comfort's most inspiring young patients. Carrie helped care for the young orphan during his treatment on the floating hosptial ship. She was thrilled to be able to check up on him at his new care facility at the Mission of Hope in Haiti. Read Carrie's update

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HOPE Volunteers and Staff Visit Sacred Heart Hospital in Milot

A small team of Project HOPE representatives spent the day the small town of Milot on the fertile northern coast of Haiti to visit Sacred Heart Hospital-- founded in 1986 by Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Montreal, and run by the Center for the Rural Development of Milot (CRUDEM) foundation.

The town, which lies in the shadow of the famous Laferriere Citadel, was only mildly affected by the January 12 earthquake. Residents pulled together and it has become a haven for Port-au-Prince residents trying to find medical care. Within days of the quake, Milot’s mayor sent busses to the capitol to retrieve victims, who were transferred back to the town for medical care. Local residents are housing many of the recuperating patients and their families.

CRUDEM itself quickly expanded the capacity of the original 64-bed hospital building, adding a field hospital in the town’s elementary school yard. The facility consists of seven large Temper tents, now caring for 290 patients.

Project HOPE stepped in on January 24 to deliver $1 million worth of medical equipment—including a DynGlobal solar powered water purifier and Phillips mobile X-ray equipment and cardiac monitors. Today’s Project HOPE team was able to see this important gear in action, as well as tour the facilities to scout for future volunteer opportunities.

The group also included Stephan Krause, a documentary filmmaker representing Siemens, which has donated $4 million worth of medical supplies and equipment to the Basrah Children’s Hospital in Iraq, which was equipped in part by Project HOPE.

Because patients from the USNS Comfort had also been transferred to this hospital by helicopter for follow up care, several were familiar to the delegation. These included patient Junior Sainsmyer, a young engineer from Port-au-Prince, who called out to the team as they passed by his cot. He proudly held up his below-the-knee X-ray, taken on the Comfort, which revealed a handful of pins and other hardware embedded in both ankles. A small cast covered one foot and the other he flexed back and forth to demonstrate his mobility. “Thank you, thank you!” he said, a huge smile covering his face.

Photos and story by HOPE volunteers photo journalist Allison Shelley and nurse Carrie Alexander.

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Surgery at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer

After completing their work on the USNS Comfort, four Project HOPE volunteers travelled to Deschapelles, Haiti to lend their medical assistance to the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. The volunteers have already performed several surgical procedures and attended to several of the 150 inpatients in this 80-bed facility. Volunteer Dr. Neelakantan Sunder, an anesthesiologist from Massachusetts General Hospital and current HOPE Medical Director offers this account of work at Albert Schweitzer:

The medical staff at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer called on us during our first evening of arrival. The ward nurse couldn’t find the doctor on call, and hearing there was a “fresh” team of U.S. doctors on campus, they woke us and asked if we could help. We performed an above knee amputation on a diabetic patient with gangrene.

HOPE volunteers, Dr. Rosemary Duda, General Surgeon from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, performed the surgery; RN, Anne Borden, also of Massachusetts General Hospital, scrubbed in. I was the anesthesiologist and picture taker.

We are being treated very well at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. The facilities are well maintained and supplied. Staff is very friendly and we’ve been made to feel welcomed. It is also extremely well organized. We’ll be coming back.

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HOPE Volunteers Outside Hospital Setting

During the first phase of Project HOPE’s response to the Haiti earthquake, we provided more than 75 medical volunteers to serve on board the USNS Comfort and distributed more than $15 million of medicines and medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

As we transition our relief efforts to address the intermediate and long-term needs of the Haitian people, we invite you to enjoy these photos of our second rotation of volunteers depicting their lives beyond the medical setting on the floating hospital ship.

Project HOPE volunteer Joyce Li dons safety gear in preparation for a helicopter flight aboard the USNS Comfort Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, February 22, 2010.

The helo team prepares to receive a visiting helicopter on the flight deck of the USNS Comfort off of the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, February 17, 2010.

Project HOPE volunteer Emily Ferguson, center, dons life jackets with the rest of her team in the Two Aft ward, during an emergency drill aboard the USNS Comfort off of the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, February 17, 2010.

USNS Leroy Grumman, left, and USNS Comfort link up for an Underway replenishment (UNREP), about 150 miles out to sea from Haiti, Monday, February 22, 2010. Lines connect the ships, which are moving at 14 knots, while supply lines pump fuel and water from the Grumman to the Comfort. The Comfort received 1 million gallons of fuel from the Grumman and nearly filled its water tank.

