9 February 2010 5 PM
I was so sick on Sunday and Monday that I did not really get to blog anything! 
Here is a photo of little Jerrensia. The baby that came in to GLA on Saturday with malformation of her lower limbs. At first, I thought it was club feet but I think it is more than that now. She does not move her legs, but her upper body strength is pretty amazing! She can hold herself up with her hands and look around and is starting to smile at us now. She is very alert to everything going on around her! Jerrensia is eating well. We may try to get Jerrensia out to the USA on a medical visa when the US Embassy allows medical visas to be issued again. There may be a lower spine deformity and we will take her for Xrays soon to see if anything can be seen with a simple Xray.
I was blown away just now to find out that a young man was pulled alive from the rubble in Port-au-Prince yesterday! I was so sick from the flu that I completely missed it. I heard that he said someone in a white coat kept bringing him water. People here are saying it was God! What a miracle this is! I hope this young man does well and psychologically can heal. I cannot feature being buried under the debris for 4 weeks! I am afraid my mind might be gone after being buried that long…
Laurie was down in the city again today. She was surprised that the smell of death is still very strong in certain areas. I wonder how long before we are able to move on in our minds? My staff will not send their children to school until someone can guarantee them that the schools are structurally sound. They say that too many schools fell and they will not take the chance of their children’s schools will fall from an aftershock! Many of our schools here are not built to be schools. They were built to be houses and then rented to schools. Some of them have 400 kids or more in them. I cannot fault the parents from not sending their children to school, but I hate to see the kids losing out on a whole semester of school too!
We have 2 cargo planes coming with supplies this weekend. Many of the supplies are going to area hospitals for their use. They are still in need of dressings, antibiotics, pain meds, casting supplies, etc. We are still bringing in tents, tarps, blankets, and lanterns to give out to people. The rainy season is coming at the end of March and people need to be in tents before then. Families cannot even rent another house. There are no houses to rent!
John and the gang in Colorado are loading 2 containers to send to Haiti. We have had an overwhelming outpouring of supplies for Haiti. I know that lots of agencies asked for money and money is good, but people want to give things to help. Children in school want to actually see what they are giving and so does the rest of us! So, we have received blankets, lanterns, tarps, tents, baby formula, baby food, diapers, and lots of other needed items. We will send these to Haiti on Friday. Hopefully, they will get to Haiti quickly and out of customs so we can get things distributed! The clinics now are saying that they have gloves and some have received medicines but they need things like gauze, wound staplers, instrument sterilization boxes, bone saws, suction machines, wound closure supplies,etc. If you have any of these things, please send them!
We continue to work to get the children being adopted by French families completed and out of Haiti. The French government does not want to allow them to leave without their adoption finalized! This is difficult to do but we are trying our best. Mickenlove is traveling to France today. I do not like sending my children on transport planes with strangers but I know that the French government will not allow any of us to travel with the children. These children have to be scared with strangers taking them and immediately getting on a plane to take them away! Please pray that all of these children’s mental well being and that they can go home soon.
Already the world is moving on from the earthquake in Haiti. We must work hard to keep this in people’s memory and to continue to get relief materials for the Haitian people. This is going to be a long term project and we need to start thinking of how we can help the people rebuild their homes!
Want to make a difference for the kids in Haiti? Consider donating.
Feb 10, 2010 @ 05:21:55
This baby is beautiful! I have worked with many kids with traumatic brain injuries. Please send me an email if you have questions or need help.
Feb 10, 2010 @ 08:37:30
Dixie: If we want to help a child with a medical visa, what would we need to do? UNC Chapel Hill is a great facility. I know you are busy, but maybe Tom or someone else can answer this question. Thanks for all that you do!
Feb 10, 2010 @ 09:12:55
WOW!! A man in a white coat!…Bringing water!!! Truly a God sent miracle!!
Feb 10, 2010 @ 13:21:21
Dixie,
My husband is a neurosurgeon that specializes in adult spine surgery. He said that it sounds like she may have some form of spina bifida. can she flex/extend her hips? Can she flex/extend her knees? Usually these children have normal intelligence and can grow up to be very productive citizens. If she can get a medical Visa, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital is the largest single-site interdisciplinary center for the treatment of spina bifida in the U.S. and provides ongoing treatment for more than 13,000 children annually, without charge. You can contact the hospital at 1-800-421-1121, ext. 7477 to find out if the child is eligible for treatment. You can also visit the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital website at http://www.tsrh.org. We live in Louisiana, but if you have any questions let me know.
Feb 10, 2010 @ 15:24:46
Maggie,
We’re working on that literally as we “speak” (actually the meeting starts at 6:30 EST.
Stay tuned.
Tom
Feb 10, 2010 @ 16:34:41
OK. Tom… you have my number if I can be of any assistance!
Feb 10, 2010 @ 21:18:25
Still keeping Haiti in our prayers. Glad to see all the supplies pouring in to help. I hope they get over there ASAP!!!