Day #4

Things were amazing today. The boat was at the dock to pick us up at 9am as asked, not Haitian 9am which is more like noon. We arrived at the orphanage and got straight to work. I did complete assessments on about 12 kids today and then had fun with bubbles. Amazing photos have been taken on this trip, the children are so special and just make me want to take them all home with me. Damian gave us a tour of what Soul of Haiti has been doing on the island. We were able to see a clinic that he is working on staffing 24/7 with doctors and nurses and I saw a Cholera camp which I will post photos of later. We also saw the amazing Catholic and Protestant schools that have been built for approximately 600 children to attend school. Very humbling and brought my first lump to the back of my throat when I saw the amazing progress that has been made and the plans for the creation of a wonderful community. Went shopping at the market yesterday so it was odd to see it empty today. We were all very tired, hot and smeelly today so we swam in the ocean and then the pool at the hotel after work. Having a wonderful dinner tonight and then heading to a voodoo ceremony at 9pm. I'm a bit concerned about the 20 min walk in the dark to the location..... no more broken bones needed. Many pictures to come but I should just let you all know that I have once again found myself content, calm and feeling like I have more purpose and inspiration than I have in a long time. I have met a few new friends, Damian and Andy (an architect building the HHH rehab clinic on the guesthouse grounds). Looking forward to what the next week will bring.

Bon Bagay!

Day #3

Went to the orphanage today after a challenge of getting the boat ti pick us up. Once getting to the orphanage we, worked hard and met Damian and his group of Irish workers building schools and farms throughout Haiti. The team we met (Soul of Haiti) is working with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to build a school. They are here in Haiti and have been offering free concerts to the group every night. Nice to see that the celebrity support for Haiti is still present. Rumors are that Sean Penn and Angelina Jolie will be in this week but nothing confirmed. Saw a few children today. The funniest part of the day was that we were looking for a place in the shade to eat our lunch, and found ourselves sitting on Cholera stretchers eating lunch. Another day ended swimming in the ocean with a cold Prestige, and amazing dinner and card games over rum sours. We got to do the most amazing thing today. There is a small sandbar literally in the middle of the ocean with water about two feet deep that surrounds it, and we got to go swimming there. It is so weird to look around and realize that you are in the middle of the ocean and walking in shallow water. My teammates had a great time picking starfish out of the water and we all swam while watching the sun set. Already looking forward to tomorrow. Life is good!! 

Day #2

Woke up early this morning after a horrible first night sleep at the guesthouse. Dogs up barking all night long and a gunshot at sunrise got me up for the day. We were off by 9am to head for Ile le Veche and made really good time through the mountains. A 4 hour ride was great, and Wadson, Karen, Adrian and I had great conversation which made the time go faster. I won't be able to post any photos for a few days as the internet access is so horrible here on the island that only one person at a time can be online. The island is beautiful and if I showed everyone pictures of the hotel, nobody would believe that I am in Haiti. Went to Sister Flora's orphanage and met some UN workers from Paraguay. The children at the orphange range in age a great deal and were so happy to see us. Wadson put on a kite show (he is on the Haiti Kite Team) and performed magic tricks so it was a fun time for all of us and  a great way to end a first day of work. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped at a mini island in the middle of the ocean. It is an oasis about 200ft in diameter and gets about 3 feet deep. You feel like you are walking on water in the middle of the ocean. We picked starfish and enjoyed the warm waters. Afterward, we went to a private beach, jumped into the water from the boat and went for a swim while watching the sun set. I'm so happy to be back and to experience a different Haiti. The streets in Port-au-Prince are so much cleaner than last year and overall, there is a lot of building and improvements that have occurred. It's been 30 degrees before the humidity and I have forgotten how hot it gets here! Oh how I have missed Haiti!!

