Still in Haiti but heading for R&R

So the good news is they are trying to get me out Wednesday to the DR and then stateside Thursday. The bad news is they are trying to get me out Wednesday and then stateside Thursday.

The work that has been done so far is amazing. The news reports of violence and unrest are completely unrepresentative of what is going on in the camps and the streets. These people just want help and they are waiting patiently for our logistic systems to catch up with their needs.

The hospital we are working with is up and running despite the fact that 1/3 of it fell during the earthquake. The parts of the compound that fell are still there, and the 100 people that perished (staff and patients) are still inside the rubble. Their colleagues have to walk past it each day. Yet the persevere.

It is not without challenges...so many are traumatized. Our staff still have no shelter and most are sleeping on the streets with their families. Yet again, they come to work everyday and are working 12 to 14 hour days by our sides.

The destruction is everywhere. Some buildings became complete dust while the ones on either side seem undamaged. It is hot, the days are long and hard, but what we endure is nothing compared to the people of this country that lost everything. Most that lost homes and family are trying to dig their homesteads out themselves' We often pass huge piles of rubble that used to be a home or a store and there are people with shovels and crowbars trying to clear their land, or retrieve the remains of their loved ones for a proper burial.

I passed a house yesterday that probably used to be a three story house...an old man (late 70's most likely) and his wife were sitting on top in lawn chairs, she was bringing him his coffee. This is Haiti.

Again, sorry for no pictures...but even when I am able to post, I have not been able to bring myself to photograph the misery of the worst scenes. The things I will post are the moderate. It just felt too invasive.

Bright point of today was the kids at the hospital having wheelchair races. A young boy that had his foot amputated and another with a broken ankle. They each have a sibling taking care of them at the hospital. I don't know where their parents are. The one boy's brother, without fail, wheels him over on time several times a day to get the dressings on his other wounds changed. These kids are no more than 9. They had me take their picture today. I will post that one when I get home.

Despite all of this, a great deal of daily life has returned to normal. The street vendors are out selling food and goods. People are everywhere and they soldier on. So the least we can do is the same.

Courage ma chere, as my friend Dianne told me today when I finally got to see her. We have to be strong right now.

See you all soon!