Silva, Wilner and Kola

Stacy, Silva's mom, Silva and the prosthetic team.

Trapped under the rubble for two days while her mother stood by pleading for someone to help, listening the whole time to her 6 year old daughters’ fading cries, Silva was one of the thousands who lost a limb in the earthquake. She lives in a tented city. It’s where she lived before the quake and it’s where she lives now. Stacy and I met her while doing relief work back in April. She was supplied with crutches and learned how to manage pretty well considering the obstacle course that is Port-Au-Prince. Crutches are a little more challenging here, especially in a tented city. The ground is rubble (and there is a lot more of it now); rubble and cracks and pits and all kinds of crevices that make maneuvering difficult for those of us with both legs. While here this time, Stacy ran into an Israeli group set up at General Hospital, fitting people with prosthetic limbs. She remembered the little girl and asked if we could find her, would they get her fitted with a new leg. “Absolutely”, they said. Yesterday morning, we got in the pickup and headed over to the hospital, picked up two members of the prosthetic team and drove to the neighborhood we remembered seeing the girl. We did not know her name so it would have been an impossible mission if Stacy had not taken a photo of her with her iPhone. We showed the photo to a few people and we were led right to her. What are the odds of that? The 2 women told the little girl and her mother what could be done and they flew into their tent, quickly bathed (in a bucket outside their tent) and got into their best clothes. They were both in disbelief (so was I – that we actually found her). We drove them over to the hospital, she was examined and fitted and that was that. The biggest obstacle right now is that most of the prosthetic limbs that have been donated and shipped over from Israel are stuck in customs. What the @#*% is Customs gonna do with them! That’s Haiti; always a fight.

After the earthquake, there were hundreds of amputations performed on the street, in buildings and curbside. People were trapped and the only way for them to get free was amputation. During the first few days (weeks even), there was no anesthesia. There was some morphine but many amputations were done without sedation. One little 6 year old girl was trapped under a pile a rubble. Her leg could not be freed and to save her life her leg had to be amputated. The doctor tending to her was American. He was crying because he could not bring himself to do it. He could not fathom inflicting that kind of pain. But after a few minutes the little girl grabbed his arm, looked at him straight in the eyes and said in Creole, "it's okay, it's okay, just do it. I'll be all right". She was braced down, and without so much as a whimper from her, he did it. That's courage - on everybody's part.

Our plan was to spend the afternoon at Kola but we got consumed with the transfer of a head trauma patient from General to Medishare (The University of Miami Hospital). A 47 year old man, who was in a car accident, fractured his skull and needed to be moved to a hospital where they have a trauma center. But we actually had to sneak him out. The family had to drive him off the hospital grounds and then, when we were a few blocks away, we moved him on to our truck, braced his head and raced him over to the hospital. General wanted to keep him even though they are not equipped to care for him. An American doctor from General called us and told us what was going on. General charges, Medishare does not. Crazy, and it was pouring and thundering and lightening. Oh man! I was glad when that was over with. We’ll go to Kola tomorrow afternoon. In the morning we are heading up to the mountains where there is an orphanage that is out of food and all other supplies. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Getting ready for transfer

Our 47 year old head trauma patient

7 a.m. Friday morning, 8/20/10

To me it is 8 and I am a notorious early riser; always have been. I've been up since 5.

I just showed Ely how to floss. He saw me doing it and was fascinated (we do everything out in the open here – privacy does not exist). It’s interesting because back home it would be very difficult to get a 10 year old to floss. But because it is something he’s not exposed to, it becomes a novelty, a new fun thing that's cool to do. It’s the same with school. School is not available to most kids. It’s not free and very few Haitians can afford to send their children. It’s a huge problem – illiteracy. There are some missions that provide schooling but they charge. They feel the parents must be truly invested in their children’s education for them to be committed and take it seriously. I have mixed feelings about that because it eliminates most people. On the other hand, I understand where they are coming from.

