Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Not a survivor
Each time I think that the horror of earthquake is over, something happens to bring it all back.
This week, while I was hauling rubble with my St Joseph's neighbors, Pierre asked if he could show me something. He led me down the hill behind St Joe's to a home whose fourth floor had pancaked, completely flattening the third floor. On the night of the earthquake, Pierre had been brave enough to climb through the rubble and inside the very unsteady structure to save the family. He managed to pull out the mother and her child, who she was clutching to her chest. He had to break the mother's foot to get her out, and by the time the bodies were free, they had both already died. Pierre tried again and again to rescue the father and his neice, who were also buried on the third floor, but the concrete was too solid.
The neice is hidden but we can see where the father, TiPiquant, is lying still. His hair hangs over the ledge and his blood stains the wall under his body. Someone has placed a baseball cap over his head, but if you climb high enough, you can see his entire body, decomposing rapidly in the heat. It has been three months since the earthquake and no one has tried to remove his body.
Will he stay there until he become dust? Or will a demolition team find his bones when they come to destroy the house this year or next? And the ever present question that haunts everyone of us: if another earthquake hits, how long will my body remain trapped before someone digs me out?
This week, while I was hauling rubble with my St Joseph's neighbors, Pierre asked if he could show me something. He led me down the hill behind St Joe's to a home whose fourth floor had pancaked, completely flattening the third floor. On the night of the earthquake, Pierre had been brave enough to climb through the rubble and inside the very unsteady structure to save the family. He managed to pull out the mother and her child, who she was clutching to her chest. He had to break the mother's foot to get her out, and by the time the bodies were free, they had both already died. Pierre tried again and again to rescue the father and his neice, who were also buried on the third floor, but the concrete was too solid.
The neice is hidden but we can see where the father, TiPiquant, is lying still. His hair hangs over the ledge and his blood stains the wall under his body. Someone has placed a baseball cap over his head, but if you climb high enough, you can see his entire body, decomposing rapidly in the heat. It has been three months since the earthquake and no one has tried to remove his body.
Will he stay there until he become dust? Or will a demolition team find his bones when they come to destroy the house this year or next? And the ever present question that haunts everyone of us: if another earthquake hits, how long will my body remain trapped before someone digs me out?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Survivor
In anticipation of Michael, Walnes, and the dance troupe's return to Port-au-Prince, the St Joseph's guys went crazy cleaning out the courtyard and the street. For 5 days straight, they hauled rubble and filled dump truck after dump truck. For 5 days straight, my entire Shoebox was covered in a thick layer of concrete dust. For 5 days straight, none of us could breathe!
It was utterly worth it. Instead of the street looking like this...
the guys came home to a street that looked like this:
When the dance troupe came home, they brought a special delivery for me: my neighbor, patient, and friend, Bill. For a guy who broke 5 vertebrae, 2 ribs, and was, as far as we're concerned, dead for about an hour, he looks fantastic. After the nightmare that we lived through during the 4 days that I was caring for him with virtually no resources, fearing every day that I was going to allow him to suffer permanent damage or even die, it is such a relief to see him walking around looking like the healthy exhuberent young man that he was pre-quake. It is the ultimate job satisfaction and the sweetest reward.
It was utterly worth it. Instead of the street looking like this...
the guys came home to a street that looked like this:
When the dance troupe came home, they brought a special delivery for me: my neighbor, patient, and friend, Bill. For a guy who broke 5 vertebrae, 2 ribs, and was, as far as we're concerned, dead for about an hour, he looks fantastic. After the nightmare that we lived through during the 4 days that I was caring for him with virtually no resources, fearing every day that I was going to allow him to suffer permanent damage or even die, it is such a relief to see him walking around looking like the healthy exhuberent young man that he was pre-quake. It is the ultimate job satisfaction and the sweetest reward.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Progress
I received a surprise visit from a man that I had been taking care of for about a week post-quake. He had a nasty gash in his foot and I was doing daily dressing changes for him, as well as pain meds, antibiotics, and antibiotic shots when I had them. About 9 days after the earthquake, he left my tent city and went to the country. The reports I heard were that he could not find medical care, so I was honestly pretty angry that he had left a place where he was getting at least some form of care. Yesterday, he appeared at my door and popped off his shoe. What a lovely sight!
The Haitian government ordered schools to open again on Monday April 6th. So yesterday, as I walked the streets, I saw children with backpacks for the first time in months! Every child and teenager I have talked to is thrilled to be returning to school. Now, not all schools can open yet because of their severe damage, and some lost so many teachers that they cannot open yet either. Most of the little kids in my neighborhood are not going back to school because theirs have not opened yet. But all in all, it is a great step back towards normalcy.
The Haitian government ordered schools to open again on Monday April 6th. So yesterday, as I walked the streets, I saw children with backpacks for the first time in months! Every child and teenager I have talked to is thrilled to be returning to school. Now, not all schools can open yet because of their severe damage, and some lost so many teachers that they cannot open yet either. Most of the little kids in my neighborhood are not going back to school because theirs have not opened yet. But all in all, it is a great step back towards normalcy.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Birthday, Johnny J!
Today is my Johnny J's 3rd birthday!
Cha-Cha and Mich helped me get a cake ready...
Then we brought all the "big" kids upstairs and put their best clothes on them...
And then we ate yummy yummy cake!
Happy birthday, little man!
Cha-Cha and Mich helped me get a cake ready...
Then we brought all the "big" kids upstairs and put their best clothes on them...
And then we ate yummy yummy cake!
Happy birthday, little man!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)