Then and Now

It is hard to believe she is the same girl who came to us with a hemoglobin of 2.7, barely able to raise her head, and feet and legs so swollen. Now she is again eating, walking about, smiling, and loves to play, all in a space of 2 months! Soon she and her mother will be able to return to their home in the mountains. We will follow her once a month to make sure she continues to grow and thrive.

Yesterday was Mother's Day here in Haiti, and, like all churches we had a feastday in honor of mothers. The chapel was all decorated, the choir dressed in their finest, there was a dance by 5 of the choir girls at end of Mass, and all the mothers got a kiss on the cheek during the Sign of Peace at Mass. After Mass, 5 women were especially honored, and then we all celebrated with brownies and juice. A great day!

Hot and humid tonight. Right now it is about 86 degrees and close to 100 % humidity - probably will rain later.

It looks like my pictures didn't get on this post. So, will post this and then try again.
Take care. Peace to all. Mary Ann

Precious miracles

This past week a woman arrived carrying a plastic wash tub on her head. When she set it down, we saw 2 premies!! She, and her sister had walked 3 days to get to the clinic. The twins were 7 days old, so that meant that she had started out on her 4th day after delivery. The twins were so small that we estimated them to be at about 32-34 weeks. They were so premature that they didn't have enough sucking power to nurse.
The babies were severely dehydrated - having survived on sugar water.
But God works in mysterious ways -- for on this day there were two American nurses helping at the center. One works in a newborn/premie ICU and the other is a lactation specialist. Also, this woman was from a village that is NOT a part of HHF, had passed another hospital and clinic on her trip to the Center, but had heard that WE could help, so came here. Besides the long walk, it had also rained each day.
Our resources pulled together to help: both premies were given a complete newborn exam; the mother had very little breast milk because of the lack of stimulation, but was taught how to use a hand held breast pump to attempt to restart lactation; the mother and her sister were taught how to use finger stimulation to get the youngsters to suck while at the same time dropping formula into their mouths; the mother was given formula to help her through the next weeks; the HHF nurse who specialized in breast feeding and lactation education spent time with her; and the mother was given iron, fluids and a water bottle, encouraging her to keep well hydrated. The picture above was as she was getting ready to leave. Both children had gotten their first milk/formula and were asleep. The mother had a smile on her face as she began the 3 day journey back to her home (and her 5 other children.) Will these babies live? We hope and pray they do. But I do know that there is no such thing as coincidences and on this day, everything worked together for a good outcome.

Before I leave, a personal message. This past week visitors brought a package for me and, quess what, it contained M&M's. So, for the past few days I have splurged and took more than 3 a day!! :o)
Tomorrow is Pentecost. I will have to "beg" the Holy Spirit for the gift of tongues, especially if it is in Creole.
God bless. Take care. Mary Ann

One Two

AnnMarie is recovering from kwash. Until last week, her mother stayed with her. Then, last week, her mother delivered a baby girl. So she was gone for a few days. AnnMarie was very sad, so I started dancing with her - as I have done with other children. I would say, "one-two, one-two, etc". Well, when AnnMarie spent a night at home with her family she must have told about our dancing because the next day, when her father brought her back, he asked me, "Are you OneTwo?" She thought that was my name!
Later, I heard one of the mothers saying to another, "I haven't seen OneTwo today!" That is when I realized that a number of the parents didn't know my name. So, today we had a lesson in my name! :o)
The doll AnnMarie is holding was given her by one of the visitors from 2 weeks ago. The children LOVE it when there are people here to play with them or, for those too sick to play, to just sit and hold them. We all need a little loving, don't we?
That's all for now. Take care. God bless. Mary Ann (alias OneTwo)

Miracles happen often!

Remember this picture of the 2 little boys who were put on the boat from Port Au Prince after the earthquake? A neighbor had found them next to their collapsed house, took them and then sent them to Jeremie remembering that the parents were originally from that local.
They were recognized by a man (uncle) who took them and gave them to his daughter to raise.
It turns out that the daughter is on the Save A Family program, so Sr. Maryann knew all about her and became concerned because, as she said, "The young woman doesn't know how to take care of herself, much less her little daughter and these 2 boys."
So, after much work and planning, we had gotten Fr. Gary, a Haitian Priest who is the Chaplain at the Chapel at HHF, and who runs an orphanage, to agree to take the two boys. Plans were in place to pick up the 2 boys this past Monday.
Instead of picking up the boys, we heard an amazing story.
On Saturday, the boys' father arrived in Jeremie. He wasn't killed in the earthquake! He had been in the house that collapsed, killing his wife. However, though he was severely injured, he was pulled out alive and taken to a field hospital far from Port Au Prince. He had just now recovered and went to Port Au Prince. There he heard about the fate of his sons and quickly came to Jeremie to get them. He has taken them with him to his family in the mountains. I hope and pray that this is a happy an ending as it appears to be!
Today is the feast of the Ascension of Christ into heaven. And this morning I had time to do some reading for enjoyment - since the clinic is closed today. Have you ever read C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce? I can't believe that, with all the reading I do, I have never read it. It is the story of heaven and hell. It needs to be read in a setting where you can really "walk into" the story itself. A great book!! I highly recommend it.
Well, though the clinic is closed, the children are still at the kwash center and the pregnant women as well. So I need to stop and check on them. Till next time. Take care. God bless. And don't forget the poor of Haiti - even if they no longer make the news! Mary Ann

The Solar Suitcase

In that black suitcase on the ground is a portable source of electricity. When it is connected to the solar panels, the entire system is complete. The suitcase contains the converter, the battery, and all the connections needed to power LED lamps and recharge batteries used for the LED headlamps I talked about last week. Once the battery is fully charged, the panels are disconnected and the suitcase with lights can be carried anywhere.
This was the brainchild of 2 people, one an obstetrician who witnessed the problems in some hospitals in Africa when doctors had to do deliveries without electricity at night; the other, an expert in solar energy. They put their heads together and came up with the "solar suitcase". They have formed a not for profit company called, WE CARE Solar, and are going to places like Haiti to see the possible uses of their equipment. Their foundation provided us with 2 suitcases and numerous LED headlamps as well as LED lights for the maternal ambulance.

