Haiti Trip-March 2011

One Week To Go!

I'm down to the final week before I head to Haiti!  I have been blown away by the generosity of my friends and family to support this trip.  God has blessed me so abundantly though all of you.  Every time I think I'm done receiving donations, another one will come through online or another check will come in the mail.  Then I get to head back to the store to buy more supplies for the Pediatric ward where I'll be working next week.  I've bought out Target's entire supply of children's tylenol more than once in the past week :) 

Last night I started packing some of the supplies I've accumulated over the past several months and was surprised by how much stuff I've gathered.  I already have two giant bags full of medications, diapers, formula, and medical supplies, most of which was purchased with your donations.  I love going on these trips, but it truly wouldn't be possible without the help and support of so many.  I can not say thank you enough for making this possible! 

How you can help!

Interested in helping me with my next trip to Haiti?  One way you can help is by making a financial contribution.  But you can also help by donating supplies that I'll be taking with me.  Just today I got an updated list of urgently needed supplies for the Pediatric ward.  Here is a current list of things I'm gathering:
*Diapers-preemie sizes or for larger kids
*Powdered formula
*Hand sanitizer
*Mobiles to attach to the cribs
*Underwear for 4-8 year olds
*Children's multivitamins
*Over the counter children's medications-tylenol, ibuprofen, benadryl, etc.
*Thermometers
*Some other meds we never seem to have enough of...iron, oral or IV steroids, albuterol, liquid fluconazole. If you have the ability to donate any of those please let me know!

If you you can donate any of these things that would be awesome!  Or if you'd like to donate money I can purchase them.  Thanks for everyone's help!

Why Haiti?

Why am I raising money and going back to serve in Haiti?  Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere.  When the earthquake happened, 220,000 people were killed and more than 300,000 were injured.  1.5 Million people became homeless.  Two years later 650,000 people still live in tent cities.  Conditions are crowded and unsanitary, leading to outbreaks of communicable diseases, including the cholera epidemic.  Access to healthcare is limited and one in ten kids will die before the age of five.  Can you even imagine?  This is not some place worlds away, it's a mere 90 minute plane ride from Miami.

The first time I volunteered with Project Medishare was shortly after the earthquake.  They were operating as a field hospital in tents.  The second night we were there the Peds tent caught on fire and we had to evacuate everyone into a field where we took care of the patients overnight.  The hospital was staffed by volunteers that were flown in every week.  Things were very primitive.

Now, Project Medishare has relocated their facilities to a free standing building.  They have Haitian doctors and nurses working at the hospital, and fewer American volunteers every time I go.  They are creating sustainable change by empowering the people of Haiti to be able to one day operate the hospital on their own.  They have the only critical care capabilities in the entire country, including the only PICU and NICU.  Things are still basic, but they have come a long way and they're making incredible progress.  I've been proud to work with Project Medishare and to be a small part of the big impact they're making in Haiti.

With such limited resources, a small donation can make a huge impact.  $5 covers the cost of treatment for a child with cholera.  $20 provides medical care to newborn babies.  $100 supports a child with HIV/AIDS with medication and education.  Your donation really will make a huge impact.  To help please check out my fundraising page.

First Post

At the prompting of some of my friends I've decided to set up this blog.  God has really given me a heart for medical missions.  I've had some unbelievable, life changing experiences on these trips, and I'd love to share the journey with you.  

More posts coming soon, including how you can help me get ready for my next trip to Haiti-it's only a few weeks away!  In the meantime, here's a video from the first time I ever went to Haiti :)