Haitian Medical Relief Trip

Thursday, January 28, 2010 On our way back...

2010-02-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Woke up early. Found out that the Arizona team returned late last night! They returned because they couldn't commit a week in Jimani. They saw what they needed to see there, and that was enough. They are now back to help care for the children. We were relieved.

Excited and nervous about getting back. It's going to be a long travel day. Had breakfast with everyone for the last time. Chris and his wife (founders of COTN) thanked us for our efforts. Vicki gave everyone hugs. I started to cry. Wow! It's all starting to hit me now. I'm feeling very vulnerable emotionally. My wall is down. There's no more work for me right now. It's time to leave. But a part of me does not want to go. There's still a lot of work to be done! But IT IS WHAT IT IS...

John and Cathy who are with our group decided to stay a couple more days later. Their friends from NH came last night to help as well, and they will be leaving together later on in the week. It was time to go and we all got into the bus and soon headed out for Sto. Domingo. It's going to be a long ride back...

Took some pictures along the way. Started pondering about my experience this past week. The faces of the Haitian people is forever etched in my mind. I will never forget them. I start to tear up several times during the trip back. Everyone understood what was going on.

Got to the airport by 1 pm. We unloaded our bags and headed into the airport. We had plenty of time. Our flight didn't leave till 5:30 pm. First thing we did was get a glass of ice cold beer! YUM! Luc, Helen and I also decided to walk around and look at some of the shops.

It was time to board. Our flight was leaving for JFK...

The flight was uneventful. Except for the very loud, and irritable toddlers that were seated right in front of me! I managed to get a free glass of wine again! Walter was teasing me, telling me that I probably look like I needed a drink desperately, LOL. Do I look like I drink a lot? LOL.

On our approach, the stewardess announced that 12 U.N. workers on the flight needed to deboard right away because they had to be at an emergency meeting. She pleaded with the passengers to not get up and to let these 12 deboard first. Janet, who was sitting with one of them asked what the meeting was about and he told her that their team who was in Port-au-Prince had assessed that there was high probability that another earthquake would hit that city, and they were meeting to help figure out a way to relocate the people out of the city. I was hoping in my mind, that they were wrong in their predictions...

Once we landed in JFK, I felt the weather change from HOT to FREEZING! I was only wearing a t-shirt! Brrrrrrrr! We had an hour and a half of wait time. So Helen and I decided to walk around and shop for a sweater for me to wear. Once I got my sweater, we waited at the gate with the rest of the gang.

Once we headed out of JFK, I started feeling very nauseous. The flight was a little bumpy. I got dizzy and motion sick. Luckily, I had some alcohol pads in my fanny pack. I rubbed it just below my nose, and that helped calm my stomach down. After finally landing, I was relieved! Whewwwwww! I didn't throw up! Great! LOL.

Bob, who was already waiting for us made it early. It was snowing he told me on the phone. I'm glad he made it there safely. We all loaded into the truck. Another 3 hours of traveling. YIKES!

We finally made it in one piece! Thank goodness! We almost crashed into a guard rail when we encountered a brief blizzard. It surely was a scary moment! We were truly lucky! Whewwwww!

We finally got back to our home at 4 am. I didn't sleep until 6am. I probably gave Bob a hug over a dozen times...I missed him so much, and I was so thankful for his support throughout this past week. THANK YOU, BOB! I LOVE YOU...

Wednesday, January 27, 2010: Our last day...

2010-02-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

I got a good night's sleep, ya'll! LOL. What a difference a quiet, non-fidgetty bunk mate makes! Hehe. Got up and joined everyone for breakfast. We were supposed to go to Port-au-Prince today. Janet informed us that it wasn't going to happen. Apparently, the Arizona team who was supposed to help care for the children today decided to pack up and go to Jimani. They decided that they needed to go to Jimani, as it wasn't "that exciting" here in Barahona. WTF? I thought. Many of us in our group were disappointed in their decision. Not because we couldn't go to Port-au-Prince, but because we were now scrambling to figure out who was going to work the night shift tonight and that we were starting to worry about the children who were scheduled to have procedures done today.

We did understand their desire to help in Jimani. But, it was just unexpected and we were all put on short notice to rearrange our schedule. No worries though, we all got up and decided to gather up our things to prepare and head for the clinic. We wished the Arizona team well, and we went on our way back to the clinic.

Three of our team members, Ben, Stephanie, and Leigh had to leave today. Mark, Peggy and Court left yesterday already. This left a few of us to work in the clinic today. We are scheduled to leave tomorrow, Thursday. Our flight wasn't till 5pm, but we are scheduled to leave Barahona at 9 am. This gave us a tight schedule to have surgical procedures done today.

Once Barb and I got all surgical cases done, Vicki asked me to do a medication inventory for the clinic. I also gathered up a couple pieces of paper and listed many "anesthesia do's and don't's" for the next medical team who were sheduled to arrive late tomorrow night. It was a nice way to get them "oriented" to the clinic, from the anesthesia side.

Later on during the day, we took more pictures of the patients and with each other, as this was our last time with them. It was a sad afternoon for me. I will miss all these wonderful people!

Some of us decided to walk back to our residence. Nice and warm. Very relaxing walk. Truly an amazing city. People here are just wonderful!

Once we got back, I got cleaned up and decided to pack up my bag for tomorrow's trip back home. I decided to leave several clothes and items behind which I will no longer use back in the U.S. We had dinner together for the last time and called it a night early.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

2010-02-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

Two nights in a row, I probably only got a total of 4 hours of sleep each night. The guy below me kept tossing and turning. Every time I fell into a deep sleep, I would get startled by the slightest movement. Perhaps because the jolt mostly felt like an earthquake. I don't know what to do. Perhaps I will ask my team members next door if they have an extra bunk bed that I can use later on tonight.

I finally decided to get cleaned up. None of the Arizona team whom I shared the room with were in their beds. Looking at my phone, I noticed that it was a little past 8 am. I got ready and walked towards the front of the main house - only to find out that we were all getting ready to leave for the clinic in less than 5 minutes! YIKES! I had to grab a piece of bread which was out on the table where everyone had breakfast earlier this morning.

We all piled into the minivan and headed to the clinic. Once we got there, we got busy on starting today's surgical cases. We had 5 cases scheduled for today, so Mark, Barb and I got busy preparing our medications and necessary equipment that we needed for the morning. Many of the surgical procedures done today were wound debridements and cast revisions. Many of the kids were still smiling! What great spirits these kids have!

What great teamwork! We did all 5 cases before 12 noon! It was time for lunch. Food was brought in to the clinic by COTN workers. We all sat down and ate. We had rice, chicken, pineapple and juice. It was yummy!

Once we got done with lunch, Mark and I got started on trying to see if 2 other anesthesia machines which were just delivered from a local hospital was in working condition. One of them wasn't working properly. It had a leak somewhere. Luckily, 2 EMT's from the Arizona team volunteered to take the thing apart and troubleshoot the location of the possible leak. While they got busy doing that, Mark and I checked and went over the other machine. It works! Only problem is, we only have ONE oxygen tank. We soon told Vicki about the problem and she got Brandon on the task of getting another oxygen tank delivered to the clinic.

Later on the day, I Angelo, Helen, Luc, Rick, and I helped load up a truck with 200 boxes of rice and beans which COTN planned to send over to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. They are apparently having shortages of food for the hundreds of people who are in that devastated city. It took us about 45 minutes or so to load up this truck with boxes of rice and beans. I was so tired after we were done! I felt light headed at one point. Luckily, I didn't pass out! That would have been embarrassing!

After working all day, we eagerly awaited our ride back to the house. After 20 minutes, no sign of the van yet. I was getting very impatient. I was sweaty, tired, and hungry! I was getting irritable for some reason! Then, several of our team members decided to ride in the back of the truck which we loaded up with food instead. It was headed back to the COTN house, so I got up the back and we all rode back in style...

