HAITI 9-01

Ann and I spent the week staying in the home of a missionary who is on furlough.  This is the front yard of the house where we stayed. The hospital is directly across the street.

Ann enjoyed working with June Hanks the physical therapist who is working in Haiti for six months. She worked with patients and was able to coordinate the clinic and help keep it running smoothly by Haitian standards.

June, Ann, and I hosted the medical staff for dessert and fellowship. Ann took supplies to make brownies and lemon squares which we served with coffee and iced tea - a very unusual drink to Haitians.   It seemed to be a real encouragement to the missionaries and the local staff.

Bernabe Micheline is a 32 year old lady who had a car accident and lost a segment from her tibia several years ago. Since then, she has been unable to bear weight on her leg.  Regenerations, a company that has provided graft material for us in the past, gave us a segment of freeze dried tibia to replace the defect. Pray that the graft will unite and she will be able to walk.   Haiti is a society where non-walkers can't survive.

Rickets, caused by a lack of vitamin D, is a common disease in the malnourished children of Haiti. This young girl with knock-knees (genu valgum), on x-ray was found to have full blown rickets. This can be treated with calcium and vitamin D.

This child was born with no breast bone (sternum). She is having trouble breathing. Hopefully we will be able to get her the surgical treatment to repair the defect.  Congenital deformities, malnutrition, infection and trauma are the most common problems we see at the hospital.

Monaville is a hospital employee who has been learning how to do casting and is helping me in the clinic and hospital.  He invited Ann and me to visit his family. This is his mother, wife, sister and daughter.  On our visit he gave us a bag of coffee beans he had grown and roasted on an open fire.