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!

Our team of 10 NAVMC volunteers travelled to Haiti to work at Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-au-Prince. We performed 12 orthopedic procedures repairing fractures with surgical implants provided by NAVMC, and supplies provided by Flagstaff Medical Center. We were joined by residents in orthopedics, general surgery and anesthesia.

We also performed 10 general surgery procedures including repairs on two little boys from the Renmen orphanage. The team, working with local orthopedic residents, also sorted out the orthopedic equipment at the hospital which had not been done since the earthquake.

We were also joined by an electrical engineer from Flagstaff who is helping to plan the rewiring of the Renmen Orphanage. Their electrical system has not been functioning properly since the earthquake.

The last day of the trip was spent at the Renmen Orphanage where we visited with the 50 residents. We talked to the kids that we are sending to University in Port-au-Prince: two girls are in nursing school and one graduated from a four-year program while we were there. One girl is attending the Notre Dame School of Law, and another is studying Hotel and Restaurant Management. The oldest boy is in a 3-year plumbing school. Since our involvement at Renmen, all of the eligible kids have graduated from high school. Such results are rare in a country where, prior to the earthquake, 60 percent of school aged children did not go to school and of those that did, only 10 percent went on to high school. This last evening was a night of dancing and celebration, a special treat for all.

Orthopedic Residents: Pierre Wooley, Paul St. Jean, Christina Dejean, Marc Alain Pean, Kens, Phillipe Peterly.