Once we got back, I immediately jumped in the shower! Got cleaned up and went to ask my team members next door if they had an extra bunk bed. Eureka! They did have an extra bed, so I gathered up my stuff from the other room and moved it next door. YAY! I hope I get a good night's sleep tonight!

Later after dinner, many of our team members from New England gathered together with Janet for a mini-debriefing. It was a great way of talking out our frustrations of what we saw back in Jimani, as well as remembering the wonderful experiences we all had while we were there. Mark was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. So Barb and I are going to be the only 2 anesthesia providers until the new group of medical volunteers arrives late Thursday night.

Janet also asked some of us if we were interested in going to Port-au-Prince tomorrow to perhaps see if we can offer any assistance to the hospital there which was caring for hundreds of victims since the earthquake. At first, I was hesitant because thoughts of "what if" was going through my head. Our group was scheduled to leave for the United States on Thursday and I was worried that if something happened while we were in Port-au-Prince, that we wouldn't make our flight back. "What if"? But then, I decided to volunteer and go along with several of my team mates. Heck, you only live once and I can't live my life worrying about the "what ifs" anymore. Life is just too darn short...

Monday, January 25, 2010 COTN clinic...

2010-02-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Our briefing from Vicki included instructions from her that we needed to perform several surgical procedures on some of the children. Some of them needed wound cleaning and debridement as well as cast revisions under anesthesia. Some of them may also need surgical procedures done the following couple days after today.

The weather was nice today. Very sunny and windy. I am still feeling a little tired though from getting little sleep last night, but I am re-energized, excited to be seeing the kids from Jimani. I got to know some of the guys from Arizona this morning. They appear to be very nice folks. Later in the afternoon, we all piled into the minivan and headed on our way to the clinic which was only 10 minutes away.

We arrived at the clinic and proceeded to the lobby. As we entered the first room where some of the kids and their families were, we noted a "clean" smell in the air! Seemed that the D.R. nurses working in the clinic that morning had bathed the children! Everyone had smiles on their faces! They were happy as a clam! LOL.

Mark, who was our other anesthesia colleague was already busy, getting things straightened out in one of the operating rooms. Both Barb and I got busy right away in helping Mark get things ready and organized for this afternoon's surgical procedures. The first thing that we all got busy on, was organizing our drugs, which were not organized. Both the anesthesia machines didn't work properly. We only had one big oxygen tank in one room and none in the other. This meant that procedures in that room would have to be simpler, requiring little to no oxygen supplementation from the anesthetist.

The other members of our team who came that afternoon also got busy with organizing the supply rooms, pharmacy area, as well as getting those children ready for their procedures later on in the day. Thankfully, both operating rooms were air conditioned. It was surely a more controlled and cleaner environment than what we were accustomed to back in Jimani.

The 3 of us anesthetists took turns in providing the necessary anesthetics to the children who were scheduled to have their procedures done that afternoon. When I wasn't providing anesthesia, I went around and mingled with the children, some of whom were already playing with other members of our medical team. What a change in them, I thought to myself. They appeared to be happier and more lively. The families were also very appreciative of what we have done for them. Many were smiling and thanking us as we walked around.

We did 6 surgical procedures in total. More are scheduled for tomorrow. It was time to head back to the house. Three of the Arizona team members, all of whom were registered nurses came to take over and care for the children for the night. I wasn't going to be working the night shift anymore. WOW! What a relief, I thought!

When we got back to the house, the rest of our team members who were left behind in Jimani had arrived! We briefed them on what went on today, as they were all going to be joining us tomorrow at the clinic. We soon had dinner and got ready for bed an hour or so after. I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight. Hopefully, the guy below me won't keep me up...

Monday, January 25, 2010 Unexpected surprise...

2010-02-07T07:55:00.001-08:00

Spent the night in a room with the new Arizona medical volunteers who arrived a day ago. They had an extra bunk bed available and the a/c was working in their room! Yay! I thought. But unfortunately, the guy below me moved like Walter all night long. Hmmmmmmm, long story short...no sleep once again! Heck, I was so used to getting no sleep that it really didn't matter anymore! LOL.

Got up and headed outside for the front lawn where people were getting ready for breakfast. Much to my surprise, it turned out that the gals I never got to say goodbye to, Dodi and Cathy were still here! They were scheduled to leave this morning for the airport. Apparently, their team member who had a nervous breakdown was still in a room in the residence. He was constantly being monitored and medicated with a sedative.

I gave the gals a big hug! I was so elated that I got to see them for the last time! I teased Dodi, telling her how shocked I was, feeling "abandoned" by my BFF that night! LOL. Cathy, who is also a sweetheart gave me a necklace that they bought the other day and I promised them both that I will wear it at all times, as a sign of their friendship and to help remind me everyday that I look at it in front of the mirror, of all the wonderful friendships I have made and the untiring work that everyone has given to help those in need in Jimani and Barahona...

After breakfast, we saw them get on their bus and they went on their way to the airport. Those of us left behind gathered and drank our coffee as we waited for our instructions from Vicki for today's task at hand...we knew that the kids have arrived at the clinic and we were anxiously looking forward to seeing them sometime in the day...

I went around the compound and took some pictures of the daily activities of the COTN staff, from cooking, to laundry, etc. I took a deep breath and sighed. "We are so lucky to be here", I thought to myself. I am forever thankful...

A few hours later, Vicki arrived with a few of the Arizona medical volunteers. They had just come from the clinic which was only less then 10 minutes by car. She gave us a short briefing on what had been going on at the clinic and what our next mission was....TO HELP ORGANIZE AND GET THIS CLINIC UP AND RUNNING AS A MINI-SURGICAL CLINIC. There was a lot of work to be done...and we were all refreshed and energized as a group. We gathered our things and got on the minivan...

Sunday, January 24, 2010 Afternoon...

2010-02-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Heard that Vicki and Peggy were working on selecting 11 children to take to the COTN clinic in Barahona. It was apparently no easy task. Found out later on that day, that someone from the D.R. authorities were accusing COTN of kidnapping these 11 potential children. It almost didn't happen! Chris, who is the founder of COTN had intervened and eventually won over the trust of the authorities and the green light was then given to COTN to proceed with the transfer of these children, along with their family members over to Barahona. I was told by someone in the group that the Puerto Rican army had volunteered to fly the victims over in their blackhawk helicopter, which wasn't being utilized that day for some reason. GREAT OPPORTUNITY! Denise and I, along with other members in our group watched as they loaded up these kids and their families. What a tearful site! Tears of both joy and sadness came to me. I was joyful for the fact, that these 11 children will be cared for by us and sadness for the fact, that many more sick children were left behind. I just couldn't think about it anymore...IT WAS WHAT IT WAS...

After we saw the helicopter leave for Barahona, those of us who were scheduled to leave later in the day decided to say our farewells to the other courageous men and women volunteers whom we had the great opportunity to work alongside with during our stay in Jimani...

We went back to the house, and packed up our belongings. We had some food to eat, which was provided by Brandon, our logistics officer. Ate our meal and loaded up our luggages in one pickup truck, and proceeded to go into another minivan which was chartered for us by COTN. We headed out back to Barahona. It was going to be a 3 hour drive...

Tried to get a snooze in the van. But I couldn't. Too many potholes! I kept hitting my head against the window! So Denise and I just talked for the rest of the journey back to the COTN mission house. Two hours into the journey, our driver had noticed that the pickup truck, which had our lugages, where Brandon was riding in had been missing and had not been following us for quite some time. So we decided to stop at the side of the road and waited for about 10 minutes to see if they would eventually catch up behind us. NO SIGN OF THEM!

