1 Dec
WOODJINA’S STORY
Woodjina lies alone in her bed in a small room surrounded by ten other patients with orthopedic injures, all with various splints and traction devices set up. She swats at a mosquito and pulls against the traction device attached to her left leg. A coke bottle filled with cloudy water and tied to a rope dangles off the foot of her bed. It is attached to cardboard that envelops her left lower leg. Her right leg is in a splint, her left hip is dislocated, both are hot with fever. She wiggles to relieve the pain in the pressure sores that are developing after 3 weeks of bedrest. She is 5 years old.
READ MORE11 Oct
HURRICANE VICTIMS
My wife and I are supporting the education of two Haitian young women, Bebe and Nerlande. They are attending NAU in Flagstaff. They have families in the southern peninsula of Haiti which was recently ravaged by Hurricane Matthew. Bebe’s family, from Jeremie, are all alive but have lost their home and all their possessions. Nerlande’s sister and children are from Les Cayes, and they remain unaccounted for.
READ MORE11 Oct
HURRICANE MATTHEW
Just Returned The structure across the courtyard from my bedroom stands incomplete. Rebar sticks out from the top of the wall, supporting the rising sun. The new construction is a reminder of the rubble that once lay here following the earthquake six years ago. To my right is a dorm where 30 girls, ages 10-20, are sleeping. To my left is the boy’s dorm that sleeps five. The 15 babies are asleep in the back building. There are three new babies here from Les Cayes, all of them left without family after the hurricane. Three more are coming this week.
READ MORE11 Jun
ONLY HOPE FOR 14 YEAR OLD BOY WITH HIP FRACTURE
The highlight of this trip was treating a 14-year-old boy who had sustained a hip fracture two weeks before our arrival. No one in Haiti could fix it. Our team was able to find the implants to repair his hip, and he now has the opportunity to walk again!
READ MORE16 May
NAVMC TEAM JOINED BY COLORADO TEAM
An NAVMC medical team traveled to Haiti and worked at Hospital Bernard Mevs (HBM). We were joined by a group from Colorado forming a team of nine NAVMC volunteers. The surgical team provided care for eight patients with a variety of orthopedic problems, mostly trauma victims. We were welcomed by the Haitians at HBM, and they are always surprised by the continued effort from our small town in Northern Arizona.
READ MORE1 Feb
FIRST TRIP TO HAITI
Four weeks after the earthquake of January 12, 2010 devastated Haiti, we received word that we could take a group of volunteers to assist in the relief effort. Within five days, Kelly Reber and John Durham assembled 30 volunteers who joined the efforts of Project Medishare. This team included podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, ER physicians, intensivists, ICU and floor nurses, respiratory techs, physical therapists and social workers. We arrived late at night at an airport with no lights and unloaded the plane ourselves.
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