Haiti - One month later - Links and stories

I have a lot of links and emails to post so this will be a long one.
Links first:
Message from Fr Rick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaMRuSAa9rE

NPFS Day Camp Feb 2nd and 4th
http://picasaweb.google.com/MonicaGery/NPFSDayCampFeb2ndAnd4th?feat=directlink

Haiti Tent Cities Feb 3rd and Feb 6th
http://picasaweb.google.com/MonicaGery/HaitiTentCitiesFeb3rdAndFeb6th?feat=directlink

Letter from Gena - sorry I can't post the photos but I can forward the full letter if anyone would like it.

Kay St. Germaine Rehab Center
February 11, 2010

I woke up to the sound of rain this morning and I said "oh no," as straight away I thought of those in the camps. The sky did not even look as if it was dumping more misery onto a people already in desperation. In fact the sky looked calm and sleepy and the thin clouds were like a light sheet pulled back from a sleeping bed. I rang my staff in Kenscoff (the mountains where the orphanage is and where I usually live) and they were shocked because they woke up to clear skies.

A little while ago I got a phone call from Guerlande, mother of Bedgina, two months old and an amputee. I asked how they were. Yesterday they received a tent from someone that wants to help them. “We are in the mud. Everything is wet and we can’t even put up the tent because everything is wet and muddy.”

I rang Fritzner. He is the uncle of Stevenson. “What can I say Dr. Gena. We are here, everything is wet, everywhere is muddy. The little tent you gave us for Stevenson is good so he was ok. He is gone back to the hospital today for his appointment so you will see him.”

It is quiet where I am sitting and the hazy sun has evaporated all signs of the morning downpour outside my door. My mood is pensive and I wonder what is next for the people of Haiti. Over one month now and still no signs of real solutions for those displaced. Is it normal that after one month people are still crowded together in makeshift tents (made from sheets). Is this what always happens in countries where bad earthquakes occur? Was I being unrealistic when I expected that by now most families would have a real tent and people would be located in areas where there is flat land and where it would seem that it would have been possible to set up proper services? I wonder am I crazy for thinking this could have happened by now. I mean four weeks have gone by already! I try to be optimistic but those of us living here know all too well that the rainy season in Haiti is never much fun and I DREAD what will happen if people are not properly set up before the rains come.

Our work goes on and in a small way we make a difference. Mothers and fathers in the hospital share their stories with us and now we are family to them. Johanne had a surgery yesterday. They removed the bone that had crushed into her brain. An Italian doctor did the surgery and we are all so thankful. You should have seen her family - mother and grandmother! The first day, Johanne was taken by helicopter for a cat scan. Her mother and grandmother, watched every helicopter that flew by for the next hours, waiting for Johanne to come back. When she came, you would think that it was God himself, come down from heaven, such was their relief to see Johanne. Yesterday was the surgery and again the waiting, and the waiting. The surgery went well and Johanne was stable last night and this morning. How beautiful to witness the love that surrounds her. You can see her in the below photo and Norma is working with her to get her to swallow food in her mouth again.


In the same room as Johanne is Angelin. Angelin was buried in the rubble for five days (she is five years old) and now she had lost half her leg. In the beginning she was so sad - never could get a smile from her. Sad eyes, telling stories no five year old should ever have to tell. Her mother stays with her - a young mother that lost her other child in the quake. These days Angelin is much better and much more responsive. Her smile is brave and hopeful and she smiles more frequently now. But sometimes when she is sitting by herself, you can just see how much she has gone through - from the way she sits and stares and her mind is miles away.

This is Veronica. Her mother died and she is being looked after by her loving dad. She is full of the joys of life and always has us smiling! She is two!

How about these beautiful young ladies? They are both so proud of their efforts on the crutches! Marie Marthe is to the right as you look at the picture and Marie Francis is next to her

Lest you think tis only girls in our hospital, how about these darling boys: First is Peterson and his mom. Then we have John Joseph and then Mykenly.

I know it is not easy for you to see these kids in this way. For us too it is not easy and for sure for the families it is not easy. However this is the reality we face and I am happy to tell you that we will be involved in their lives from now on. I say we, but really it is you too because it is your money we are and will be spending. And these are just a few – there are many more and if I have the time, I will bring them into your lives. I tell these mothers and fathers that they are not alone because people care and they are so thankful. My team and I are thankful to all of you.

I started this letter this am and now it is already dark. To my eyes the sky is ominous as if she also needs to cry for all that she sees every day. I spent most of my day on the computer – pulling together many people in an attempt to get Yolene (Director of our special needs school) out of the country to go see her husband who is near death in Michigan. He was evacuated out of here days after he was crushed in the quake. Thanks to our friends in Digicell she is scheduled to go to Jamaica tomorrow and they will help us get her a visa to be with him. Meanwhile as I write, a dedicated friend has been traveling for hours (from the south of Haiti) to get here tonight so she can go with Yolene tomorrow. This morning all of this seemed like an impossible task but I am a person of hope and the day I give up hope is the day I go into the grave! So fingers crossed it all works out and she can make it to see him before he dies. It is a tough journey for Yolene who is only married since last July. Life sure is not easy is it?

Best wishes to all of you reading this and many many thanks for all the help and support. I need you to keep Haiti right beside you all the time – like your loved ones. We are all afraid that people will loose interest after a while and for sure you must be getting tired of hearing about Haiti all the time. Understand that for now, we are not able to do big things – we need to be sure that when we start rebuilding for people, we will be doing it in a way that will be safe for everyone. So for now we give money, clothing and food and we take down all the details so we can find the best way to help each case. The discharged families from the hospital are coming to us for therapy. This week we hired a new therapist for the amputees. She has some basic training and she is very happy to have a job. We will be hiring more therapists in the coming weeks and also a music teacher will start with us on Monday. We need to get the kids singing and laughing!

