HAITI 2011...Here we Come!

David and I have been wanting to go to Haiti...well, ever since we left in 2009! With David being done with college, we decided now would be a good time to make another trip to the country. This time we signed up on a trip with World Relief that was going to Hospital Lumiere.

Candace Wagenbach came too, and we stuffed all our

luggage and supplies for the trip in the back of the Jeep

and headed for O'hare!

Turned out everyone else had just as much luggage as us!

We all met up in Miami on Friday, and flew out

to Haiti together on Saturday.

Our group was from all over the US and all different

parts of the medical field!

The Port-au-Prince airport....




Statue in Haiti and other sights as we drove...

Rubble or normal life?

Another Hatian ambulance!!! (They do have lights and siren!)

We drove about 4 1/2 hours from Port

to Bonne Fin, which means "Good Ending."

Bonne Fin is waaaay in the mountains, and it

was a crazy, cramped, bumpy, loud ride!

But we made it! And the scenery was lovely!

The guest house where we stayed with our hostess, Shiela Moser.

Our maid and her daughter. She made good meals

and kept the house...all for about $5 per week.

One of our Hatian meals.

We walked to church on Sunday, just down the road.

One morning, we got to experience the Market.

It was teeming with people, all selling about 10

of the same products.

The "parking lot." :)

One of the much better looking "booths."

Some with fresh or frozen meat didn't look quite as good....

HAITI 2011...The Hospital

We actually started "working" on Saturday when we got in.

We went to the hospital and met Dr. Rudolph, the medical director

and orthopedic surgeon, who showed us around.

We were impressed with his memory as he told us

of each patient and their history...all 50+ patients!

The hospital was divided into 4 wings...General Surgery,

Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and OB. Only the first three

were in use, and Peds only had one patient.

The other two wings had four rooms each,

with room for 8 patients in each room.

And only one nurse per wing! No CNA's either,

just family members to help care for the patients.

Some of the week was spent working on the

"Big Pharmacy," getting medicines and supplies organized.

This little guy was in the hospital with a broken arm

for about a week before he was taken to surgery.

Here Nicole is taking him outside to get some

fresh air....

Baby Jayden was born in the hospital a few days

before we arrived. We had to take a few breaks during

the week to go and hold him.

We asked what his name was, and the mom said

that he didn't have a name yet. Then she asked

Candace and me if we wanted to name him.

Of course! So we settled on Jayden.

Who knows...maybe they changed it :)

Dorthy all scrubbed in for surgery.

There are a lot of traumas that come to the hospital

due mostly to all the motorcycle riding that is done

in Haiti. This week was no exception - there was a

gunshot wound that came in one evening, and this

woman had an open leg fracture from a motorcycle accident.

Eric took a refurbished EKG machine and

some vital sign machines out of the storage shed.

He spent some time training the nurses,

and used the interpretors to help demonstrate

how to work the machines. They were a little

nervous until Eric told them they wouldn't get shocked!

Candace, Janella, and Sina, one of the Hatian nurses.

TO THOSE OF A WEAK STOMACH....STOP HERE AND
GO TO NEXT BLOG, LEAVING!

For those who like some wound pics...go ahead!

Diabetic ulcer

Above knee amputation.

Wound after being debrieded in surgery.

HAITI 2011...Leaving

We worked in the Hospital from Monday-Friday at noon.

Then we took the afternoon off and Joan Reinhard took

us on a trip to the beach where we relaxed and had supper.

This was our only group picture...

L-R: Eric, David, Janella, Shelby, Nicole, Dorthy,

Joan, Linette, Rich, Candace, and Maddie.

And of course, the Haitian roads gave us a flat,

but of course there was a spare along!

And plenty of Hatians willing to help for a dollar!

We spend our last evening on the roof, singing hymns in the dark.

We took a flight in Haiti to get to Port to catch our

flight to Miami. This airport was really nice, and

they had some nice firetrucks too :)

Our plane

View of the countryside.

And a view of dirty Port, with lots of trash in the water

and way too crowded homes.

We spent the day traveling home and got back around 11pm.

If you want any more info about our trip, Dorothy made

up a blog of the week.

Go to: http://haitinov2011.blogspot.com

And if you're inspired to go to Haiti, it's a great place to go! ;)

We got new neighbors this summer!

Trent, Tiffany and Brock Schmidgall moved

in next door in August. We spent a little time

helping them paint their kitchen.

Went back to Oakville for a weekend...

and got together a few girls for a creek stomp :)

David giving Evan and Laynie a horseback ride.

Rebekah and Leah spent the night at our house this summer.

We made food, went roller blading, made scented jars,

and decorated the whole sidewalk with chalk drawings :)

COUSIN'S COOKOUT

The Z cousins got together one saturday for a hog roast.

Yum, yum!

Shooting box after box of clay's...

Jenni and Shawna brought their guns too!

And the boys are losing....

Re-do the Porch

Before....

During...

Ahhhh...after....