So we decided to go back to look for them. Feeling very tired, I thought to myself..."What if something happened to them? There was no security personnel with us on this trip. And it was getting pretty late. I checked the clock on my phone, and it said, 9 pm". The WHAT IF's started flooding my mind...

A few miles back, we spotted them! They were on the side of the road, front hood open and Brandon and the driver stooped over the engine compartment. They needed a flashlight. So Denise handed them her headlamp. As we waited in the van, we saw a couple of locals walking on the sidewalk. A child, who couldn't have been more than 8 years old, tried to sell us 2 sticks of cigarettes! Leigh, who was sitting by the window wanted to buy it off of her, just to get it off this little girls hands. But, I told her not to buy it from her, because it would only ENABLE her into selling more. Everyone seemed to have agreed with me, and Leigh decided to tell the child, "No thanks."

Brandon returned to the van to tell us, that the truck, which ran on PROPANE was running out of fuel. Fortunately, he thought that it also was able to run on regular gasoline and that they were going to try and restart it. After some tinkering, he attempted to start it and VOILA! It was running again!

Our driver decided to let Brandon go ahead of us, so that we could keep an eye on the pickup in case it decided to stop again. We headed back on the road...it was almost 10 pm.

We went through a small town and saw a gas station. We pulled into it, but they were closed! Back on the road, we crossed our fingers that Brandon and his pickup truck would make it straight through. But, it wasn't going to. His truck stopped and he pulled over alongside the road. Our driver said that we were about 15 minutes to our destination. So Brandon and his driver decided to wait in the pickup truck and we went ahead to the COTN mission house.

We finally arrived at the house. The new group of volunteers from Arizona had arrived the day before and were waiting for us on the veranda. We quickly exited the van, and sent our driver back to get Brandon, his driver and our luggages.

The first thing I did was RUN TO THE BATHROOM TO GET A SHOWER!!! No hot water...BUT I DIDN'T CARE! What a feeling! I'm clean once again!

Jimani Video

2010-02-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a DVD/Video about our trip to Jimani since getting back last Friday. I finally finished it. I am posting it here in hopes that it will be viewed by many of my COTN colleagues. I will continue to update my blog about my Jimani experiences...

Sunday, January 24, 2010

2010-02-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

Woke up to that very confused rooster. He must think that it's always early morning! Got all cleaned up, I meant WIPED down, LOL and decided to wait for Denise and the rest of the night shift crew to get ready. Some of us decided to sit on our mattresses out on one of the verandas. It was windy this morning. Nice breeze!

Walked over to the hospital to get our usual meal before the shift began. Saw a lot of people again. Some of the teams were leaving, some new ones just arriving. I actually stayed and helped out in the main hospital for a few hours. I remember seeing a little girl in a room with her family who wanted to clean her, since she had wet her cot. She was yelling and screaming in pain, chanting in her native tongue. You could hear her a mile away. I decided to give her some narcotics through her intravenous line and explained to her parents via an interpreter that it would help her calm down, and that it would help her pain ease up, since she had fractured hips. I started worrying about when the time came for me to leave this place......would someone else take my place and go around to help and medicate these poor people? Surely, they had medication orders that the nurses could give them. But, I had noticed that many of them needed stronger medications, far more stronger than what many have had ordered for them to have. I could only hope that someone, an anesthetist would be ideal, would recognize this need and go around the compound like I have - making sure that these poor souls had adequate pain relief...

The whole shift went by uneventfully. There were some issues about "an elective" case that a bunch of Russian surgeons wanted to do the next day. But I will not get into it in this blog. Nothing terribly exciting went on the rest of the shift. Good, I thought. Nice to have a quiet night for a change. Managed to sit down with Janet upstairs and just catch up on what's happening. Was told that COTN had planned to leave Jimani because the organization had decided to commit and care for 11 sick children and their families who were currently in Jimani. Vicki and Peggy had the hard job of choosing who these 11 kids were. They are to be airlifted to a clinic in Barahona, close to the COTN mission house. Therefore, some of the team members were scheduled to leave for Barahona later on that Sunday to help set up the clinic and care for them. I found out from Janet that I was one of the members that was scheduled to go back, along with Denise. The rest of the Weeks Medical volunteers were staying another night and would be scheduled to go back the following day (Monday).

Went back to the orphanage to check on some patients. Saw Vicki and she told me that she had convinced the security personnel who were checking the building to loan her the key to the bathroom on the second floor. It had been locked up since they had declared the building unsafe for people to return to for the moment and that it had just been cleaned and had running water to the shower stalls! WOW! An opportunity to FINALLY shower! I told her that I would be back at 0530 that morning so that I can get cleaned up.

I went back to the house that morning after my shower and slept a few hours. I needed to get ready for our departure that Sunday afternoon. Denise and I were both saddened to be leaving the 3 of our colleagues behind. But, it was what it was...we were needed somewhere else...

Saturday, January 23, 2010 Start of another shift...

2010-02-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

Went to the main hospital with some of my night shift team members for a meal. Not chef boyardee this time. Some of the local women made some rice and beans. There was a chicken dish as well. Tasted good! Sure needed some carbs! Saw Luc and Helen there too. Seems like they are back to work at their usual spot. My name is still not on the assignment list! I guess I'm oncall for anesthesia again. I don't think I'll be checking for my name on this list anymore.

I went to check on patients downstairs before heading to the orphanage. Very warm down there. Not terribly humid though. Went back up to the second floor to watch the sunset. Noticed that the Puerto Rican Search and Rescue Team was getting ready to pack up and leave completely. Heard from someone that they are no longer finding survivors in Port-au-Prince. Sad news I thought.

People at the orphanage were still outside. The Dominican Republic Department of Health inspectors apparently went there this morning to go over the building and decided that the building wasn't safe. Therefore, everyone was advised to stay outside. This didn't prevent some of the workers who had been running the ER/Triage area from setting up some cots and caring for patients who really needed to be inside. The make shift pharmacy was also asked to move out of the building, but the staff had compromised with the inspectors, by making a door an emergency exit in case of another aftershock. Leslie, who was part of COTN was very happy. She was placed in charge of organizing the pharmacy and was doing a heck of a job! Glad she was there to do it! I didn't think I would be able to do what she did! What a trooper she is!

Later that evening, Dodi and I teamed up again for our usual IV checks. Some of the patients who had been getting intravenous fluids needed to have their IV sites changed. I went back to the pharmacy to get more supplies, when someone from our team told us that Dodi and Cathy needed to leave ASAP. "Um, leave?" as in leave for a bathroom break? Apparently, another person who came with them both on this mission had a NERVOUS BREAKDOWN and that he needed to be sedated and therefore had to leave for Barahona, back to the COTN headquarters so that he can be taken to the airport and flown back to the U.S. Dodi and Cathy were a part of his team.

I was saddened by the fact, that I wasn't able to say goodbye to them. But, it was what it was. I just hoped then that I would be able to get their contact information so that I can touch base with them again when I got back to the States. They were such funny gals! Great sense of humor! I had to finish what I had started to do that night, and didn't waste any time.

Saw my coworker, Denise and was asked to check an IV for her when we felt ANOTHER AFTERSHOCK. It was very brief, but enough to get my heart racing. Staff started to clam people down right away. The entire field calmed down quickly. We went around checking on patients, when we stumbled upon a little toddler, stooped over his mother's legs, who was laying on a cot. Denise, who was fluent in French, asked the mother as to why her son was not laying next to her. She was told that her son didn't want to take up space, since his mother had a broken leg. So I went to the pharmacy supply room and got a trash bag and a bed sheet. Took it back to the tent and laid it on the dirt, next to her cot. She told her son to lay down and he did. They were both so happy and thankful! It just brought tears to my eyes. Who would have thought, that a sheet to lay onto on the dirt would bring so much joy to a toddler and his mother? I will never forget this evening...

