Last Day

Croissants and pineapples for breakfast and then they forgot about us for lunch.  So we had left over biscuits with peanut butter and bananas.  Dinner was beef (i hope) shishkabobs, rice and some sauce.
We had plans to go shopping this am, and then the girl in charge came in and said she heard from all the other organizations in the area, that they were on lock down because of the announcement that Jean Wyclef  could not be a candidate for presidency.  So, OK, that makes sense to me.  The next thing I know, we're going shopping.  Absolutely a double xanax moment!!  There was no issues ( or I missed them due to my dbl xanax, stupor).  We went to one artsy shop and bought some things and then wanted to go to another place but they didn't open til 10am (which was the time that they said if there was going to be riots, it would start then).  So, we should go back, right? Nope, off to a hotel down the block for drinks until the second place opened.  The second place was worth the wait (and possible loss of life).  Bought a bunch of other stuff and then headed back to wait for the others.
One of the therapists in my group new a Haitian young man that she met vacationing in the Dominican Republic, and became friends with him over the years. He came over to see her today and brought his cousin and his dad.  His dad was a Tap Tap driver before the quake.  His Tap Tap was destroyed and he's been out of work since.

This was his Tap Tap before the quake

The friend said he needs about $3000 American dollars to get another one.  If he can get a replacement he can again support his family, as well as employ the 2 others that were working for him and help out his extended family.

The Dad is the guy in the back

So, the 3 of us are going to try to raise the $ to help get a replacement Tap Tap and western union the money to the son.  Part of me is skeptical as to if this is really true and a bigger part of me believes it is.  I think doing something like this would be more beneficial than what I did coming out here.  If it does go to really getting the dad back on his feet, we would be helping get at least 3 families more self sufficient.
They finally got in around 3:30 and they were whiny and tired.  Actually, they had the more challenging trip.  5+ hours in a car over crappy roads to get back today.  Full days in the lab starting at 7am until 8pm every night and then having to walk home.  They fit many spinal cord patients and 1 upper extremity pt.
It was great to have them back and hear all there stories.  I think everyone is ready to go home and anxious to see our families.

Day ? Friday

Woke up with nothing to do.  So I had a nice leisurely breakfast of fruit and dry shredded wheat and started reading my book.  IM’d with Mary and Anthony for awhile and then headed out to check out the Healing Hands complex.  It’s fairly large and walled in.  They hope to rebuild the lab  down the hill , so I thought I’ld take a stroll down there to look around. 

The view from above

The top is stairs, the things that look like rocks on the bottom, I think is ice!

I didn’t fall, but I surely would have won something on America’s Funniest Video if only someone was taping me.  It starts off with some stairs, that then turn into rocks and then into ice or something!  At 53 I still have amazing balance.  And this was with a bottle of water in one hand and a camera in the other (and I didn’t loose either). 

Healing Hands has a donation from the International Red Cross to build an out patient O & P facility that if they get the governments approval can possibly start in November.   Al Ingersoll is the Prosthetist here running the organization and we had an interesting conversation.  He has many people that would like to come down here to help, but he is turning them away (and for good reason).  I feel my time here was more valuable for the technical help I provided (doing the grunt work).  The teaching is nice, but  I only had 4 days.  The staff did a great job in mimicking my casting technique, but we only had time to modify 2 casts.  My fear is that the first time they fit someone that has a problem with this technique, they will scrap it and go back to their previous technique.  Without someone there to work with them on this for at least 6 months, I would be willing to bet they will not continue to use it.  They are partnering with Handicapped International that has brought in the practitioners from El Salvador to help teach them.  This is a long term project and the end result will be a self sustaining O & P facility run by the Haitians.  This is exactly what Eric and David have done with ROMP.  Without David having stayed in Guatemala for at least a year, their facility in Zacapa would not be what it is today (which is a self sustaining facility run by Guatemalans).  Now they have practitioners go down a couple times per year to help them with some of the more challenging cases.  I think this is truly what is needed here as well.  Interested in doing it again David?  Practitioners that want to help here in Haiti have to come to assist in the technical work.  Once it’s self sustaining, then they can come down to help work with more difficult cases.

I’m off my soap box now and ready to discuss lunch.  Haitian Pasta and fresh biscuits!  Had I known this is what they have for lunch everyday, I would have never gone to the lab.  
Dinner was conch.  It was some kind of a stew which was pretty good, along with more fried something.

It looked better in the stew

Tomorrow we go shopping in the am and then the rest of the gang should be back by the afternoon.  They've really been out roughing it.  I was able to come back to a place with a pool and a beer every night.  So there's sure to be dissension among the group.  Let's hope they're adult about it.  Ha Ha, we got a pool and beer, and you didn't.

Day 27?

Another interesting day in Haiti! Breakfast was croissants and fruit, nuts for lunch, and then meat over rice with vegetables. Dinner again was very good.

The road leading out to the street.  Takes a running head start when wet.

Goats eating the garbage on the right

The driver was late today, so instead of being at the lab at 8:15, I got there around 9:30. As most of you know, I’m not a big fan of changes. Today, the driver took a different route to the lab through some more interesting areas. Another double xanax ride.

Mary, this Lexus hasn't been used since the quake.  Think I can get it for cheap

Once at the lab things went the best so far. Started out helping the technicians cut out about 20 sockets. Then I helped work with them on casting patients. It is truly amazing how quickly they grasped the technique.
It’s unfortunate that my time here is so short, because I feel I could show them so much.

