Day 8: Team Revive

            Today was an emotional day for Team Revive. We started the day with devotion and then it was goodbye to Hopital Luminere and off on a hunt to find Cadet (whose name, we found out is actually Evanel – his last name is Cadet). Sina, an LPN and our rehab tech for the week happened to live in Cadet’s town and knew where we could find him. We were all equipped with our supplies for Cadet. We were not sure what he would be able to use, as we heard that he had been declining since discharge, but we were ready to help him in whatever way we could. Once we reached his town, we found Cadet’s sister at the market and she led us back to their house. The trip to Cadet’s was over a ¼ mile through large fields of corn and sugar cane and was definitely not very accessible. Unfortunately, when we reached Cadet’s we realized that he was not in good condition. He had pressure sores on his sacrum, both greater trochanters, and his feet, and appeared to be in severe respiratory distress. He was wheezing and you could hear the crackles in his lings without a stethoscope. Doctor June said that he now had pneumonia. We cleaned and dressed his wounds then attempted to reposition him but he became increasingly distressed so we positioned him so that he would be as comfortable as possible. We educated his sister as best we could and provided her with wound care supplies. Cadet would need IV antibiotics from a hospital for the pneumonia but at this point it was unlikely that he would be able to make the trip. It seemed that all that was left for us to do was gather around and pray at Cadet’s bedside. We prayed that God provide Cadet and his family and friends with strength and peace and that Cadet could be made as comfortable as possible. I have never experienced being with someone so close to passing and I pray that I never have to experience it again. We left Cadet’s home with heavy hearts and a new appreciation and understanding for how dire the need for supplies, resources, education and sustainable improvements in medical care are here in Haiti.

            After that home visit, we all really needed to relax and clear our heads so we went to Coconut Beach.  The view was beautiful and exactly what we all needed. After the beach, it was back to Les Cayes for some moving, dinner, showers, and bed.

We also got to see Sina’s home today and meet his wife and beautiful 5 month old daughter. Sina has a great heart and love for his family and was so proud for us to meet them. We are really going to miss him! He will make a great PT one day.

-Valdora

Team Revive with Sinah and his family

Coconut Beach