Later on, I went back to the hospital that early morning to get some water and possibly a snack...a canned vienna sausage sounded pretty appetizing! YUM! LOL

Went and saw Luc and Helen working with their usual crew, the three D.R. medical interns. Glad they were able to stay and work again. Luc and I chatted a bit about what he's done, and saw that night. We were approached by someone who was asking on behalf of the custodians who were cleaning one of the rooms, as to where we they could dispose of an amputated leg that was in a trash bag and still left in one of the operating rooms from the day before. Not knowing where the hospital had disposed of them, Luc and I ventured out to look for Janet.

After several minutes, we had no luck finding her. We later found out, that one of the cleaning ladies had placed the trash bag in question outside along with other bags of garbage. When Luc and I went out in the back of the hospital, we saw 3 dogs trying to get at the trash bag! Geezuz! I said. That's just NOT right! Luc stepped up to the plate, and shooed the dogs away momentarily. We saw a couple of coffins along the side of the building and one of them was labeled, "Amps". Luc took the bag and placed it inside. It was very disturbing to see those dogs, trying to get inside that coffin. But, that was the REALITY of what was going on over in Jimani. I had to step back and take a deep breath. I was not in the U.S. anymore. I no longer had the "comfort" of being shielded from this kind of REALITY.

Earlier that morning, Saturday...heard from Janet that the burn patient who I took care of the first day I was there was going to be flown out over to the USS Comfort which was off the coast of Haiti. We were so thrilled that he was finally going to be taken cared of! He needed a burn specialty hospital, and the USS Comfort was definitely equipped to care for him. I took a picture of him as they were waiting by the lobby. I didn't wait to see him off to the helicopter, as I was very tired and needed to go back to get some sleep.

Saturday, January 23, 2010 End of shift...

2010-02-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Feeling pretty tired. Kept reminding myself to keep drinking water! Good thing there was an abundance of bottled water! Toilets in the hospital were getting full and filthy. The hospital custodians who worked diligently around the clock to keep them clean seem to be losing the battle. The number of people just outnumbered the toilets!

I went back to the house to hopefully get some sleep. I still haven't showered. Takes some getting used to using baby wipes in lieu of a nice, hot, shower. People kept going in and out of the house. Very noisy! Uggggghhhhhhh! I laid down and just closed my eyes.

I woke up 3 hours later. I actually felt a little rested. Did my usual stuff again and headed to the hospital for a meal. I bet it's another round of Chef Boyardee! YUM! Or perhaps a nice helping of rice and beans with some left over sauce of some kind.

I was on-call for anesthesia once again. I actually didn't mind it. That's what I was here for, I thought to myself. Can't complain about things when you're here. I kept telling myself how lucky I am to be able to help these poor victims. Truly very HUMBLING.

I walked over to the orphanage and saw Vicki. Still in the same scrubs she's been wearing since the first day I met her. She didn't seem like she slept at all. What a ball of energy she is. She's an amazing person! She asked me to stay there for "Pain Management" once again. I was more than happy to oblige. My friends, Denise, Angelo, & Linda were already there, hard at work! These guys are amazing! The best crew to work with! Never complaining...just kept on going, like the energizer bunny!

The Red Cross didn't come with the tents they had promised. Fortunately, someone had remembered that several bedsheets which were donated by the City of Hope , was stored somewhere in the warehouse. So, they got a couple hundred of them and gave them out to the families. In a few hours, a small "tent" city emerged! It shielded them from the hot sun! THINGS SURELY HAPPEN FOR A REASON!

I went back to the hospital to check on some of the patients whom I had given pain medication to the night before. On the way to one of the rooms, I passed by the operating room wherein one of my COTN members, Mark (CRNA) was about to put a little girl to sleep so that, her left badly injured leg could be amputated. I went inside to see if he needed assistance. After we put her off to sleep, our COTN orthopedic surgeon and my friend, Walter who assisted in the operation proceeded to remove her badly injured leg.

Words cannot describe the feeling that I felt for this poor little girl. Six years old, and already disabled...for life. It is truly sad how many of these children have been badly injured, scarred and traumatized for life. I can't imagine how many more children there are like her who are in Port-au-Prince, waiting for urgent medical care. I just can't imagine! Truly heart-breaking.

I went back to the orphanage after making sure that some of the patients in the hospital who needed some pain medication (particularly intravenous morphine, dilaudid, fentanyl) were taken cared of. I did my usual walking around the whole grounds, checking on patients with my headlamp, asking to see if they needed something for pain. Many of them needed just a little. Enough to let them sleep through the night. SLEEP is so precious! I've learned not to take it for granted!

Friday, January 22, 2010 First aftershock

2010-02-01T14:36:00.001-08:00

A lot of us went towards the orphanage. Several ambulances with their lights on were already at the scene. I can hear yelling and screaming from a distance. As I approached closer, I saw many people outside, laying on the dirt. Many of whom were on their mattress and cots. MASS CHAOS. Women and children crying. Many shouting in Creole.

Saw Vicki in the distance, surrounded by other medical personnel, looking perhaps to get some guidance as to what to do. In her usual calm and composed demeanor, she asked us to gather up in teams and to start identifying all the patients, by name, age and to reassess those with new injuries. I paired up with Dodi (RN) and we went to work.

Many of the patients had already been operated on earlier. Many of them had external fixators on their broken limbs. Many, unfortunately were dragged by their family members hurriedly after the aftershock, many were dragged on the floor, down the stairs on their mattresses! Some I was told by an interpreter, were dragged by their fixators by family members who were trying to help evacuate everyone from their rooms out of the building.

Many of us worked relentlessly. Going from one patient to the next. Tagging them with pieces of tape on which their name, age, and whether or not new injuries existed were written. I was thankful that many interpreters were present that night. They were a godsend. One patient who had jumped off the second story balcony suffered a ruptured eye and what appeared to be a broken ankle. He was taken to the hospital for further medical evaluation. I was surprised that he was the only "serious" injury that night.

Despite their injuries and what many of these poor victims have recently endured, many, if not all of them still smiled. Despite losing everything, they hung on to their "manila folder" in which we wrote their injuries, meds, med history, or whatever little information we knew about them in. It was PRECIOUS to them. It was the only thing they had. Their IDENTITY. They are such good people.

A Haitian preacher with a megaphone went up to the second floor, and he spoke to them in their native tongue. Silence followed. Then everyone sang in Creole. It calmed everyone down, including myself. What a beautiful song, I thought.

He also spoke to everyone reassuring everyone that it was safe to go back to the building. Some of the injured were already being taken inside, back into the make shift emergency/triage area, WHEN THE SECOND AFTERSHOCK hit. All I remember is feeling the whole building shake...running towards the open field. Again, screaming and yelling followed.

Once again, the preacher and his megaphone went to work, helping to calm people down. At this point, my heart was racing too! Looked like everyone was going to be staying out of the building for the duration of the night. One of the surgeons decided to close a bleeding wound out on the field. Brenda (CRNA), who was just getting off the dayshift happened to be there and she provided the sedation for the procedure. This freed me up to finish identifying the injured with Dodi.

After the dust settled so-to-speak, I went back to the main hospital to see if I was assigned to work anywhere. I came across Janet in the lobby and she told me that I was the sole ON-CALL person for anesthesia for the rest of the night. "Great", I said. I told her that I was going to go back to the orphanage to help and for them to come get me in case they needed my help for any emergent surgeries.

Once I got back to the orphanage, I told Vicki that I was available for whatever she needed me for. She asked me to do what I was good at...and that was providing pain management to all who needed it (just the patients! Hehe). So I got busy. I put together a box of supplies, IV start kits, fluids, tubing, etc. Gathered all my drugs, and went around all night long, starting IV's on those who needed it, medicating them for pain, etc.

