There’s no more iconic image of Canada than Parliament Hill. I’m sure I’ve been by here a hundred times and it still never fails to give me goose bumps. It’s something about the history, or just that kinship you feel in the heart of the nation. Standing in front of the flame with the peace […]
So my four year-old son, Mark, asks in the car last week, “how do people know where they are going?” We tried to explain that there are maps, and he says: “no, how do they know where they are going?” We try to explain there are schedules, and he says: “no, how do they know […]
Special guest blog by Dr. Nikhil Joshi, currently on the ground in Nepal for Team Broken Earth. I’m in a car on the way to the Prime Ministers’ Residence. I look out the window and consider everything that has happened so far. What started as a scouting mission for long term opportunities to help has […]
As the minutes wind down on another trip everyone is exhausted, hot and in desperate need of a real shower! What a week though. Every time I think I’m getting used to this, Haiti proves me wrong. These medical missions are always fulfilling, busy and emotional for us all. But above all, they are so […]
Yesterday I left Port-au-Prince to investigate other potential hospitals and sites for Team Broken Earth. It involved 6 hours in a car driving through winding bumpy roads. The horn, I have come to realize, is more important than the brakes or transmission in a car in Haiti. Everyone communicates with the horn. It’s an amazing […]
I’ve heard that perfection is in the details but I beg to differ. I think perfection is found in organization. Maybe that’s the same thing. I’m a doctor not a linguist! But I believe in the right people doing the right jobs and everything working in balance no matter how stressful it gets. We all […]
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 […]