Thursday April 22, 2010

This is all a little surreal! I am officially sitting in Cange (central Haiti) right now and will spend the night here at Zanmi LaSante, the Partners in Health hospital started in part by Paul Farmer (aka my hero).

We brought Vigil, one of our TB patients who has already been in our care for treatment for two and a half months and still has a positive sputum test and is clinically getting worse. He started treatment for the first time last year but quit to go to the witch doctor for six months. We started retreatment in February but he's still fighting something fierce. We are suspecting a resistent TB that we definitely do not have the means to diagnose and treat in our neck of the woods. And so, after some phone consulting with Anne-Marie in the Netherlands, to Cange we go. The only place in the country (that I know of) that deals with resistence.

We left Passe Catabois at seven this morning and after seven hours of Haitian roads, sweltering heat, and a quick lunch in Gonaives, we arrived in Cange with some "heads that have been rearranged" (Sara's words for how bumpy that insane ride was) but pretty excited hearts. However, we soon found out there was no room for Vigil in the TB program at Cange, so he would have to be transferred to the hospital in a place called Hinche - another hour and a half away! This time just Vigil and his mother go by ambulance, provided by Cange. We all parted ways feeling sad and a little afraid with uncertainty. Vigil and his mother have no idea where they are going and now are going with complete strangers. Nacilia, Vigil's mom, left with tears in her eyes and enough money in her pocket to get back home to Port de Paix via bus. We could see the fear in her eyes and understandibly so. He son is sick and now off to a strange place. We don't know if she can stay with him so she will have to find her way back home by herself. Vigil's treatment will be long, a minimum of eight months. It's hard for us to say goodbye to Vigil but I cannot imagine how Nacilia is feeling right now. Sad, but so necessary. They will start Vigil on the regime for resistent TB the next day and send his sputum to Boston where is can be tested for specific resistence (all for free).

The other sad thing: I did not get to meet by best friend, Paul Farmer, today...but did use his internet some (don't tell anyone!).