Be prepared… it’s a long one :)
So we’ve been working in the Cholera Treatment Center (CTC) since Sunday, which I have to say has been quite the experience. The first day I thought, wow that was crazy… and then Monday happened. I had written an entire post about the day on Monday night, but as I went to post it, it disappeared :( I will try and recapture it to the best of my ability.
I think I’ve broken every American healthcare rule so far this week. No isolation, no double checks, no patient ID bands or labels, minimal glove use, reusing, recapping, respiking… the list could go on! We have very limited resources, meaning we often don’t have what we need to give the best care. Well, never if you were going by American standards. I have always said that Haiti forces you into simplicity, and when it comes to healthcare there is no exception. In most cases, I have thought of this simplicity as a positive thing. This week I long for just a bit more.
The first day at the CTC was pretty slow until the end when three of our kids got pretty sick. We did what we could and prayed for them before leaving. Knowing they needed more care than we could give, was heart wrenching. Working in the states, I don’t know what that’s like. Yet in Haiti, it is almost always the case. We came back in the morning to an improved bunch of kids, and one new one that trumped every concern from the previous night. This sweet girl was the sickest, most dehydrated and malnourished child I’d ever seen. When I looked at her it was surreal, as if I had been transported into one of those commercials I’d see late at night, thinking I should give money to feed that child; never thinking I’d be holding her. But there she was, and soon after we arrived we realized we needed to quickly get fluids into her or she would die. Her access from the night was lost, so we placed a feeding tube and I pushed oral rehydration solution (ORS) into it while we searched for a vein. How she kept all of that down without vomiting, I do not know. But it saved her and I give credit to Jesus. Through the many attempts for an IV I just prayed, pushed ORS, and watched stomach rise and fall, convinced it was going to stop. But it didn’t. And after close to an hour, we had an IV. I spent a lot of time at her bedside that day; she did a good job of keeping us all pretty busy. She had moments of looking a bit better, but when it came time for us to leave, she was not doing well. I hated leaving her, but we had done everything we could with what we had. Such an awful, uneasy feeling. We prayed for her, and with tears, got up to leave. As we were leaving, I took a final peek at this precious girl: so small and wasted, lying on her cot struggling to breathe; an adult size mask on her tiny face, administering oxygen from an almost empty tank; two IV’s in her arms and a tube in her nose. And then I walked away and into the torrential downpour outside. People think my job at home is sad, ha.
God has been teaching me a lot about what it means to really depend on him. The people of Haiti live in so much need, and I think, “have I really ever been desperate for Jesus?” I’ve had to fully lean on him multiple times this trip, learning more and more to trust… learning more and more that he is sufficient. And I am not. In one of the moments this week when I didn’t want to leave the clinic, God helped me realize that though we leave, God stays. And what better hands to be in?
We found out the next morning that they transferred her overnight to a pediatric hospital that provides the best care a child can get here. I’m not sure what that means, but I know it’s way better than what the CTC could do for her. But I miss her… and I want to know how she is! The following days have been busy but not quite so eventful. I really have enjoyed it, but the days are long and I am looking forward to our day off on Saturday. I’m sure we’ll find something fun and relaxing to do :) I miss the MDL kids and staff a lot. Paula and I talk about them daily. We’ve been meeting great people here too, and I think this experience is invaluable. I’ll write more another day, since this post is miles long.
Thank you for reading this… I feel your prayers and love your encouragement! Please feel free to contact me while I’m gone, I can’t believe we’re already almost half way done. My heart and mind are processing mountains of stuff, so please continue your prayers for me, for Paula, for the long-term staff we have met, and for the people of Haiti who need soooo much… especially Jesus. Love to you all!
