‘More Patients Than We Could Keep Track of’: Good Neighbor Pat Moore Reports From Haiti
Below are more updates from 2007 Good Neighbor Award winner Pat Moore, who is aiding earthquake survivors in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Bon Repos, Haiti – 9:45 p.m., Feb. 2, 2010
Today may have been the most productive day thus far on this trip. We packed our medical bag with all of the essentials and set out on foot with a couple of EMTs from Minnesota to help those who were ill or injured in and around Bon Repos. Almost as soon as we left we started seeing people in need. The need ranged from simple scrapes and bruises in need of cleaning and bandaging, to missing fingers and gashes that were severely infected that required much more serious attention.
Halfway through the day, we met a scout platoon from HHC 1325 Airborne, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Airborne. The platoon leader, Staff Sergeant Hill, asked us if we could assist them in locating orphanages and tent cities that were off of the main roads. Specifically, they were hoping that our interpreter—Roosevelt—could help them communicate with the local Haitians. We spent the rest of the day visiting tent cities with them—they assessed the food and water situation while we assessed and addressed the medical needs. We served more patients than we could keep track of.
However, the most memorable patient that we cared for today, was an 11–year-old girl with a severely infected arm. She had multiple gashes, some with old stitches, that had been less than adequately cared for and the infection had spread. We were able to remove the stitches, clean out the infection, give her an injection of strong antibiotics, and place her on 10 days of oral antibiotics as well. Given the severity of the infection when she arrived, she very easily could have lost her arm, or possibly even her life, if she had not received care.
There were many other patients who were in dire need when we arrived, and we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to serve them today. Everyone who helped make this trip possible should also share in the joy of being able to make a difference here in Haiti. At the end of the day, Staff Sergeant Hill, asked us to meet them tomorrow at their Divisional Headquarters at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow to assist them in determining the best method and locations to start distributing food in the Bon Repos area. What an opportunity!
Bon Repos, Haiti – 9:25 p.m., Feb. 3, 2010
We started the day by treating a couple of walk-up patients at our clinic—a severe burn victim and a man with a lacerated finger. Since we were running a little late after treating those patients, we elected to ride by motorcycle tap-tap to the 82nd Airborne’s Headquarters in Port-au-Prince for an “invitation-only” meeting to discuss the food, medical, and logistical needs on the ground in Haiti.
Following the meeting, we waited inside the compound for a while, and ended up meeting with Major Pierce, the second-in-command in the Brigade. He agreed to send us back to our orphanage with some additional supplies. Before we knew it, we were riding with the 82nd Airborne back to our orphanage with three HMMWVs [High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, aka “Humvee”] full of food and supplies. The soldiers actually hopped out of the Hummers and helped unpack all of the supplies, before spending time playing with the kids and letting them play on the vehicles. You should have seen the kids’ faces (as well as the soldiers’) as they honked the horn and turned the steering wheel. The 82nd Airborne made these kids’ day, and they should be recognized for the outstanding job that they are doing.
Later in the day, we visited the Samaritan’s Purse’s Compound in Tietian, just past Cite Soleil, where we were able to pick up an entire Jeep full of food and supplies for another nearby orphanage and a small tent city located just outside Bishop Capre’s home in Petion-Ville. We are looking forward to delivering those supplies to both locations tomorrow.
Tomorrow evening, Andrew (Jacobson, co-director, The Harvest of Haiti) is hoping to catch a military flight out of Port-au-Prince back to the Unites States so he can arrive home on Friday. Pat will be continuing the mission for another week in Haiti. More updates to come.
Previous Updates:
[...] ‘More Patients Than We Could Keep Track of’ [...]