It was a good thing that I brought along an LED headlamp that was given to me by my brother-in-law for Christmas. I used that thing every night! Thanks, Gary! Greatest gift EVER! I needed it tonight when I was asked to provide some anesthesia for a deep wound debridement that John (surgeon) needed to perform on a sick lady. Once Dodi (RN) got her IV and fluids, running, I started giving her some propofol and other meds in my "bag of tricks", being careful not to overdo it, since we didn't have any oxygen or portable monitoring equipment! If JCAHO can see me now! The patient did well despite of the current operating conditions (um, outside on the dirt, by the fence with the night time wildlife).

Dawn was fast approaching. Word got around that the Red Cross were going to be supplying these poor people outside some tents to help shield them from the hot sun. They told us that they will be here by sun up...

Friday, January 22, 2010 Only 3 hours of sleep...

2010-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Tried to sleep outside on the veranda. Got startled by the noises from downstairs. Other volunteer workers were talking loudly. The earplugs that I wore couldn't block out the noise, particularly the loud sounds of the helicopters that were going in and out of the compound. I also noticed a rooster who was letting out a loud, "cock-a-doodle-doo" all night and morning long. Man, wish I had a meat cleaver handy! Haha! Three hours of sleep would have to be enough for me! Time to get my stuff together. It was almost 4pm. Time sure flies when you're not sleeping! Hehe!

A couple of my friends joined me out on the veranda for a little chit chat, etc. This is when I felt the first aftershock that shook the compound. Surprisingly, none of my friends noticed it. Perhaps because they didn't grow up in California like I did. I was very sensitive to that "quake" rumble. I told everyone to put their shoes on ASAP! They didn't believe me at first when I told them, "we just had an aftershock!", until we went into the hospital to check on tonight's assignment.

Once we were inside the hospital, we went upstairs to check for our assignments. Several people already were talking about feeling an aftershock. Once again, I didn't see my name on the assignment sheet. Gosh, did they forget about me again? Both Luc and Helen were assigned to work downstairs tonight. I just assumed that I was going to be with them tonight.

Word got around quickly, that many of the patients in the orphanage had gotten out of the building after the shock. We were asked to go and assist, as there were possibly mass injuries as a result of the panic evacuation.

Thursday, January 21, 2010 2300 Emergency surgery

2010-01-31T12:20:00.000-08:00

Later in the evening, around 11 pm, I remember walking around the halls by the make shift supply room, when out of the corner, Bernice who is a part of our team told me that I needed to prepare for surgery for a young woman who was 20 or so weeks pregnant, who's unborn child died during the earthquake, after a cinder block fell on her. Bernice, who happened to be a nurse midwife was working the night shift and was watching this patient on the other side of the hall in another room with two other OB/GYN surgeons, who've been trying to "induce" her, so that she could give birth naturally to her already deceased fetus.

After so many hours of unsuccessful waiting, she apparently started losing a lot of blood. Her condition was worsening and they decided to perform an EMERGENCY CESAREAN SECTION!

Being the only anesthesia provider who was working that night, I had to scramble for help. Helen, turned out to be knowledgeable on gathering the necessary surgical instruments. Bernice volunteered to assist the 2 surgeons, and Luc was a trained O.R. nurse. Everything happens for a reason! Everyone who needed to be there, was there!

I ran to check the two operating room's anesthesia machines. One of them had an oxygen leak! Luckily, these old machines are the same ones that I trained on back in Ohio! I was able to trouble shoot the problem! But, it still had a leak! Can't use this one! So I ran next door to the other operating room and saw that the other anesthesia machine was completely disabled too! I needed to think of a way to perform general anesthesia on this patient, who was deteriorating quickly.

After seeing a huge oxygen tank on its side on the floor, it dawned on me that they probably weren't using the machine at all! I decided to manage her anesthesia with intravenous drugs only and with manually controlling her ventilations without a ventilator.

The next thing I recall was that the patient (Madeleine) who was still on her OB exam table, was wheeled into the room by both surgeons. They hurriedly prepared for surgery and waited for me to put her off to sleep and help control her breathing. The one thing that I will never forget.....is that despite the fact, that she knew her unborn child was already dead, she looked at me with her beautiful eyes, and gave me a nice big smile and said, "Merci" (thank you). I told her through the help of her interpreter to take a big deep breath, as I caressed her cheek, and put her off to sleep.

Once she was asleep, I told the surgeons to go ahead and "cut". Meanwhile, I was busy looking for medications that I needed during the operation. I asked Luc to ventilate the patient for me while I scrambled for some much needed medications to help sustain her during the operation. Another nurse helped me write down important blood pressures, etc.

Both surgeons worked expeditiously to get her unborn fetus out and help control her internal bleeding. They did the surgery in 20 minutes! She was becoming more stable! Thank goodness! Once the operation was done, her unborn fetus (a boy) was given to her husband who was waiting in her room. It was a sad night for all of us. Yet, I was very happy that Madeleine was able to pull through! Once she was awake and stable, we took her to the recovery room. I helped watch over her, along with the other 2 critically ill patients the rest of the evening.

Everyone tonight did a great job! We pulled through! Waited for the day crew to arrive and gave my report over to Brenda. The rest of my night shift crew went back to the house after getting a light breakfast (Chef Boyardee!). Saw the sun rise from the hospital balcony with Janet. What a beautiful site!

Once back in the house, Luc and I talked a bit about what had happened on our first night there. I was still too wound up on adrenaline to sleep. But I needed to get some rest for the next shift. I was assuming that I'd be back at the hospital again tonight...

Thursday, January 21, 2010 First night shift

2010-01-31T11:36:00.000-08:00

Waited for the sun to go down. Had some mattresses outside the balcony. It was nice and windy. Got bit by one mosquito. Good thing I brought a lot of insect repellant wipes with me. The sunset was magnificent. What a view! A nice way to help relax before going to work that night. Once it was time, those of us decided to go to the main hospital to check out the "assignment list". Janet told us that assignments for everyone would be listed on this piece of paper. I was anxious to find out where I was going to be assigned for the night.

Once we got to where the list was posted, I didn't see my name anywhere. Did they forget about me? I thought to myself. There were a lot of people everywhere. Those preparing to work, and those getting ready to rest for the night. I was determined to do something tonight. I decided to go downstairs to the main floor where the operating rooms and patient recovery rooms were located.

First thing I remember doing, was helping someone move a hospital bed into one of the already crowded rooms. Once in this room, I was pulled aside by one of the other CRNAs named Brenda. She apparently was working the day shift with her team members and were providing nursing care all day. She saw that I had "Vince, CRNA" written on my shirt and pulled me aside and asked if I was working the night shift. After I said, "yes, I'm here to help", she told me that I needed to take care of a patient in the next room who was badly burned during the quake (he was apparently in his car in Port-au-Prince when the quake hit and was crushed inside his car which exploded. He was found 5 days later, badly burned over 90% of his body but still miraculously alive), and that he needed someone with critical care skills to look after him.

One of the physicians who was in charge of of the hospital that day spoke with me and gave me a quick history of his injuries, along with what needed to be done through the night. Another patient came in to the room from the operating room who was in critical condition. I now had 2 very ill patients to look after, with very little to no monitoring equipment available! All I had was access to a huge oxygen tank, a monitor that I shared between both patients, and a hardly working suction device (the only one in the whole place!).

Once I got a quick report from the physician, they asked me to go around with Brenda so that she can give me report on EVERYONE in the hospital (there were probably over 30 patients). Seemed that I was going to be in charge for the night. I asked the attending physician if he was going to be available for the night shift, to which he replied, "No. I'm going to rest and sleep. You'll do just fine."