Project HOPE volunteer Alysia Monaco takes a catnap during a break from the ICU aboard the USNS Comfort off of the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, February 22, 2010.

Project HOPE volunteers and others watch a sunset while returning to Port-au-Prince from a day at sea aboard the USNS Comfort, Monday, February 22, 2010.

Photos by photojournalist and HOPE volunteer, Allison Shelley.

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HOPE Volunteer Inspired by Strong Haitian Patients

Sheila Cardwell, an RN from St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, has participated in five volunteer missions with Project HOPE from Latin America to Southeast Asia. She most recently returned from Haiti, where she worked aboard the USNS Comfort caring for those injured in Haiti's January 12th earthquake. This is her story:

Throughout this past week I have had many opportunities to assist Haitians who were victims of one of the world's worst earthquakes. I worked primarily as a post op surgery nurse on a unit which concentrated more on adults receiving surgery.

Most of our victims had broken legs and arms requiring extensive surgery with external and internal pins. Some had traumatic wounds which required skin grafts or amputations of one or more extremities and many required all three: skin grafts, amputations and pins on breaks. The average healing time for most of these traumas is from 6-8 weeks at which time they have their pins, casts or braces removed and rehab starts. No matter what their injuries were, they all remained stoic and never complained as they struggled to remain independent.

For several days I noticed a young 23-year-old man (the same age as my son) caring for his 71-year-old grandmother who had a broken left arm-- requiring external pins-- and severe cuts on her head from the cement walls collapsing on her. He stayed at her bedside anxiously waiting to meet any of her needs. He fed her food and water, turned her from side to side when she requested and transferred her to the chair to sit up. I was so impressed with his attentiveness and ability to anticipate such new requests being made by his previously very independent grandmother.

I took a few minutes to acknowledge him for all his hard work. As a tear rolled down his cheek, he quietly and shyly told me his story. When the earthquake happened he grabbed his grandma and tried to run out of the building with her. As he put his head down he said "she couldn't run as fast as I could." As he ran the wall collapsed on his whole family including his grandmother. A week later he saw her face on CNN. He searched for her and found her on a cot beside many others. It had been a week and she had not had her arm or head evaluated by a medical person. He brought her to our ship where our doctors diagnosed her arm to be broken with lots of necrotic tissue.

The orthopedic specialist thought he would have to amputate but he did everything to save it. She now has 6 external pins and a skin graft from her thigh was placed on her arm to replace the skin she lost in the earthquake. Her wounds on her head required packing with gauze dressings to heal. After several weeks she had gained enough strength to walk again. The circulation in her arm started to improve. His grandma was the only family he had left and I believe if all continues to progress her grandson will have many years with her.

Beside her lay 22-year-old Darlene who was not so fortunate. She lay under the rubble for over a week before she was pulled out. She lost both her arms and due to nerve damage was unable to stand on her right leg. In spite of all this she continues to get herself out of bed and tries to walk with her one good leg. Her smile and stoic way continue to keep her positive spirit focused on healing and being so pleasant. Yesterday we made a special brace for her foot which would fit into shoes which we gave her. With this shoe support she is able to stand and soon she will learn to walk with the numbness of her leg. Throughout the unit the Haitian people quickly became friends and it was difficult to know who the individual families were because they all supported and helped each other in meeting their needs.

Today most of the Haitian patients left our ship. As I gave Darlene a hug goodbye I wondered how she would manage going back to the disastrous area where she came from. She had no one but her mother and a younger brother who survived. We discharged her to a rehab facility where she will learn to live with her amputations through rehab. I feared for her but she continued to have her beautiful smile and strong spirit. She was anxious to return to her people.

As we Project Hope nurses left the ship to return to the US we drove past miles and miles of tents on the sidewalks which lined the main road. Some of the tents were donated to the Haitians but many were simply sheets and blankets put together to make a tent. One tent supported the next leaving no space between them. Folks wandered around with their dressings on and some had casts and crutches but all seemed to have that despair and grief associated with poverty and disaster.

When I look at these folks who have lost their entire families and communities I wonder as they lay in bed with amputated extremities, broken legs and arms and horrible wounds from walls collapsing on them, where they get their strength to remain so stoic and grateful for everything we are doing for them. On occasion I see someone put their head down and quietly shed tears without saying a word. Very few share the pain and one can see their inner strength as they worry about where they will go and how they will manage when they leave the Comfort ship.

Haiti will continue to need lots of assistance from everyone to help build their country up and improve the health of their communities. Project HOPE is presently developing long-term plans to help Haitians continue to receive necessary medical care. I look forward to participating in future programs.

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