Team Sinai Operation Rainbow rides again. After some long weeks of preparation, gathering gear, packing, and planning, we took off this morning from BWI at 6:10 am, had a brief stop in Miami, and landed in Haiti by 1:00 pm. Getting through immigrations and customs was a relative breeze, largely due to the fact that HAH sent an experienced driver (actually two) out to greet us and smooth the way. We were packing 30 duffles, 50 lbs each, for a grand total of 1,500 lbs of equipment, medicine, and recycled fixators. All of this will be used to treat disabled people in Port au Prince who are unable to afford care. Amy Russell, the coordinator of volunteers at Adventiste was, by coincidence, on our flight, returning from family business in Florida. Amy gave us a tour of the updated HAH. The open porch where we slept in 2010 and 2011 is now undergoing renovations, and we are housed instead in an air-conditioned (well, that is being rather generous) bunkhouse. By bunkhouse, I mean a cabin with 6 bunk beds and a few cots. Fourteen of us share on bathroom, and since girls rule and boys drool, it can be trying to get in to freshen up.
We had a long meeting with our host, Dr. Francel Alexis, the Head of Orthopedic Surgery at HAH. Francel has done a tremendous amount of preparation for us, and showed us a list of at least 40 patients, many with complex conditions, that are theoretically scheduled for surgery. I was especially happy to see 17 year old C.J., a girl with hypophosphatemic rickets who has severe knock knees, easily the most extreme case that I have ever seen. Last year (June 2011) we straightened her left femur and tibia, and she looks marvelous (OK, Marie would remind me that the foot is a bit in varus, "not amazing" in Marie-speak) but overall incredibly better than what she started with. Tomorrow, we are going to operate her other side.
The biggest surprise of all, was Lucia, the amazing OR nurse from Santo Domingo, who came to HAH to work with us. We've worked with her before, during our first trip, when the legendary Scott Nelson was here. I know the truth...it is not a coincidence that Lucia showed up today. This is the long and generous arm of Scott Nelson at work. If you are out there in cyberspace, Scott, we are sending you a great big heartfelt "Muchas Gracias!" You are amazing.
Wish us luck tomorrow. We're starting off with a complex intertrochanteric hip fracture with subtrochanteric extension, we have the rickets case, and at least five others. Monday is also a huge clinic day, so we will be hopping.
More later,
JH
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