Learning the Scheck Way

Today, it seemed like they really wanted to know my opinion more. There was a young boy with a brace that they asked me what I would do. I told them I would call Ron (the brace guy at my lab). But then was able to give them advise that could help him. The driver came to pick me up about an hour earlier than usual today. As I was leaving the staff told me that the lab is closed tomorrow because of the announcements of the candidates for the presidency. It appears the American Haitian singer guy may be told tomorrow that he can’t run. He is backed by all the “gangs” in Haiti, so there is a concern for the staff to be out. That means I have nothing to do until Sunday when I fly home.

The guys from Handicapped International that I taught

I have been thinking of running for president here though. There is all this stuff in warehouses that could benefit the people that is being held up for various political reasons. My platform is going to be that I will let all the stuff that was donated go to where it was donated to. Then I’ll quit.
The place where I’m staying is pretty busy tonight. A few journalist from the Toronto Star that have been staying at a hotel, are here tonight. Jennifer Wells is the columnist that has been here for the past few weeks (she’s supposed to be very well known). Since they have to leave early tomorrow am, they are all staying here. There’s also an electrical engineer from the air force. But they will all be gone early tomorrow am. Then it’s back to the skeleton crew until the others come back on Saturday.
Another thunderstorm tonight. Not as violent as the last one, and it’s cooling things off. Very loud because of the tin roofs here though. The streets should be clean again tomorrow.

Is this day 4?

I think I'm on day 4.  I keep forgetting to get pictures of my meals like Ellen does, but this mornings breakfast was porridge.  ???!!  So, I had some pineapple and toast, for lunch I did my mixed nuts again.  Dinner was actually very good.  Fish over rice with a great sauce.  The drive in to the lab was as wacky as every, but yesterdays rain actually cleaned things up (if u can imagine).  So there's still all the rubble and buildings down, but its cleaner.

I fit the young girl I used to teach my casting technique on.  There is a prosthetic God, because it fit very well.  She was able to walk for the first time with an artificial knee using only one hand. The technicians I've taught have also tried casting with the new technique, and did incredibly well.  I think I'll go into teaching full time.

The guy in charge came back from a vacation today.  He's real nice and is down here with his wife rebuilding the lab that was lost in the quake.  He is getting an apartment that will cost $2000/month.  If he wants to live in a safe area with everything functioning, that's what he has to pay.  He could live pretty well anywhere in the US for 2K (it's not a big place).  Pretty amazing guy.  Found out they haven't had many prosthetists going to this lab because of previous problems.  He told me today that they like me though, so maybe they'll start letting others back in.
Showed the girl in charge my bug bites and she thinks they are bed bugs.  I don't think they are, but she offered me a private room.  So, I goin with the bed bugs.  The 2 English guys are real nice that I was sharing a room with, but private bath or share with 3.........?

Went swimming when I got back from the lab, before dinner.  It's really crazy swimming in an in ground pool, knowing on the other side of the wall is utter poverty.  I still go swimming though.

Gonna download some of the pics from today and then go to bed!

Day 3 (a little something different)

Very interesting day today.  Started out much better.  First thing I did was teach my modification technique for above the knee prostheses.  Then I worked with a couple of the technicians to cast a patient with my technique.  They really learn fast.  People are starting to ask my opinion on things, trying to make me feel like they like me.  I sure hope the patients I fit work, or the little respect I've gained will be out the window. The hardest thing is the language barrier.  The technicians here as well as the staff are either Spanish speaking of French (Creole sp).  So everyone's talking and laughing and I don't know what the f..  heck they are talking about.  All in all the day went good.  OK, how about the end of the day you ask??  Well the thunderstorm hit around 4pm.  I can't adequately describe the usual chaos here.  Throw in a major thunderstorm and it was unbelievable.  Back home in a major thunderstorm, everyone tries to get inside.  Here they just move faster because there's no place to get inside to.  Garbage and water was rushing by the front of the lab where I'm at, and the people are walking thru it and trying to avoid the Mario Cart drivers.  It's mind boggling!   My hardest day back home would be a walk in the park for the people here.  Foods better today since they got a new chef.  New guys in my room from England that run an NGO to try to connect groups and companies.

Day 2

Is it Sunday yet??  Long hot day today.  Driving thru Port-au-Prince to get to the lab and looking at all the destruction would lead you to believe the earthquake was yesterday.  Prior to the earthquake, I would guess most of the amputees were from car accidents.  The majority of people walk and the drivers are like mario cart drivers!  1st day at the prosthetic lab was a little disorganized.  ROMP is so much more organized.  I had to keep asking people for things to do.  In the end, I took 3 casts and modified 2.  Taught 20 students how i take impressions for a certain level of amputation and will teach them how to modify it tomorrow.  They are all very eager to learn.  When I don't know what I'm talking about or don't understand them, I talk real fast and everyone is lost.  But they always smile. The lab was incredibly hot (had to be in the 90's inside).  Drinking alot of water (bottled).  Hopefully things will run smoother (and cooler) tomorrow. Dinner for tomorrow is going to be the rooster that crows a 3:30 in the am.  The next day, it will be the dogs that keep barking

Day 1

Got to Haiti and it's hotter than Haiti!!!   The city is a real mess!  Rubble all over and pretty crazy drivers.  The place we are staying is nice.  No air but fans.  Dinner was spicy chicken salad and boiled potatoes with some kind of casserole with cheese.  Guess what I didn't eat.  We do have a pool tho next to alot of rubble.  Got in it tonight after dinner and it really helps with the heat!  The work starts tomorrow.  I'm the only one from the group going to the clinic.  Should be an interesting day.

Day Before the Big Day

Getting ready to leave tomorrow.  Still have to pack and have dinner with my folks for their anniversary tonight.  The weather is going to be consistent for the week in Haiti.  Rain and thunderstorms upper 90's.  I'm usually not a big fan of change, but sun and 78 degrees with a lite breeze would be good.  So far, I'm the only one on this blog.  Ellen has a crap load more followers, so please tell any and all of your friends.