Love to all. Keep the faith!
Gena Heragty, Director of Special Needs Programs

Letter from Fr Rick
February 12, 2010

Thirty Days Later

It is tradition of the Catholic faith to celebrate mass in the remembrance of the dead after one month has passed. Today throughout Haiti, at 7 am, in what is left standing of the parishes of Port au Prince, this mass will be celebrated for the estimated 200,000 dead. In addition, President Preval has declared today to be a day of national fast, and the beginning of three days of national mourning. We are participating in this act of solidarity by offering mass at 7 am at Titayin, together with Bishop Dumas, at the burial place of the indigent dead. We ourselves have buried about 2,500 people there in the last 30 days.

After weeks of frenetic activity, we are returning to a state of equilibrium. Our hospital had become a trauma MASH unit, as had all other medical centers in Port au Prince that are still standing. We were able to offer about 30 surgeries a day at four sites (two in our hospital, one on our hospital grounds in a tent, and one at the St. Camillus Hospital, which we staffed for the emergency.) Many of these, sadly, were amputations – sometimes two for the same adult or child.

To give an idea of the size of the problem, it is likely there are about 20,000 people now who have been amputated or who have orthopedic hardware screwed through their skin to the bone. Port au Prince estimates about 20 Haitian orthopedic surgeons, and visiting teams to Haiti will soon leave. All 20,000 need to be followed closely for removal of hardware, control of infection, reevaluation of the amputation, and of course for artificial limbs and rehabilitation. We have worked closely with the St. Camillus Hospital so as to return our St. Damien Hospital to a pediatric center and to have a growing center for adults at St. Camillus.

In collaboration with the Papal Nuncio, the president of the Haitian bishops conference, the local CARITAS office and the Italian Protezione Civile, we are setting up seven positions in the provinces, (especially since about 30% of the population has abandoned the capital) to be able to allow access of these people to a medical system. We can do our best to follow a certain number from these sites, return them to Port au Prince for needed attention by helicopter or land, and use the points as well for large distributions of food and educational materials for schools. We hope to continue to partner with St. Camillus and the Haitian bishops to strengthen a similar response in Port au Prince.

At Francisville, we are making a center for production of artificial limbs. Gena Hergaty hosted a meeting two days ago of 30 non-governmental organizations at our St. Germaine program, to determine the best collaboration for all those eager to invest in rehabilitation and physical therapy.

On the home front, Erin Kloos has made an exception recovery after being dug out of our crumbled Fr. Wasson Center. The funeral of her brother Ryan will be later this month in Phoenix. Fr. Craig Hightower celebrated the funeral of Molly Hightower, concelebrated by Fr. Phil Cleary. I hope I can arrange to leave Haiti for a few weeks to see my father, and to visit both families for mass in their homes.

We offered mass last Saturday for Molly and Ryan on top of the rubble of the Fr. Wasson Center on an altar made of fallen block, using chant and incense to honor Molly and Ryan and all who died in the earthquake, and to show our faith and hope, and determination to rebuild and continue our life giving mission.

The Fr. Wasson Center is being cleared by heavy government equipment, and we will rebuild a central administration center on the site, with metal instead of cement framework, which are fast becoming popular here. We will also make an artistic monument to stand prominently on the corner, by a famous Haitian artist, dedicating the new center to Ryan and Molly and honoring all the victims of the earthquake.

In Tabarre our three areas of destruction were the perimeter walls, the tower, and the chapel. The Italian Protezzione Civile is clearing the debris, reinforcing the tower, rebuilding the chapel and rebuilding the walls. Additional internal, non-structural damage to the hospital is being repaired by the Italian companies that made the initial installations (especially the central oxygen supply). The new maternity and neonatal program, born of necessity during the traumatic days following the quake, is following a good and logical course, and the rest of the hospital is returning to normal.

The surgical capacity will still be challenged as we tend to many postoperative children and new traumas. The cancer center got quite a boost, thanks to Sister Judy, as it is now a partner with the Danny Thomas Children’s Cancer Hospital in the USA. This will bring quite a help for development, diagnostic, training, material and medicines.

The St. Helene orphanage in Kenscoff was largely spared, but we were glad to see so much charitable activity on the part of the children, coming to the hospital to visit injured children and distributing food and supplies in the tent cities.

The Family Services team has been very attentive to vulnerable children in the tent cities and has elaborated a good plan for continued involvement. Future reports will be given on all these points I mention in this summary by the people involved.

We are still gathering the names of those who have died or disappeared in the rubble. We hope soon that Daniela, our temporary home correspondent, will be able to make a memorial page on the NPH website. We are very much struck with sorrow by the deaths of our colleagues or deaths in their families.

The St. Luke program has been valiant and tireless, and we suffered the loss of some staff and directors. We also suffered the loss of one third of our 18 street schools. We will resume school in tents, as soon as we have enough, and thanks to Artists for Peace and Justice, we are studying all aspects of rebuilding.

Everywhere around us there are huge problems. There are wounded, homeless and hungry among our 800 employees (all programs combined, including St. Luke). This is made more dreadful by the advance of the rainy season. We had our first rain yesterday.

In a separate letter over the next few days, I will outline the investment we hope to make in addressing these three social problems and the rebuilding and advance of our own programs.

For today, please join us in mourning. Join us in prayers for the dead, for the living, for the future.

Thank you and God bless you.

Fr. Rick Frechette