Saving Lives in Haiti
Posted on July 3, 2011
The causal observer might easily be discouraged by the news from Haiti; masses of people still living in tents, the ineffectiveness of international relief, a resurgence of cholera and the sheer misery of living conditions for the poor in the rainy season. To see Haiti in its proper light, people must also be exposed to the small victories one rarely hears about. These victories give Haitians hope and right now, Haiti is a country surviving on hope. Hope for Haiti exists because of generous supporters like you.
One of these victories was won in early June. A baby was brought into one of Project Medishare’s mobile clinics in a remote community in Haiti’s Central Plateau. She was four months old and weighed only five pounds. Her cleft lip and palate were so severe she could not form a seal on her mother’s breast and therefore could not nurse. She was malnourished and on death’s doorstep.
This seemed like a simple enough problem to fix; a feeding tube for the infant and a breast pump for the mom would suffice until the next cleft-surgical team arrived in Haiti. Formula feedings were not an option as there was no refrigeration in the child’s home. Unfortunately, even simple fixes cannot be taken for granted in rural Haiti. The mobile clinic sent the baby and mother to the regional hospital in Hinche with one of Project Medishare’s drivers and nurse practitioners. The regional hospital did not have any pediatric feeding tubes there so the staff called the hospital in Cange only to find that they did not have a pediatric feeding tube either.
Project Medishare’s doctors and logistics staff looked everywhere for a pediatric feeding tube and breast pump. The baby and her mother were brought down to Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare in Port-au-Prince, where the feeding tube was inserted and the mother was instructed in its use. Both mom and the baby are home now, with the child gaining weight and awaiting the arrival of our surgical team in a few weeks to permanently repair her cleft palate.
What seems like the perpetually grim news for Haiti is not always the case. There is hope for Haiti. Countless lives, as precious as this child’s, are in the balance. Maintaining these avenues of hope will be difficult without your help. Project Medishare cannot thrive without the support of our generous donors that allow us to save lives like this precious baby. Please consider making a donation to Project Medishare today by clicking here.
Thank you,
Dr. Barth A. Green