Another interesting thing missions do is charge for medical care. They don’t charge a lot, but they charge. What they say happens if they don’t, is a person will come in for treatments that are not necessary OR they will come in for somebody else. They will state the complaints of a family member, pretending it’s them in the hopes of getting the right treatment. It never works out very well and once a few mistakes were made (without an exam it’s hard to come up with the right diagnosis), the doctors figured out what was going on and instituted a charge. It still happens but it happens less, they tell me. What do you think? Maybe it’s true, maybe it's not. There is a whole lot of preaching going on in Haiti. Remember The Way? I’ve seen groups of them here.

August 20, 2010

Wilner’s Place
Today was one of those days I will look back on with complete disbelief that it actually happened. It started out great. We packed up the car and headed up the mountain to bring supplies to an orphanage whose owner, Wilner, called LPaul and told him they were out of food and supplies. We rented a 4 wheel drive car that could make the 3 hour trip, 2 hours of it, off road (way off road). We packed food, formula, mosquito netting, some toys and a few other miscellaneous items.

I probably should have been tipped off about the drive when LPaul said our truck couldn’t do it. I thought our truck could anything! One question I kept asking myself; “would I have gone on this trek up the mountain if I had known how treacherous it was”? I’m sure I would have but I would have tried to find a vehicle like the U.N. has; the one it uses to drive all over Haiti.

The good news; we made the trip and we made it for one reason and one reason only, LPaul knows how to drive in any and every situation imaginable and some that are unimaginable. I’m including some photos but they don’t do justice showing just how impassable this path was in some places.



During the ride up you see abject poverty, the likes of which you cannot imagine. Most of the children have no shoes, clothes that are mere threads and the smallest child was carrying large baskets of water or food on his or her head. The mountain is very sparsely populated. I can't help but think how little it would take to make life better here. Does anybody know there is a tiny orphanage up in the mountains of Haiti where a handful of children depend on people like LPaul to drive 3 ½ hours to bring food so they can survive?


Wilner, the orphanage owner came with us for the ride. He spends most of his time there with his wife and 3 year old son. But he also spends time in town where he and his wife try to make a few dollars selling necklaces she makes (I’m bringing some home if anyone would like to buy one let me know). They also try to get assistance for the kids. I learned quite a bit from talking to him. He started this orphanage about 5 years ago in a downtown area near PAP. He was renting a parcel of land for $1500.00 a YEAR from a Haitian. The rent was being paid by an American who was ‘sponsoring’ him (for lack of a better word). The sponsor, as it turned out was not well intended and when Wilner would NOT fulfill his unreasonable requests, the funding stopped (I will share that story at another time). Wilner was going to abandon the orphanage when a pastor who had land up in the mountains, agreed to let him move the kids onto his property free of charge. Everything was actually working out fairly well until January 12th, when Haiti was rocked to its knees by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake . Just for the record, “fairly well” would be deplorable by our standards. But everything is relative and the fact remains living in these ‘orphanages’ (and I’ve already told you that is a very loose term here in Haiti) is usually better for these kids than living on the street. However, sometimes the street is not preferable but necessary. I was informed that if a child is not thriving (and I mean physically), if they are showing signs starvation, they will be sent out on the street where they will get more food. It is dangerous. There are all kinds of risks when living on the street (disease, violence, drugs, rape, trafficking), but they risk it in order not to starve to death. A small child might be sent out into the street to beg for food because their chance of getting food is that much better. Wilner has been struggling so much to keep his small group of kids fed, he has considered sending them back out into the street. What sounds incredulous to us, is part of life in Haiti. I guess I struggle with the fact that Haiti is so close to the United States, it seems outrageous that more cannot be done to help these kids

We bring the kids some simple entertainment. Who doesn't love bubbles!

We finally arrive at the tiny compound where a few children were sitting under a makeshift canopy for shade. Sitting and chatting just like our kids do but without one single luxury; no electricity, no bathroom, no running water, nothing, but they were happy. Wilner showed me around, including the tiny room where he and his wife and child, sleep. The other children sleep outside. For water, the kids make the long hike down a steep hill with buckets. We took a walk down to the river and as we started out Wilner’s 3 year old son was following us. Wilner sent him back. A few minutes later I look back and see one of the young boys running down the hill with Wilner’s son on his back. I obviously looked very worried but he assured me “these kids run up and down this hill so many times a day with heavy buckets in their hands, they can handle it”.


