This is a place where the unfathomable is often the everyday. This morning, we woke to news that a five-day-old baby died in the pediatric ICU during the night. He was a tiny thing who was supposed to be one of the first surgical patients of the day. One of our docs put his head […]
In Haiti, you learn to work with what you have. Often, that isn’t much. Things that Team Broken Earth has had learned to work without today: running water (for a brief time); an x-ray machine and, now, the intraoperative x-ray, as well (indefinitely); some blood tests (recurring); sufficient beds for patients and volunteers (recurring); Internet […]
First, do not harm. A saying I’ve heard countless times. Today, I saw firsthand how difficult that can be. I arrived in Port-au-Prince yesterday, travelling with two Calgary-based plastic surgeons, Christiaan Schrag and Duncan Nickerson. They’ve taken the week off from their busy practices to join Team Broken Earth. They’ve left young families to come […]
It was 3 degrees early this morning when I made the trip to the airport. I won’t lie, I’m looking forward to the balmy climate in Haiti! More so, I’m looking forward to picking up where our Calgary team left off. Those guys did an exceptional job on their 2nd mission. Got a special guest […]
Last night was one of those surreal nights here. I’ve heard Haiti often referred to as the “land of a million orphans” but there are moments when the weight of that statement hits you. Late last night, Mary O’Brien, one of our pediatric nurses and Dr. Melissa Angel ended up treating an abandoned orphan. This […]