Progress Note From Erin Wiltshire, PT

As previously reported, Erin Wiltshire is a Physical Therapist in Redlands, CA and is currently serving a volunteer stint at Hopital Adventiste.

Life has been busy here at the Hospital!  The supreme master ching hai left on Sunday and the Haitian kitchen was not prepared for the task.  At this point they are only able to prepare two meals/day for 45 people which means this has to be rationed out between hospital patients, Haitian and American volunteers.  We are basically sharing one meal/day and making trips to the nearby market for native bread, mango's and cheese.  Our biggest worry is that the Haitian translators will strike cause they are not getting prepared meals and they don't like the MRE's.  I guess time will tell.  We stayed up till 11:30 last night cleaning the kitchen, so they will have a clean, organized space to prepare our food.  I don't think I've ever seen such a disgusting kitchen in my whole life! 

It has really been an amazing experience working with the Haitian patients.  It's very hard knowing there is so much need and you can only give so much.  Dr Hart, president from Loma Linda visited over the last couple of days and talked about long term plans for the Hospital and it sounds like this will be huge asset to the people of Haiti over the next few years.  Very exciting, but overwhelming at the same time. 

I leave tomorrow and will be glad to get home, but I will miss the people here.  Therapy is a definite need and the people will need help for many years to come.  We had some people from Cuba yesterday through handicap international to fit the people for prosthetics and today we are helping them learn how to use them.  We've also helped in ortho clinic every morning fitting walk ins with braces, HEP's and referring to out patient clinics around town.  It would be great to one day soon have a rehab tent outside with treatment tables.  There are a lot of stiff joints from fractures, amputations, etc. 

Overall, this has been an amazing, humbling experience that makes you appreciate the small things in life like a warm shower and guaranteed food everyday.  I guess we just hope to have made a difference in at least one persons life and it would be worth it!