Hey everyone!
Well tonight is our last night in Haiti :(. It's definitely ab otter sweet moment. We just had the lighting of the moose (sparklers in a metal moose) to celebrate our last night and a successful trip! To catch you up on our adventures the last two days ill start with yesterday. Karen from Carem Deo drove us through the countryside and went to a orphanage owned by a Haitian couple. There we took turns providing therapy on the handicap kids while Kyle and the oldest member of the orphanage worked on wheelchairs and the first years took turns helping. We got quite a few different cases which was nice yet challenging. Today we went to a clinic just down the road run by a lady named Chris. She truly cares about the kids at her orphanage and ran a wonderful home. The December trip had visited her as well so we worked to adjust more wheelchairs and provide the treatment plans laided out by the group. We also made edits and additions as necessary. Tonight we discussed ways to make this trip more sustainable in the future with much success. I definitely want to and look forward to returning to Haiti and working with Ed again in the near future! This has been a great experience for me. Until next time....
No big deal...just saving lives!!!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Clinic Day 2
Hey everyone!
Today was our second full clinic day. Today Ed and Chris dropped us off at Village Espoir (Village of Hope in English), which is a school and orphanage for disabled children and young adults (the oldest was 29). Of the 27 kids, we got to work with 10 of the older children with more complex issues. Pretty much all of the children were in wheelchairs or beds attached to wheels, so they all get very little exercise. Thus, we saw a lot of contractures (some very severe) and very poor trunk control. The first years worked in teams of two while Kyle and our translator Charles went back and forth. The teams would evaluate one of the children and develop a short plan of care to improve the child's quality of life. Once that was done, the teams reviewed the plans of care and how to perform them with the organizations exercise specialists. They were sooooo thankful and it felt so great to see their appreciation. It was a very interesting time to see how bad some of the kids were and the conditions they lived in. We all had some highs a d lows today but I think I can speak for all of us when I say it was very rewarding. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have this opportunity and can't wait to come back and work with Ed!
Tomorrow we head out to another orphanage about an hour away. Karen from Carem Deo is going to transport us there so Ed and Chris do not waste Clinic time. I'm hoping we all continue to get better and learn much more! But for now...
No big deal...just saving lives!!
Today was our second full clinic day. Today Ed and Chris dropped us off at Village Espoir (Village of Hope in English), which is a school and orphanage for disabled children and young adults (the oldest was 29). Of the 27 kids, we got to work with 10 of the older children with more complex issues. Pretty much all of the children were in wheelchairs or beds attached to wheels, so they all get very little exercise. Thus, we saw a lot of contractures (some very severe) and very poor trunk control. The first years worked in teams of two while Kyle and our translator Charles went back and forth. The teams would evaluate one of the children and develop a short plan of care to improve the child's quality of life. Once that was done, the teams reviewed the plans of care and how to perform them with the organizations exercise specialists. They were sooooo thankful and it felt so great to see their appreciation. It was a very interesting time to see how bad some of the kids were and the conditions they lived in. We all had some highs a d lows today but I think I can speak for all of us when I say it was very rewarding. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have this opportunity and can't wait to come back and work with Ed!
Tomorrow we head out to another orphanage about an hour away. Karen from Carem Deo is going to transport us there so Ed and Chris do not waste Clinic time. I'm hoping we all continue to get better and learn much more! But for now...
No big deal...just saving lives!!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Clinic Day 1
Hey Everyone!
Today we went to Ed's clinic at Coram Deo. We saw a few patients with lower extremity pain, a patient with upper extremity pain, one with lower back pain, and a toddler with hydrocephalus. We evaluated each patient and sent them home with a few stretches and/or exercises we thought would benefit them.
We also saw a woman with myasthenia gravis who has been bound to a wheel chair for the majority of her life. Kyle had worked with this woman last year and he and his team were able to get her standing. She hadn't stood up since that time and we were able to get her standing again! It was such a rewarding experience for us first years.
At first we (the first years) were very hesitant and our thoughts were scattered, but Kyle helped to calm us down and get us on track. We were all feeling more confident by the end of the day and are looking forward to what tomorrow has to bring!!
Thanks for reading and thinking about us. :)
No big deal...just saving lives!
Today we went to Ed's clinic at Coram Deo. We saw a few patients with lower extremity pain, a patient with upper extremity pain, one with lower back pain, and a toddler with hydrocephalus. We evaluated each patient and sent them home with a few stretches and/or exercises we thought would benefit them.
We also saw a woman with myasthenia gravis who has been bound to a wheel chair for the majority of her life. Kyle had worked with this woman last year and he and his team were able to get her standing. She hadn't stood up since that time and we were able to get her standing again! It was such a rewarding experience for us first years.