Budding artists!

We stayed for a little while, handed out some snacks, dropped off the food and supplies and head out. It is not a trip you want to make in the dark! As we are driving, we have to stop and help a truck that is stuck on the road. It’s a miracle we only had to do that once. I imagine a lot of people get stuck and there is no doubt, a lot of people fall off the cliff. We had a nice ride back, stopping for a minute to eat some food we brought with us. We make a quick stop at Fort Jacques and look at the cannons; one of the few “tourist” attractions in Haiti. But as we get into town, into the crowded streets of Petionville, we lose or brakes. The car will not stop and we are heading right into a truck. LP masterfully figures out in a millisecond how NOT to get us killed. I do not know how he did it. We side swiped a van and two cars. Three women street-vendors jumped out of the way as we rode up on the sidewalk and over their merchandise. A motorcycle driver leaps from his bike, crashing onto the pavement. We swerve to avoid the unmanned bike, ultimately turn a corner and stop.

The crowd quickly gathers and LP gets out of the car and takes the crowd away from us. There were a lot of angry Haitians but when they came over to the car and confirmed that we really had no brakes, it was all handshakes and pats on the back as everyone realized Paul managed not to kill anyone – nothing short of a miracle.

All that might have been enough excitement but don’t forget, we are the local ambulance. We called Big Paul to come get us with the pickup AND the kid who jump off his bike. He hurt his leg and needed to be taken to Medishare. Into the back of the truck he goes and we’re off through grid lock traffic, to the hospital. Little did we know that a riot was brewing in downtown Cite Soliel over the ousting of Wyclef Jean from the presidential election. As we approach the hospital, a big truck filled with Haitians in green t-shirts, some with their faces covered yelling, “#@%& the police, we’re going up Delmas!” Delmas is the main drag that goes through most of the boroughs of PAP. The police were worried that if the rebels had access to that road they would gather more followers.

We honk for the guard to open the gate at Medishare to let us in. Our patient is unloaded from the pickup and we hang around a few minutes to wait for him to get an x-ray. While waiting a big supply truck is heading out the gate. Within minutes he is speeding back inside, a large crowd follows close behind, trying to escape the violence that just broke out. The guards are armed and think nothing of using their weapons. We run for cover and find ourselves hiding out in a back room of Medishare. Although it might seem safer to stay, I want to go back to our compound. And I’m not gonna lie, I was a little scared.

Eventually, the rioting dies down and we head back to our camp. I think about heading back home a day early but everyone assures me I will not have a problem flying out on Sunday and that I am safe. I have one more promise to keep while I’m here and I want to make good on it.

Kola Surprises Us With a Fashion Show

The promise I made was to Lorvelle, the woman who runs Kola. I promised her an infant seat for 4 month old Samuel, their new addition. Sounds simple enough, right? Not in Haiti. It took 3 days to find one. We had all but given up when Christina shouts out, “I see one…INFANT SEAT!!” We hang a big U turn, survive it, and buy it. Now we simply have to make the gridlock drive over to Kola and deliver it.

They were not expecting us and as soon as we knock and they slide open the gate, everyone disappears. We wait patiently while the kids seem to be hiding. In the meantime, I give Lorvelle the infant seat. She is over-the-moon, excited. Such a simple thing, but when you have 19 kids to watch, It’s nice to have a place to put an infant down that is soft, clean and safe.


One of the children brought Christine, Ralph and I, chairs to sit in the shade. Then, one by one they came down in the clothes that were donated by friends of mine and put on an outstanding fashion show. Photos are included. WOW! Wait for the video.

Christina showing the kids their beautiful photos.

The kids love Ralph.


I head home tomorrow. I will write my post script from the comfort of my air-conditioned home.
Rest assured everybody, the reason I came down here has been addressed. Enough said.
Thank you all for your support.
Love, Cory