At this point, I got very nervous. But then, I figured that if something urgent was to happen, I could just barge in one of the rooms upstairs to ask for help. No problem I kept telling myself.

Here I am with 2 very sick patients to look after, plus being in charge of all the other sick patients in the wards! I needed some help. Janet, who was an Angel throughout this whole week, managed to recruit 3 Dom. Rep Medical students for the night shift. She told me that I was to utilize them in whatever aspect of care I needed them to do.

I also asked Luc and Helen who are my team members to help and stay with me. They gladly agreed. Now I had 5 people to help for the night...

Once the dust settled, so to speak...when everyone from the day shift started leaving...I focused on what was at hand - taking care of these 2 critically ill patients. Meanwhile, the rest of our night shift crew got busy giving routine medications and medical treatments/care to everyone who needed it. It was chaotic to say the least. I felt like going into a battle zone with a blind fold. I'm sure everyone else felt the same way as I did...

I went around the hospital to help familiarize myself with it's layout. The night shift pharmacy crew was there...still organizing all the medications that were coming in non-stop from donors.

I found the surgical instrument cleaning room, where used instruments were soaking in alcohol or bleach. No fancy sterilizing machines here. This is OLD school now...

Thursday, January 21, 2010 The orphanage

2010-01-31T11:00:00.001-08:00

Some of us decided to walk over to the orphanage - a two-story building that housed a make shift emergency triage area, as well as housing over 200 or so earthquake victims and their families. It was about a 4 minute walk from the main hospital. Along the way, 2 air conditioned trailers served as an ICU which had 4 critically ill patients. A small chapel off to the side also served as patient shelters. A huge tent around the back was full of patients, laying on cots with different types of injuries. There were so many children. Oddly, it was pretty quiet. Not a lot of crying children I noticed. Perhaps because they were all exhausted to even let a cry out...

Walking through the orphanage hallways, a dog was wandering aimlessly. He looked tired too. Even the hallways were filled with beds/cots with patients. A couple of ambulances and a school bus were dropping off patients who were once in the main hospital for one reason or another. This was the place where they would go for further medical care.

Feeling a little tired and somewhat overwhelmed of just seeing masses of injured people in one place, those of us who were going to be working the night shift decided to go back to our sleeping residence...little did I know that it was going to be a long and nerve wracking night for me...

Thursday, January 21, 2010 Inside GSH

2010-01-31T07:34:00.001-08:00

Had a few hours till our shift started (1830). A few of us decided to go into GSH to get something to eat (were told that meals were being served every two hours for all the volunteer workers) as well as to get familiarized with the hospital's rooms, etc. First thing I saw was the make shift lobby. Lots of people in scrubs walking around. I felt "lost" and misplaced for some reason. I can only imagine what many of the injured were feeling...strange faces...the fear of the unknown.

Turned around the corner and saw a couple of rooms that were made into operating/procedure rooms. First thing I saw was written names of the groups who were working there. Written on a piece of tape read, "The Rainbow Group". The other room was called, "The Redneck Group" (pretty TACKY I thought to myself). Seemed that several medical teams from the U.S. laid "claim" to the rooms. Strange I thought. But I moved on and walked around the rest of the first floor.

Saw several rooms made into make shift "post operative" and "recovery" rooms. Each room had about 7 or 8 freshly operated on or sick patients with their family members laying on the floor with them. They were CRAMMED. Many were speaking in their native tongue. It was HOT and HUMID. I was already breaking a sweat. Lots of movement. Lots of people. If you were claustrophobic, this was not the place to be.

The smell of urine and soaked dressings stood out to me. But I got used to it quickly. The look of "helplessness" on the patient's faces overshadowed what I felt and smelled. I was there to help them now. I had no time to worry about my own needs.

Many volunteer workers from around the world and the U.S. were present. Puerto Rico's search and rescue team were in their trailers. They were going in and out of Port-au-Prince, rescuing earthquake victims and transporting them into GSH. The medical team from Spain were there already. They were easily identified by the vests they wore. The Japanese team had left already from what I was told. So did the Dominican Republic surgery team who were the first responders had left unexpectedly. Sadly, I will soon find out why they left later on during the week...

Lots of supplies were coming in by the truck loads. It took most of the space right on the first floor. An armed guard sat right by the entrance, perhaps to help prevent unauthorized personnel from taking them. Or maybe just to help maintain some sort of "order" amongst the people within the compound.

Went upstairs to the main lobby where several of the teams congregated for meals. A large freezer filled with bottled water! Lots of empty water bottles everywhere! Lots of trash! This is where the rooms were located. Where many of the workers slept as well. Many of the "administrative" personnel, who's job was to help organize this hospital were present. We had a meeting after our meal and were given a brief synopsis of what was going on and what was to come. I could already sense a "tag of war" between several of the group's administrators. COTN was not a part of it I noticed. We were not there to play "administrators" or "consultants". We were there to help and do whatever was needed. THIS MUST BE THE FRUSTRATION THAT VICKI WARNED US ABOUT...

Soon after, the truck that had our donated supplies arrived. 3-4 COTN members catalogued each and every donated supply on a log. Some of us who were going to be on the night shift that night decided to walk over to the "orphanage" which was a building on the other side of the hospital. It is where over 200 or so patients and families were sleeping and were being cared for. This is where the E.R. was located, where most of the injured from Haiti were being dropped off, whether by ambulance, school bus, or behind pick up trucks...

Thursday, January 21, 2010 Arrival at GSH

2010-01-31T06:47:00.000-08:00

Arrived at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani. The bus stopped in front of a residence surrounded by walls. It is where we were going to be spending the next several days in while we worked at the hospital across the way. Helping us unload our bags were a few children. They couldn't have been more then 7 or 8 years old.

We were shown a quick tour or the house, which was completely empty. Was told that it was a newly constructed home, but was abandoned for some reason or another. COTN managed to have this home serve as our resting place. Scott led us to our assigned area on the second floor. Some relief workers were already sleeping downstairs. All I saw was a lot of mattress scattered about. No specific bed assignments here. You grab flop down where you can to get some zzzzzz's.

Went outside the balcony and was able to see the Haitian border from where I stood. What a beautiful site! It made me forget for just a minute how much devastation was going on beyond that ridge. Port-au-Prince was just less than 50 or so miles from where I was standing.

There were 2 bathrooms in our area. A high tech shower! No running water. Flushing the toilet was done by pouring a jug of water collected from an outside artesian stream right in front of the gate of the house. It wasn't for drinking we were told. At least the bathrooms were private, I thought to myself. Good thing we brought a lot of body wipes. I have a feeling that I will be using them in lieu of getting a shower during the next several days.

Once we got our bags unloaded, we all gathered downstairs to meet our COTN medical team leader, Vicki. An emergency physician with a heart of gold, she was the first COTN member to arrive in Jimani. She was our main medical team leader and she was going to be the one to help lead our group. She gave us the best advice today: "Learn to focus and manage your own space". She told us that there will be a lot of frustrations that we may be feeling in the coming days ahead. After a group prayer, Scott handed everyone our COTN badges.

The group was then asked to write down work shift preferences. The night shift needed the most help, so I signed up for it without any second thoughts. All of our team members from Weeks, aside from Walter was going to be working the night shift. I had a feeling that the next few nights were going to be bumpy...

Thursday, January 21, 2010 1000

2010-01-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

Lots of greenery! The roads were mostly dirt roads with lots of potholes. Went along a huge salt water lake! Went up the mountains towards Jimani where Good Samaritan Hospital was located...

Thursday, January 21, 2010 0900

2010-01-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

Time to head out to Jimani. All of us got into the bus. It was another 2 or so hours away towards the border. I sat next to John (surgeon) who was semi-retired. Him and his wife, Cathy (RN) were on a golfing trip when they decided to join the COTN group. I was looking through the window, looking out at the breath-taking landscape. What a beautiful country! I also did notice that one of our COTN guides had a side pistol. Protection perhaps? I didn't dare ask. Noticed a lot of people outside. Was told that it was a religious holiday.