Day #1

Great first day!! My travels began yesterday at 5pm leaving Vancouver to Montreal. It was wonderful that Air Canada could check my bags all the way to Haiti this year which made the layover in Montreal so much easier. Arrived in Montreal as planned, took the wrong shuttle to the hotel which meant a quick walk at 1:30 in the morning and then slept for about an hour and a half before my wake-up call came in. Arrived at the airport in plenty of time to have a hearty breakfast. I decided  to save the Air Canada lounge passes Mark was so wonderful in giving me for my trip home. The rest of the team almost didn't make it on the flight as their connection from Ottawa was late. Everyone arrived, we left 30 min late and arrived in Port-au-Prince 1 hour later. Suprisingly, all went very smoothly at the airport. The normal chaos seemed much more controlled this time and we managed to get 10 bags and be out in 1.5 hours. As usual, the humidity hits you like a brick wall, and the 30 degree temperature didn't help. That said, the instant Haiti smell is reminding me of what I miss most and seeing so many familiar faces at the guesthouse is comforting. Got my bugnet set up, and then headed off to the grocery store. It is like shopping back home in Canada, there certainly isn't much you can't buy, which still seems odd to me. Stocked up on Haitian rum and opened a Pristige beer at the guesthouse. Dinner was noodles with fake meat, french fries, piklez, salad and another mystery meat which we all think was beef. We were supposed to go to the Montana for coctails tonight but we're all pretty tired, so once we repack bags in preparation for our 7am start time tomorrow, a few games of cards will be more the speed everyone is at tonight. No pictures to post today but will try throughout the week.

Bon Bagay!

A Year Has Passed

So, it's the day before I head back to Haiti and I feel so much better about this trip. I am excited to see my teammates again and the excitement that Haiti seems to bring. I have been packed for 5 days and I can't believe how much I was able to fit into my carry-on bag compared to last year. I'm not sure what I did differently, but it seems that packing 100 lbs of gear and 2-weeks worth of clothes in a carry-on was easy this year.

We'll be traveling to Ile La Veche, a small Haitian island for one week and then back to Jacmel for our final week. I will be working with a partner organization and working in a outreach clinic for 3-4 days which I am looking forward to. I will blog as often as possible but I have been told that the WiFi is horrible so I may be unable to keep in touch for a few days.

I promise to do my best to avoid breaking anything on this trip and come home in one piece.

Haiti, I've missed you and can't wait to see you!

July 2011

I thought I'd let you all know what's been going on since my last post several months ago. I am preparing for my next trip to Haiti in November and already have my hockey bags nearly full with small toys, bubbles, and sunglasses. I had a garage sale a few weekends ago and managed to raise $340 dollars which I will be putting towards my fund raising efforts.

I am still in physiotherapy once a week for both my ankle and my shoulder but slowly on the mend. The car is fixed, there ended up being over $8000.00 damage. Now I'll get to have fun with the provincial auto insurance to get a reasonable claim settled.

First night at home with my cast/ in a lot of pain!

The day after surgery and waiting to go home

Indent from the cast for 7 weeks!

First day with cast off. Grossest thing I've ever seen!

After the wonderful pedicure. Looks pretty good!

My pretty fibreglass cast for the next 7 weeks!

6 inch plate and 7 screws!

I am looking forward to getting back to Haiti and seeing my friends from last year's team. I'll fill you in on more soon. I plan on posting much more regularly. In the meantime, here are some pictures of my fracture. Kind of cool!



Chat soon!

News Article

Hello again, I really do miss blogging on here each day so I thought I would write an update on where things are at.

I haven't heard anything from the Burnaby Hospital Foundation about whether they are going to run a story on the amazing care I received. I hope they do, it really is a feel-good story that I think sends a positive message that our sometimes flawed health care system still has amazing individuals working to make traumatic experiences positive. So, in the interim, Meredith and Paige, two amazing nurses at Burnaby Hospital, thank you for making my time in the hospital so much better. Dr. Tarazi, you are amazing and I have had no post-op complications to speak of. My current PT told me that you are a very good surgeon and that I was lucky to have you operate on my ankle.

