This is my third mission trip to Haiti, and it still affects me. I think I know what I will see, but I never truly know what to expect. The poverty is unmatched by many other countries. Being a country with very little money means that the people will suffer with hardly anyone to help […]
Posts in the Voices from the Clinic category:
The House of Life: Chapter 2
I have been blessed to come to Haiti with FOTCOH six times now as a non-medical volunteer. I have been especially blessed to have a daughter of mine come with me for the first time on this trip. I love experiencing what has become routine for me through eyes that are experiencing Haiti, and the […]
The House of Life: Chapter 1
Today was a good day. We saw lots of patients, many of whom were getting better. The most remarkable patient I saw was a woman with diabetes and hypertension. I told my interpreter, Yougains, that her blood sugar was out of control, and her blood pressure was even higher. Although the patient did not speak […]
You Can Help in Haiti
I am on my 10th trip to Haiti with FOTCOH and am co-leader of this team. I started coming in November of 2010. I still to this day cannot get over the level of poverty in this country. Driving through Port-au-Prince to make our way over the mountains I look at the piles of trash […]
The Reality of Medical Care in Haiti
We are 3 days into a 2-week medical mission trip in Haiti, near Jacmel, where a 2-week clinic is held 6 times per year. I saw a very sick 6-month-old baby today. The mother had no idea how sick this child was. Most likely this small Haitian patient probably had bronchiolitis – resp rate of […]
Incredible Beauty in Haiti
In Haiti it is easy to focus on the difficulties and disease that you see, smell and hear from the moment you arrive. BUT . . . there is incredible beauty here. The mountains and ocean are breathtaking. Interestingly, I am not convinced that we are truly any happier here in the U.S. with all […]
A Hectic Day at the Clinic
Today felt more like an emergency department. We saw some serious conditions. One of my early patients of the day had walked a long way on a bad diabetic foot. She had a toe amputated about two weeks ago but the foot was bleeding and very painful. After treatment, she walked home. It is difficult to […]
A First-time Volunteer Story
This is my first trip to Haiti. Just getting here was a test of my commitment and endurance. The September team was to leave for Haiti on September 9th. However, Irma got in our way. She shut down the Miami airport and we were unable to leave the US for Haiti. We made another attempt […]
Forming Lifelong Bonds
Out to crowd, make selections, see and treat. This is the cycle of the clinic day. Most of us start the morning going to the 3rd floor balcony watching the sun rise over this beautiful creation from God. The sun always looks like it is right behind the mountains until you look behind you and […]
Evidence of Our Love
“You can give without loving, but can not love without giving.”–Robert Lewis Stevenson What does that mean? John 3:16 states, “For God so LOVED the world that he GAVE his only son.” Those that decide to come to Haiti to work at clinic usually all are moved by some passion or desire to genuinely help […]