Day 2: Team Restore

This morning we were awoken early by the sounds of roosters crowing aka nature's own alarm clock. We are staying in the MTI team house where June, the PT we are working with lives. The building is a three story compound that houses the clinic, volunteer housing, and June which is all protected by an armed guard. We ate breakfast which was prepared by the house cook Marie. We spend the rest of our morning organizing the supplies we had brought, as well as some of the other medical equipment June had in her storeroom. The Haiti Advantage Program is in the process of moving to a new location and everything needs to be moved to the new location. There is another team of three men from Tennessee staying in the house who are helping with the construction of the new clinic. After lunch, Marie took us out for a walk down the street. The streets are packed with vendors making it hard to navigate between the crowds, motorcycles, and cars. People have booths set up selling anything and everything. Along our way, Marie introduced us to some former and present patients of June's. One girl we met had her foot amputated by her mother because she didn't like that one of her feet was bigger than the other. Another girl was being pushed by her friend in a wheelchair with no cushion or legs rests. Marie told us the girl had been complaining of leg pain and went to the doctor. They started doing all kinds of surgery on her leaving her paralyzed and unable to walk. The stories of these people are unbelievable, but even more so that these people are so happy. They have huge smiles and greet you with such enthusiasm and kindness. After our walk, June took us to the building where the new clinic is being renovated. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning which seemed like it was an impossible task. No matter how much you would scrub, the dirt would keep multiplying. We did take a break and climbed a 32 foot ladder up three stories to the roof of the building where we could see a view of the coast. So beautiful! After a long day, we are now relaxing and reflecting on the past two days and what more we could do to make a difference, not just for the people of Haiti, but for June and her program. She is such an amazing lady and has done such great things here for the Haitian people. It is refreshing to meet someone who is so driven to make a difference who has answered the call she received to serve those less fortunate. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! -Ashley