To Haiti and back

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  • San Juan Sun
    Kicked to the curb
    • Dec 2009
    • 9214
    #1

    To Haiti and back

    Just got back from Haiti. Our surgical team was composed of several surgeons, two surgery residents, several CRNAs, nurses, etc. We were gone for 10 days, saw literally hundreds of patients in a free clinic, performed around 80 surgeries, and staffed an field hospital while we were there. We barely made it back, as we had to hitch a ride on little private planes back to the Dominican Republic, and the ride back was a little scary.

    I've seen some impoverished areas of the world, but I am still stunned by the lack of resources I saw in Haiti. Perhaps this us due to the rampant corruption, which we saw plenty of too. (A Haitian surgeon was charging for surgeries we performed at the free clinic behind our backs.) The humanitarian effort seems to be slackening off quite a bit, and I really wonder long it will take Haiti to even come up to the living standards of it's Caribbean peers.

    I am amazed at the positive nature and toughness of the average Haitian. Their powers of pain tolerance are amazing. We would walk around at night with a big bottle of Vicodin, and there were several nights where no patient would take any pain meds. (No, I did not bring the bottle back with me.)

    Anyways, it was a cool trip, and I represented with my BYU scrub hat while there (My current avatar is me inserting some pins into a fractured leg). I feel very lucky and blessed to live in our wonderful country.
    "Sure, I fought. I had to fight all my life just to survive. They were all against me. Tried every dirty trick to cut me down, but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch."

    - Ty Cobb
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    • Jarid in Cedar
      CS Institutional Memory
      • Jun 2009
      • 13234
      #2
      SJS,

      Great story. I am glad that you were able to find an avenue and make an impact. Several of our peers tried to go, but couldn't hook up with a group that could actually get them into a situation to make an impact.
      "The first thing I learned upon becoming a head coach after fifteen years as an assistant was the enormous difference between making a suggestion and making a decision."

      "They talk about the economy this year. Hey, my hairline is in recession, my waistline is in inflation. Altogether, I'm in a depression."

      "I like to bike. I could beat Lance Armstrong, only because he couldn't pass me if he was behind me."

      -Rick Majerus

        Comment

        • RobinFinderson
          Banned
          • Nov 2008
          • 10548
          #3
          Welcome back, and thanks for the update.

            Comment

            • TripletDaddy
              sweet triple
              • Nov 2008
              • 58186
              #4
              San Juan Sun, what a great experience. Thanks for your service.
              Fitter. Happier. More Productive.
              sigpic

                Comment

                • Soccermom
                  Senior Member
                  • Nov 2008
                  • 4063
                  #5
                  What a great thing to do SJS. And very cool scrub hat.

                    Comment

                    • wuapinmon
                      Soul Plumber
                      • Dec 2008
                      • 30711
                      #6
                      Originally posted by San Juan Sun View Post
                      Just got back from Haiti. Our surgical team was composed of several surgeons, two surgery residents, several CRNAs, nurses, etc. We were gone for 10 days, saw literally hundreds of patients in a free clinic, performed around 80 surgeries, and staffed an field hospital while we were there. We barely made it back, as we had to hitch a ride on little private planes back to the Dominican Republic, and the ride back was a little scary.

                      I've seen some impoverished areas of the world, but I am still stunned by the lack of resources I saw in Haiti. Perhaps this us due to the rampant corruption, which we saw plenty of too. (A Haitian surgeon was charging for surgeries we performed at the free clinic behind our backs.) The humanitarian effort seems to be slackening off quite a bit, and I really wonder long it will take Haiti to even come up to the living standards of it's Caribbean peers.

                      I am amazed at the positive nature and toughness of the average Haitian. Their powers of pain tolerance are amazing. We would walk around at night with a big bottle of Vicodin, and there were several nights where no patient would take any pain meds. (No, I did not bring the bottle back with me.)

                      Anyways, it was a cool trip, and I represented with my BYU scrub hat while there (My current avatar is me inserting some pins into a fractured leg). I feel very lucky and blessed to live in our wonderful country.
                      Bless you, sir.
                      "Wuap's "problem" is that he is smart & principled & committed to a moral course of action. His actions are supposed to reflect his ethical code.
                      The rest of us rarely bother to think about our actions." --Solon

                        Comment

                        • Indy Coug
                          Heartless Bastard
                          • Dec 2008
                          • 18747
                          #7
                          SJS, how was the trip funded and supplied? Was it all self-funded, or did you work through a larger organization?
                          Everything in life is an approximation.

                          http://twitter.com/CougarStats

                            Comment

                            • San Juan Sun
                              Kicked to the curb
                              • Dec 2009
                              • 9214
                              #8
                              Thanks to all for the good wishes. Honestly, it was pretty easy to say yes. My hospital paid for the flight and I invited to go (and they didn't even make me use vacation time), all I really needed to do was say yes. I suspect that most of us would have no problems going considering how set up everything was.

                              We hooked up with a NGO (non-governmental ogranization) that has been working in Haiti since the earthquake. They found us a location on the southern coast of Haiti near Jacmel. The NGO and a privcate evangelical group run the camp and provided us with food/facilities/cots. All we had to do was show up.
                              "Sure, I fought. I had to fight all my life just to survive. They were all against me. Tried every dirty trick to cut me down, but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch."

                              - Ty Cobb

                                Comment

                                • falafel
                                  loves to talk on things
                                  • Mar 2009
                                  • 38030
                                  #9
                                  That's an awesome story SJS. You should post more around here, but it seems like you've got more important things going on.
                                  Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

                                  Dig your own grave, and save!

                                  "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

                                  "I know that you are one of the cool and 'edgy' BYU fans" -- Wally

                                  GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

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