Thursday, January 21, 2010 0800

2010-01-30T12:23:00.000-08:00

Had only less than 3 hours of sleep. Told Walter I couldn't sleep because of his tossing and turning. He felt bad and apologized because of his bad back. No problem, I said. Went to brush my teeth in the bathroom. There were 2 shower stalls without any curtains, and two toilets without doors! Hmmmmmm. I've showered in the gym with other guys around without any problems. But to try and do number two when people are going in and out of the bathroom? I don't think so. Tried it when Walter was around....JUST AIN'T HAPPENING! LOL. I was thinking of not going the whole week if this was going to be commonplace! LOL.

I went outside to survey the compound. It was well guarded. Walls surrounded the place. We were told not to wander out by ourselves as they couldn't guarantee our safety once we venture outside. The Haitian embassy residence was right next door. I was told that the COTN residence was once owned by a wealthy Armenian real estate tycoon who built this place as a "Party House". This explained the huge pool with a walk up bar. No one wanted to go into the pool since it wasn't filtered and the water was looking pretty green. LOL. Besides, we didn't have any time since we were told that after breakfast, that we would be heading to Jimani, which was another 2 or so hours from Barahona.

After breakfast, some of us got a chance to use the residence's computer. I was then able to give Bob an update. I did have my phone with me, as well as many of the other team members. But reception was erratic and non-existent at times. And I was saving it for emergencies, since it would cost over 3 bucks a minute to call the U.S. Wish I had an international calling plan!

We then were asked to go through our bags to get our essentials because a truck was going to transport our bags separately. Our teams were split in two and were told to hurry since the first group was going to leave right away. Good thing I was in the second group. I was scrambling for my bag to take some essential things for the trip.

I also got a chance to take some pictures of the other members, especially the anesthesia crew which I was a part of. There were 2 anesthesiologists, Doug & Christine (a pediatric anesthesiologist) and Barb, Mark, and myself (CRNAs). The first 2 anesthesia providers were only staying until Sunday. All the other CRNA's were staying till Thursday. I'm sure that there will be plenty of anesthesia personnel once we arrive in Jimani since we were told that they were performing operations non-stop since earthquake victims started coming several days ago.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: 2046

2010-01-30T11:54:00.001-08:00

We finally arrived at the COTN mission residence in the city of Barahona. There, we were greeted by some of the teams who were already there since the earthquake. After getting out of the bus and unloading our baggages, we were given a quick orientation to the place. The first thing we were told was that, to NEVER play or pet the residence's dog named Kelley and the house cat. Scott told us that dogs and cats here in the D.R. are not considered pets (gawd, hopefully not as meals!) but rather, just part of the local wildlife. I didn't know whether to believe it or not, but I was just determined to follow the rules since we were there as guests/volunteers.

We were shown to our room. All the men in one room that had 10 bunkbeds and the women in another similar room. Once we got our bunk assignments, we we back to the main house for dinner. The paid laborers made us a nice hot traditional meal which comprised of rice, beans, potatos, and chicken. We all gathered up in a room where the meal was served, said a prayer led by a COTN member, and then we all had our meal.

After an hour, it was time to hit the hay. All the rooms had airconditioning. Unfortunately, ours didn't work! Luckily, there were no mosquitos in the room. I did get bit once in the arm earlier. Good thing we were taking anti-malaria pills! Because I was a light sleeper, I came prepared with earplugs. It didn't work though, since Walter and I shared the same bunks, I was wide awake all night because Walter kept tossing and turning. Little did I know that this was the start of my getting only less then 3 hours of sleep for days to come...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: 1830

2010-01-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

Halfway to our destination, which was the COTN Mission house in Barahona, D.R., we noticed a lot of speed bumps with checkpoints. Apparently, being close to the Haitian border, many of the armed guards would check cars for illegals who may be coming into the city. Come to know, there are a lot of D.R. residents who feel badly towards Haitians. I didn't want to know their reasons. Only that, I know that we were there to help them and that good will eventually overcome the bad.

As dard approached, we our logistics leader, Justin asked the driver to make a stop at a local stop where a lot of the drivers union would go to eat and rest. Just before we got there, the bus went over a speed bump and we all heard a THUD. One of the men got out the bus and discovered that the spare tire had fallen off! One of the gals behind us, Dody (RN) commented, did we get a flat? To which I joked, "Yes, we did and the guy quickly replaced the tire! Just like NASCAR! LOL.

We arrived at the rest stop and we got out to stretch our legs, use the rest rooms, and grabbed some chicken fingers and fries so that we could eat along the way.

Now that it was dark, there were a lot of headlights flashing. At first we thought that it was just a rude gesture from the oncoming cars/busses. But, turned out that it was sort of a code amongst the drivers on the road...such as, "I'll be passing you, or hurry up and go". There were no set rules either. We came up behind an ambulance who had its emergency lights on. And instead of yielding, many were flashing their lights at it and passing it. We thought that was funny. The guy who sat in the front, Courtney looked as though he was going to pee in his pants on some of the near misses between our bus and the oncoming traffic. I have to say, that our driver was very good. He got us to our destination in one piece!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: 1600

2010-01-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

It was time to get on the road. Everyone was accounted for. We went outside to help load all of our luggages onto the COTN school bus. Once we got the bus loaded, we headed to a smaller bus. These people haulers were the common transporters around the D.R. Both Luc (RN) and I sat next to each other. We had a great time together during the ride. He had a wicked sense of humor just like me, so needless to say, the 3 hour ride wasn't boring at all.

Getting out of the city was an eye opener. Lots of cars. Very congested. Nice coastal scenery! One thing that stood out was the aggressiveness of the drivers! Surely took some time to get used too, especially sitting up in the front. I found myself bracing myself whenever we stopped, most especially because there weren't seatbelts!

Another thing that stood out to me, was the abundance of exotic and expensive cars in the city. Turned out, that the D.R. economy is pretty well sustained by the coffee, tobacco, and garment industries. Sadly, there are only two extremes: The rich and the poor. We were certainly headed out of the city and into the area where a lot of the poor were living.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: 1300

2010-01-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

As soon as we arrived at JFK, we thought we had an hour or so to stretch and relax (hoping to have a beer or two). Turned out, our connecting flight to Sto. Domingo was already bording! We got in line after using the restroom and settled into our seats. I remember being in line and watching all the people boarding. I love to "people watch" and am amazed on what many of the Dominicans were wearing. Lots of tight pants! Glittery shirts too!

Janet did a great job booking our flight so that we weren't that far from each other. Prior to this day, we had hoped that we would have gotten on a private plane, chartered by Donna Karan. Turned out, that the plane was only meant for supplies and not passengers. I was sorta hoping to get on that flight, mostly because I hoped to get a set of free matching DKNY luggage! HAHAHA! We found out later in the week, that her chartered flight for supplies never took off for some reason or another. Things do happen for a reason.

Walter was the only one who sat farther up towards the front of the plane. The rest of us were in the back. I made a joke, saying that the safest part of the plane was the back and that the front of the plane was expendable. I HAVE A SICK SENSE OF HUMOR FOLKS! If I offend anyone...OH WELL! Have you met me yet? HAHA!

Once on the plane, I noticed that the seat next to me was vacant. So I called Angelo over to join me and keep me company. Once we took off, I tried to take a snooze. Glad to have come prepared! I had my inflatable neck pillow and my travel eye shield (which turns out, that I would be using it on a daily basis).

