Hello everyone! My name is Lauren, I am a 4th year medical student from Peoria and this is my first trip to Haiti. This is something that I have always wanted to participate in and I was very fortunate to get the chance to come with the March team. Also as a “newbie” I get to be the first to write on the blog.
Just 24 hours since arriving in Haiti and my expectations have already been blown away. We have been very busy planning and organizing. Last night everyone got settled in and we unloaded what I felt like were millions of pills and other supplies. Then today we had our first day and it went very smooth. I believe we saw around 160 patients. I personally was jump starting the lab, but the few cases I saw were unbelievable. These included a partial burn due to a motorcycle and a very young child with malaria and scabies. Everyone including the rest of the team, the translators and the Haitians themselves have all been very welcoming and super friendly. After this successful day, we all ate dinner and are resting for another busy day tomorrow. Just one day down and I am already excited for the rest of the trip.