I have started physio and Kristie has told me that a complete recovery is expected. She stated that I'm already a bit ahead of the game in terms of ROM and has provided me exercises to do at home. I'll see her twice a week because in her words: "I really want to work that foot". I was in a car accident two weeks ago. I was rear-ended at at least the marked speed limit by a young distracted driver. His car was a write-off, and mine has just over $8,000.00 damage to it. I subsequently hit a car and that driver hit the car in front of her. It could have been so much worse had I been driving a smaller vehicle so I have some lucky gods looking out for me again!! Aside from a left shoulder that is also now getting physio, I'm totally fine and was not seriously injured.

I will post the recent news article that was published. This article is a follow up to the 1st one that ran before I left to Haiti.

Peace Arch News - Healing Hands   

 I'll keep posting over the coming months so that there is not a huge break between this and my next trip which will occur in November.

Bon Bagay!

My Haiti Compilation

The Cast Has Come Off........

So, I wanted to give everyone a quick update. It's been 7 weeks since returning from Haiti and my ankle fracture has healed enough to have my cast removed yesterday, YEAH!!

I am literally learning to walk again. I started with my aircast and crutches (because I was too scared to actually put my foot down) to one crutch to a runner and a cane and now I can walk without any support by the end of the day. I have a visible limp, it reminds me of how I was getting around in Haiti but my pain is minimal.

Reflecting on the past 7 weeks, I feel very fortunate that the events that happened did so for a reason. While this expreience was far from fun, it taught me to be more patient, to have to learn to ask others for help more than I do and that it's okay to do that, and to just sit and be with myself at times.

Before heading off to Hawaii with my mom this morning,  I wanted to thank everyone at Burnaby Hospital. The two nurses that stand out for me are Meredith and Paige. The OR nurses were fantastic and made me feel like I was in good hands! Dr. Tarazi is amazing! Not only did he leave me with a scar that after only 7 weeks is barely visible, was so kind, gentle and supportive and explained everything to me along the way. Edgardo in the cast clinic is the best tech I've ever met!! Not only is he very knowledgable, he went far beyond what he needed to when re-casting me 5 weeks ago to ensure I'd be comfortable and in alignment. He made me look forward to my cast clinic appointments!
Overall, this experience has been positive thanks to the great team at Burnaby Hospital! Thank you for helping me heal well enough that I am heading to Hawaii cast free!

Mom and I in Hawaii and I only have a walking cast!

A month later

So, it's been a month since returning from Haiti. While I can't believe that an entire month has passed, it also seems like it's been an eternity. I went in two weeks ago to have my post-op plaster cast removed fully expecting to be placed in a walking cast and was shocked to find out that I had to put in another 4 weeks non-weight bearing. Needless to say, it was not a proud moment for me and I am now sporting a bubble gum pink fibreglass cast which is much more comfortable and less heavy. Mom arrived 3 days ago to help me out and already we were able to get out and get all of my Christmas shopping completed. It felt so good to get this accomplished and I am noticing that I am getting stronger and can go much further on my crutches.
Mom went into a few stores for me that had too many stairs, but I ventured into a few and even learned how to go up a curb with crutches which was a big deal for me. I called in advance, and found out that Walmart has complimentary wheelchairs and despite it not always being my preferred place to shop, I was appreciative of this service. It felt really good to be out and about for 3 hours and being able to navigate around on my own. A taste of freedom I haven't experienced in 3 weeks. That said, I also felt very guilty watching mom make 5 trips from the car into the house bringing in all of the gifts and groceries we purchased.
Daily activities are getting less exhausting and I can be on my crutches for a while now. I feel much more safe leaving the house with crutches. My foot doesn't like being down and regularly goes quite purple and swells badly before I can get it elevated enough to see my regular skin tone return. My shoulders still ache alot but I am starting to feel like if I can just make it through next week, I'll have turned a corner and the end will be in sight.
I'll keep in touch and let you know how the cast removal went on Jan 7/11. Mom and I leave for Hawaii the next day, so hopefully I will be feeling the sand between all 10 toes!!

Bon bagay!