I couldn't take a snooze. Too noisy! One hour into the flight, many of the folks on the plane (many were missionaries on their way to Port-au-Prince) started to go around the plane and were talking to each other. One guy had a video recorder, going around and interviewing people. At first, I thought it was great that they were all energetic and psyched about their trip...but some of us in our team couldn't help but notice that one man in their group was sorta annoying. He was very loud and was the type of person that got into your personal space when he spoke to you. He was also very vocal about his religion and about his political views. Pretty inappropriate I thought to myself. But, it was what it was...and I wasn't going to let it affect me mentally. I had to focus on more important things........the flight attendants were starting to take drink orders! YAY! LOL!

I ordered a glass of wine, hoping that it would make me relax for a bit during this flight. When I handed over my credit card to the male flight attendant to pay for my drink, he winked at me and mumbled, "Don't worry about it". WOW! Free booze! How did I score a freeby?! LOL! I decided to share my free glass of wine with Denise, who was sitting across from me. Unfortunately for her, she spilled most of it because the person sitting next to her kept getting up to go to the bathroom.

I tried to get some zzzzzz's but couldn't. Instead, I started filling out two of the immigration/customs forms that were handed out by the flight attendants. I guess everyone needed them filled out as required by the D.R. (Dom. Rep). The flight took 4 hours and we landed, everyone in the plane clapped. The landing was uneventful. The first thing we noticed was the change in temperature. The plane's a/c system started to mist up. Sorta what happens when cold air has a lot of humidity.

Once we got off the plane, it felt as if it was Summer! Warm! Not terribly humid though. We got off the plane and set out to wait for the rest of the group to disembark. Once everyone was accounted for (20 or so), we went through customs. Some of us exchanged dollars to D.R. currency. I didn't for some reason. I didn't think that I would need it since I heard that they accepted American dollars in the country. Saw the duty free mart selling GIGANTIC Chivas Regal! That would've been great to lug around with us! LOL. But, we were told NO ALCOHOL or TOBACCO were allowed while working with COTN. Bummer. LOL. We finally met up with 2 or the COTN logistics personnel (Scott & Justin), as well as their D.R. counterparts/interpreter and drivers.

We were told that we had a little of a delay at the airport, because we were waiting for 2 other members of the group who were coming in on a later, private jet. Meanwhile, Angelo offered to buy me ice cream! We met several of our team members while we waited around, and saw the ITALIAN SEARCH AND RESCUE team with their dogs arrive as well. Denise, Angelo, Linda and I decided to also walk outside the airport to soak up some sun. Saw lots of people! What a busy airport! Lots of cars honking their horns.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: 0900

2010-01-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

Got up at 1 am. Couldn't sleep for obvious reasons. Thoughts going through my head of this, and that. I expect to get some snooze on the way there. Bob is our ride to the airport. I can never thank him enough for being such a supportive partner. What am I going to do without you?! Thanks for putting up with me even after 18 years!!!

The rest of the team arrived at our house on time. We loaded up the truck and got on the road for a 3 hour drive to Boston. The weather was good until we got halfway to Boston. It started to snow there and the roads became slushy. Thankfully, we got there in one piece and in plenty of time! There was no way we were going to miss this flight!

After waiting for about an hour or so, we finally met Janet and a few of our team members. We gathered all our stuff and checked in through security. Gave Bob a kiss and hug and said my fair well.

We sat down by our departure gate as I watched the news on the screens. We mingled with the other team members who arrived later on. I am so bad with names...wished we all had name tags on our shirts.

The first leg of the flight (JetBlue) was only an hour or so. We had to go to JFK to catch a connecting flight over to Sto. Domingo which was going to be a 4 hour flight. Our flight over to JFK was uneventful. Didn't get to snooze at all. Will try to sleep on the flight over to the Dom. Republic.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

2010-01-30T07:33:00.000-08:00

Lots of things to do. Got final word from Janet, that our team is scheduled to leave Wednesday, the 20th at 9 am. It's getting down to the wire and we needed to pack up our stuff, along with other medical supplies that we could take with us. We all got busy during the day filling suitcases with donated supplies from different departments. Thanks to those who donated! You guys know who you are! True angels!

A great thanks to our friends who helped cover our shifts for the week that we would be gone! Words are not enough! I will give you guys a huge HUG when I get back!

Monday, January 18, 2010

2010-01-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

Went to work as usual. News got around quickly amongst the hospital staff that the 5 of us were going over to help Haitian earthquake victims. Lots of well wishers. Lots of hugs and praise. The five of us gathered at the end of the day to put together a game plan on what supplies/stuff to bring for the trip. Here's a brief background of the team:

1). Denise Brisson, RN (O.R. Manager) - She got the ball rolling so to speak, and got us all involved. We owe her many thanks, along with Janet Larsen for getting us the necessary information in making this trip possible.

2). Vince Garcia, CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist) - Yours truly. Blogger extraordinaire. LOL. Kidding. Blessed to be in company of such great, caring people at Weeks Medical!

3). Linda Pacquette, RN (E.D.) - Great nurse! Great job on getting your shifts covered on your own! YOU ROCK!

4). Walter Voigt, MD (Gen. Surgeon) - Great person! A pleasure to work with! (despite being grouchy in the morning HAHA!) A great friend! I LOVE YOU, MAN! :-)

5). Angelo Vozella, PA (Phys. Asst) - A truly hard working man! *** Angelo NEVER had a passport in his life. He never thought he needed it until today. Things truly happen for a reason. He knew someone in Boston who had connections with an agency that issued passports. He decided to go to Boston (3 hrs one way) later in the evening so that he could meet up with his contact the next day at 9 am. Long story short (without the DRAMA), Angelo showed up late Tuesday afternoon with a passport!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

2010-01-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

Still awaiting news from Denise's contact, Janet as to the final word of when our team will be departing. Word has it, that it may be as early as Wednesday, January 20th or Friday, January 22nd at the latest. There was paperwork to fill out either through the COTN website or via facsimile to Janet. A passport was needed. Good thing I got a passport last year! I needed it to go to Montreal. Thanks, Canada!

Got on the COTN website to download their volunteer paperwork application and got busy filling it out and sending over to Janet. No time to lose and went to different stores to buy several things for the trip. Both Bob and my mother (she's been visiting from California since October seem pretty OK with me going on this trip. Little do they know that I was feeling nervous about this trip. I'm sure they are worried for me as well, but are doing such a great job holding themselves together.

Funny thing is, with all the things that I have been seeing in the news about this tragic earthquake - the uncertainty of what we may be encountering once we get to our destination - I had no thoughts or feelings of backing out. The more nervous I became, the more determined I was on going. I have never experienced this kind of feeling before. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it as I write this entry.

The Call for Help

2010-01-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

January 16, 2010:

Got up this morning with a voicemail from Denise (our O.R. manager), "Vince, I need for you to call me back regarding something very important". I called her as soon as I got her message and she asked me if I was interested in going with her and 3 other medical personnel from our hospital over to the Dominican Republic for a week on behalf of COTN (Children of The Nations) to help provide aide to the victims of the recent earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Without any hesitation, I told her YES! I would go with her to help.

I was watching the news about the earthquake a night or two ago before her call and I wondered how I could help the victims over in Haiti. Things do happen for a reason. The call for help came and I was fortunate to have been asked to come along.

Preparing myself mentally for this trip was not easy. I didn't know what to expect. The only information given to me by Denise, is that the 5 of us who volunteered (Denise, RN, myself, CRNA, Walter, general surgeon, Linda, ER, RN, and Angelo, PA) were going to be providing medical aide on behalf of COTN (Children of The Nations). We were a part of about a dozen volunteers, who were put together by our team leader named Janet who is an RN in Frisbee, NH and all of us were going to be there to help provide medical aide in a hospital called, The Good Samaritan in Jimani, Dominican Republic which was at the Haitian border. For more information about COTN, go to COTNI.ORG