Today we had a team go out, and a team come in.
Saying goodbye is tough. In a weeks time we come to love and respect a lot of the Docs, Nurses, and PAs and EMTs. The airport run to drop off and pick up was mid-day and that sort of messed with the flow of our bigger-truck ambulance runs in and out of the Cite Soleil area. It meant that the last truck load of patients today showed up at about 5pm - and it was a lot of people. Most of the staff did not finish until almost 9pm. We're pooped out and I am too tired to tell the stories in detail.
Quickly with photos to tell a few of the stories ...
Troy and the smaller "ambulance" - Jen loading patients for Troy to move
Below is the U of Miami field hospital. The first picture is a triage area for Ortho cases and the second photo is one of the two big tents that they use before and after surgery. Paige jumped in (third photo) to translate for the Docs there while we dropped off a few of our more complicated patients late this afternoon.
This is Susanne that I wrote about last week. She is the lady dying of breast cancer. She makes us so sad. She is strong and beautiful. I have so much respect for her. The hospital she was going to for her Cancer has collapsed so we are now helping her manage pain. Jen saw her today.
This is a little 12 year old guy that brought in his 3 year old brother ... Both boys were very dirty and did not have much clothing to speak of. The little guy had bad burns on his torso. The older brother cried and cried for his baby brother, it was heartbreaking. Paige tried hard to cheer him up but he was worried that he had made a bad choice to bring his brother without telling his Mom and Dad, who were not home at the time. He was also in charge of three other siblings, and thought he might be in trouble for leaving them home alone. Pray for these two guys and their family. Their names start with N's but I would ruin the spellings if I tried to give you the full names. It is unimaginable the hard choices this big brother had to make today.
Everyone says I am happier now that Paige is back home. Maybe that is true. :) I just love being with my kids and even being able to have one of seven here is healing to my soul. Paige jumped right in on three hours of sleep and is enjoying being a small part of this effort.
I was supposed to have a web-cam date with Lydia tonight but I missed getting home in time (by three hours) -- :( I am so proud of Britt and Chris for the work they are doing with their little siblings and I am getting antsy to get a date on the calendar to go to them.
Over all we had kind of a tough day. We got turned away at one hospital, went to the next and were told that soon they will be saying "no" too. Beds are filling up all over town and people are working at their max capacity. I am praying for a new solution to come soon for our most serious cases. Jen has been working her buns off and staying patient. Troy had a moment of not so patient today and was Mr. snappy-crabby-cakes to me and Jen ... lucky for him we love him and will give him a free pass. ;)
While Troy was out at the Comfort ship helipad he met a sailor from the U.S. Navy named Corwin. It was nice to connect with him - he said he reads the blog and he is married to a woman who still has family in Leogane (south of Port au Prince). Thankfully he reported that his in-laws are well. It just entertains us to meet people who read ... seems kind of odd or silly to us -- but also, so fun!
When it comes to mind please pray for the Heartline team - led by John and Beth McHoul with about 30 others currently coming along side them. Pray for the night-shift nurses that are working with a lot of patients at once.
Most of all, please keep praying for the hurting Haitian people, the lost, the afraid, the forgotten and scared. "Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Amen.
tara
ps-
Thanks ZACH for the diet coke. You are our hero.
Thanks Scott Salvant for being you and for all you do.
Thanks Jeff Denliger for the MREs.
Saying goodbye is tough. In a weeks time we come to love and respect a lot of the Docs, Nurses, and PAs and EMTs. The airport run to drop off and pick up was mid-day and that sort of messed with the flow of our bigger-truck ambulance runs in and out of the Cite Soleil area. It meant that the last truck load of patients today showed up at about 5pm - and it was a lot of people. Most of the staff did not finish until almost 9pm. We're pooped out and I am too tired to tell the stories in detail.
Quickly with photos to tell a few of the stories ...
Troy and the smaller "ambulance" - Jen loading patients for Troy to move
Below is the U of Miami field hospital. The first picture is a triage area for Ortho cases and the second photo is one of the two big tents that they use before and after surgery. Paige jumped in (third photo) to translate for the Docs there while we dropped off a few of our more complicated patients late this afternoon.
This is Susanne that I wrote about last week. She is the lady dying of breast cancer. She makes us so sad. She is strong and beautiful. I have so much respect for her. The hospital she was going to for her Cancer has collapsed so we are now helping her manage pain. Jen saw her today.
This is a little 12 year old guy that brought in his 3 year old brother ... Both boys were very dirty and did not have much clothing to speak of. The little guy had bad burns on his torso. The older brother cried and cried for his baby brother, it was heartbreaking. Paige tried hard to cheer him up but he was worried that he had made a bad choice to bring his brother without telling his Mom and Dad, who were not home at the time. He was also in charge of three other siblings, and thought he might be in trouble for leaving them home alone. Pray for these two guys and their family. Their names start with N's but I would ruin the spellings if I tried to give you the full names. It is unimaginable the hard choices this big brother had to make today.
Everyone says I am happier now that Paige is back home. Maybe that is true. :) I just love being with my kids and even being able to have one of seven here is healing to my soul. Paige jumped right in on three hours of sleep and is enjoying being a small part of this effort.
I was supposed to have a web-cam date with Lydia tonight but I missed getting home in time (by three hours) -- :( I am so proud of Britt and Chris for the work they are doing with their little siblings and I am getting antsy to get a date on the calendar to go to them.
Over all we had kind of a tough day. We got turned away at one hospital, went to the next and were told that soon they will be saying "no" too. Beds are filling up all over town and people are working at their max capacity. I am praying for a new solution to come soon for our most serious cases. Jen has been working her buns off and staying patient. Troy had a moment of not so patient today and was Mr. snappy-crabby-cakes to me and Jen ... lucky for him we love him and will give him a free pass. ;)
While Troy was out at the Comfort ship helipad he met a sailor from the U.S. Navy named Corwin. It was nice to connect with him - he said he reads the blog and he is married to a woman who still has family in Leogane (south of Port au Prince). Thankfully he reported that his in-laws are well. It just entertains us to meet people who read ... seems kind of odd or silly to us -- but also, so fun!
When it comes to mind please pray for the Heartline team - led by John and Beth McHoul with about 30 others currently coming along side them. Pray for the night-shift nurses that are working with a lot of patients at once.
Most of all, please keep praying for the hurting Haitian people, the lost, the afraid, the forgotten and scared. "Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Amen.
tara
ps-
Thanks ZACH for the diet coke. You are our hero.
Thanks Scott Salvant for being you and for all you do.
Thanks Jeff Denliger for the MREs.
