Day 4: Team Restore

Today was our first day working at Hopital Lumiere up in the mountains of Bonne Fin. We drove up early this morning eager to see what our day would bring. As soon as we arrived at the hospital we were put right to work and split into two teams. Ashley and I went with June and Dr Rudolph to do rounds in the ER. Michael and Hannah went to do an ASIA on a 16 year old male who had a T6 SCI. Last night, 12 patients from a bus accident were brought into the ER. During rounds, we performed initial assessments to see who would be admitted and who could be discharged. Of those 12, 9 were admitted with multiple lacerations, abrasions, and broken bones. One of the first things that we noticed was that none of the patients have a private room. Every room has about 6 or 7 beds in it and there aren't even curtains to divide the patients. There are no briefs provided to patients and the bed linens are scarce. Family members are responsible for providing patients with meals and emptying their waste. Hannah and I also got to perform a stroke eval on the father of the judge from Les Cayes. During the evaluation, we realized how much we take for granted back in the States. We easily get frustrated when things don't go our way at work, while these people have two walkers for the whole hospital and barely any wheelchairs. A lot of things were really put into perspective today. After work, we decided to take a break before paperwork and dinner to play outside. Hannah, Ashley and Basil (one of our translators) played soccer while June, Michael and I played frisbee. Before we knew it, there were three local Haitian boys looking to join in our fun. So, we decided to invite them to play soccer with us (this was my first attempt at soccer...ever!) It was the four of us vs the boys and they've got game. Not only were they barefoot, but they pretty much ran circles around us. I may or may not have ended up on the ground during the game. They ended up winning by a goal, but regardless of who won, it was an absolute blast. We can't wait to play again tomorrow! We took a ton of pictures today but we can't post them until we have a laptop to post from. Today I realized how much we all take for granted every day, myself included, when these people don't even have a clean bed to lay on when they are sick and hurt. I was moved today by the strength these people have despite the struggles they endure every day. I thank God I live in a country where I know my needs will always be taken care of and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to help those in need. I hope people realize that the people of Haiti are not only in need, but they simply do not have the resources to help themselves. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!! -Callie