At first we (the first years) were very hesitant and our thoughts were scattered, but Kyle helped to calm us down and get us on track. We were all feeling more confident by the end of the day and are looking forward to what tomorrow has to bring!!
Thanks for reading and thinking about us. :)
No big deal...just saving lives!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Sunday Jan. 6th 2013!!
Hey guys just wanted to check in and give everyone an update on what we've done so far this Sunday. The Haitians really believe in Sunday as a day of rest so we didn't go to any clinics but we started off our day by walking down the street as a group in order to go to Ed's church. The service was completely in English so that was nice and there were also a lot of missionaries that were there too. After we came back to the house and changed real quick in order to ride to The Ministry Haiti Feeding Station. when we arrived there were so many kids grabbing our hands and smiling. Of course Kyle fell behind from playing around with the kids but we went in and saw the wound care station and the pharmacy. So some of us helped out in there with Ed and the other Haitian nurses that worked there. The rest of us helped feeding the children by passing out plates of rice and beans. It was very hectic ecspecially because we don't know Creole, therefore I was so lost when they tried to talk to us. Once we finished helping out there we went to Ep'idor for lunch which is we're Ed let us experience on our own. It's kind of interesting in that you pick your food then pay for it and then you are given a receipt and you then have to go find someone that will fill your order. Ps the Haitians don't believe in lines so this makes the whole experience a little more challenging but we all managed to order Haitian food and enjoy all of it! Then on our way home we stopped and bought mangos and bananas from street vendor and then came back to Ed's. So then after a little puppy time :D Erica and I are writing this blog while Kyle, Lydia, and Nate are participating in their second day of P90X!!
No big deal... Saving lives!! :)
No big deal... Saving lives!! :)
Saturday, January 5, 2013
We've Arrived!!
Hey Everyone!
We made it!! We arrived yesterday around 2 pm. Ed met us at the airport and took us out to lunch. The girls (Melissa, Lydia and myself) rode in the back of Ed's caged truck. It as a very bumpy ride and we said we can never complain about the pot holes in America again. After lunch we came to Ed's house. We took at tour of the house and met his dogs (all 5 of them!) and the three little puppies. :) We spent the rest of the evening/night in the rocking chairs on the back patio chatting and learning about Haitian culture. His cook, Lucianne, made us pizzas for dinner. Some of the best pizza I've ever had.
Today we enjoyed a wonderful french toast breakfast that Ed made us. After breakfast a tap-tap came to pick us up and we were able to see some the beautiful sites in Haiti. We went to a mountain side outlook and saw all of Port-au-prince from above. It was a wonderful view!! It took us a while to work up the courage, but we bartered with some street vendors for some paintings. After the look out we went to Haiti Baptist Missions where we did some more souvenir shopping. We ate lunch at the Tea Terrace where Ed ran into a friend who need help from some PT's to help with a special needs orphan. We followed Ed's friend to God's Little Angels (his ministry in Haiti). We evaluated Abigail (the little girl) and are devising a plan of care to give her care givers. We loved working with her and seeing all the children. Tonight we are having Haitian chicken that Lucianne has cooked for us!
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! We love you!
Erica and Melissa
We made it!! We arrived yesterday around 2 pm. Ed met us at the airport and took us out to lunch. The girls (Melissa, Lydia and myself) rode in the back of Ed's caged truck. It as a very bumpy ride and we said we can never complain about the pot holes in America again. After lunch we came to Ed's house. We took at tour of the house and met his dogs (all 5 of them!) and the three little puppies. :) We spent the rest of the evening/night in the rocking chairs on the back patio chatting and learning about Haitian culture. His cook, Lucianne, made us pizzas for dinner. Some of the best pizza I've ever had.
Today we enjoyed a wonderful french toast breakfast that Ed made us. After breakfast a tap-tap came to pick us up and we were able to see some the beautiful sites in Haiti. We went to a mountain side outlook and saw all of Port-au-prince from above. It was a wonderful view!! It took us a while to work up the courage, but we bartered with some street vendors for some paintings. After the look out we went to Haiti Baptist Missions where we did some more souvenir shopping. We ate lunch at the Tea Terrace where Ed ran into a friend who need help from some PT's to help with a special needs orphan. We followed Ed's friend to God's Little Angels (his ministry in Haiti). We evaluated Abigail (the little girl) and are devising a plan of care to give her care givers. We loved working with her and seeing all the children. Tonight we are having Haitian chicken that Lucianne has cooked for us!
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! We love you!
Erica and Melissa
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
T minus 5 days...
Hey everybody- We leave in t minus 5 days!! I'm excited and a little nervous (okay, A LOT nervous :) ) I can't wait!!!
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