Sunday May 23, 2010

Time for an update, but not sure what went on this week. Things have been slow due to rainy weather. That is except for one crazy hot crowded stifling Monday at clinic (which was: 95 degrees inside, no air flow, Ryna with a fever, and 100 inpatient people waiting to be seen!). One things for sure, there is a good group here now: Dustin, Annelies, Michael, Esther, and me (Sara comes back tomorrow). Let's just say cold cokes are still a staple here as well as sitting on the back porch talking and laughing our way through what goes on in these crazy days... The last of the teams left us on Monday. The food and company was nice for sure, but now it's time for a little silence.

I'm sitting here looking out into the valley behind our house and the land has miraculously turned green. It only started raining three days ago and now, green grass everywhere. I still don't understand how that is possible, but maybe I could imagine if I was able to measure the amount of water that can tumble in a few minutes here. The Haitians are so happy...this means planting their gardens is possible...and the hope of a good crop in a few months.

Tuesday was a little melancholy. We decided to send our dear friend, Clair, home to die; this at the request of his family. He has been in the hospital since before I arrived in March, for TB treatment. When we saw the treatment wasn't working well, we found that he was also HIV positive. He was the man we sent to Port de Paix multiple times to start the HIV program there, but kept running into roadblocks. I had gone to the hospital there once myself to get medicines for him. But after three months of slow declination, his wife finally asked to take him home to die. So hard, but it was the right decision. I later heard he died Wednesday night and the family did the funeral march with him in the torrential rains that came on Thursday. Oh misery... I will miss him and his family dearly.

The hospital this week has been feeling quite low key...a nice change. Right now, we have four TB patients, four HIV patients (the mama of baby Ivnelle, returned this week!), a baby recovering from a bad respiratory illness (I'm almost positive I am sick from her after she spit some medicines back in my face!), and a toddler with malnutrition. Shinaika (6 year old post heart failure) is still here. The wounds on her legs are almost closed, which means she may be able to go home soon! I think her parents are more than ready.

Sara comes back tomorrow, along with her brother AJ. I will be so glad to have her back again! Should be a good time with everyone again. The time is ticking away...less than three weeks until I am on the plane back to the States. A little surreal.