That is what it is all about - people helping people. Yes, we CAN make a difference in this world, one step at a time! Till next time, God bless. Mary Ann

Introductions and Happenings

Today I want to introduce you to some very special people. The picture on the right: Dr. Jerry Lowney and his wife Virginia and Sister Maryann. The picture above: yours truly with Marilyn Lowney and Dr. Lowney in the background. Other than myself, these are the people who made and make the Haitian Health Foundation a reality. Dr. and Mrs Lowney founded HHF and he continues fundraising efforts tirelessly. Virginia Lowney runs the Save a Family Program where 100% of the dollars coming in go to the families. Sr. Maryann works the Save a Family Program from Haiti, spending every Saturday morning and many other countless hours of her "free time".

Marilyn Lowney is the full time HHF Director in the US and Sr. Maryann is in charge here in Haiti. Now, I may not have gotten all the "titles" correct, but these 4 plus Bette Gabrien keep this work going. They are assisted by over 120 paid employees and volunteers. All but a couple of employees are Haitian.

Today 2 containers of supplies arrived. They have been unloaded. In the weeks to come the sorting and distributing begins. Included is everything from boxes for individual families on the Save a Family Program (sent by their sponsers), to lumber, tires, peanutbutter,paint, and much yet to be discovered. Christmas in May! :~)

Next time I will have a story - update - on 2 little boys you met during my first week here. Take care. Stay safe. And remember your poorer brothers and sisters throughout the world, especially here in Haiti. God bless. Mary Ann

Light

Something we all take for granted in the United States is electricity and the light it produces. Up in the mountains there is NO electricity. So what does one do when a child is sick or a woman is about to deliver a baby in the middle of the night?
Candles are lit or, maybe, if one is lucky, there is a lantern about. But, if it is windy, the lantern or candle can go out and this often happens at the worst possible moment.
Meet some of the "matrons" or native birth attendents receiving their new, first time ever, solar powered head lamps. The lamps are powered by rechargable batteries and the batteries are recharged with a small solar unit contained in a suitcase! Each of the native birth attendants chosen from this mountain region to receive one of these lamps was taught how to wear and use them, including the ability to move the lamp so it will shine where they want it to shine. They were instructed on when to get back to the local health agent for replacement of the batteries.
Their gratitude was expressed in many words and, they said, it will also be safer for them to go out at night up the mountain trails because now they will be able to see the trail! And if it is raining or windy, they won't have to worry about the candles going out or the flames starting a fire.
How something as precious as light - something we take for granted each and every day - can be a gift of immeasurably appreciated value!
Next time I will tell you about the "solar suitcase" and the 2 people who brought an idea to reality.
Until then, Take care, and God bless. Mary Ann

Rats, roaches, eyes and guns

I knew the title would interest you! Let me explain..
Among the visitors here this past week was a man who was checking buildings to see how we can prevent rats from getting into them - especially the various depots where food is being stored. They were also putting up screens in our houses to cover the open blocks that are near the top of each room to help with ventilation. In my place, all rooms are screened except the bedroom - which was next on the list. So we were talking about rats and the problem they were having at the school where the rice, flour, and wheat is stored for the children's lunch.
That evening I went to bed thinking that we had screened everything but my bedroom - thus effectively blocking all entrances BUT....
I had just about gotten to sleep when I thought I felt something go across my foot. "No," I thought, "you were dreaming..." Then I opened my eyes and saw something moving. QUICKLY I got out of bed and put on the light. (luckily we had electricity!) Here, inside my mosquito net with me, was a HUGE cockroach! Needless to say he enjoyed a moment of freedom from inside my netting as I got him out and then sent him to cockroach heaven!
That is the "rats" and "roaches" part.
As for the eyes, one of the visitors was an optometrist and in 4 and 1/2 days, Dr. Dan saw 519 patients! We concentrated on the poor, school age children, and staff who return from the mountains once a month. It was a busy week, but very rewarding! The saddest case was a 2 year old baby who had gotten something that penetrated into the eyeball. This happened during the earthquake. Now the eye had grown in size and protruded about 3/4ths of the way out of the socket. Dr. Dan said that something like this was so excrutiatingly painful that adults have been known to commit suicide to stop the pain. Though the child will lose the eye, luckily we were able to get him taken to an eye hospital 4 hours away where he is being sedated, being given fluids etc to build him up, and will have surgery this coming week. The visitors here this past week provided the money to take care of everything. As the Haitians say, "Thanks be to God!"
This afternoon I was sitting outside when a truckload of UN soldiers dressed in riot gear and holding loaded rifles and bullet proof shields drove into our compound. What was happening? It seems that the last of the 3 trucks carrying rice, beans and other food supplies into our compound to be stored in one of our depots had been attacked on the outskirts of Jeremie. Someone had leaked the information about what was in the truck. I spent time talking to the UN security director and he said that the organization providing the food did not contact them so they could escort the truck. He tries his best to prevent such confrontations since, as he said, "we don't want to use guns because of hungry people wanting rice and beans." The soldiers were Venezuelan and, though we didn't speak a common language, the smile works in any language. Though they were hot sitting in back of that covered truck, I am sure they were grateful that, at least for today, they didn't have to use their equipment here. (and so were we!)
Enough for today.
Stay well, and do remember the poor, and hungry, of Haiti.
Mary Ann