Medical Mission Interrupted
It’s with heavy heart that I write this trip journal entry. Yesterday’s news that the US State Department issued a level 4 warning for travelers to Haiti came as a shock because we did not anticipate it here, on the ground, and neither did our colleagues at Double Harvest Clinic. Yes, there are eminent dangers in Haiti- always. And to Haitian people, it’s the norm. Even so, yesterday, there were no demonstrations. People are going to work, kids are attending schools and businesses are open. From this side of the situation, I do feel as if we are saying goodbye to Haiti too soon. It’s heartbreakingly difficult to pull away from these wonderful and endearing people whose only crime is being born poor. And both The C14 Foundation and Blue Sky have invested a lot of monies to make this happen. But the team leaders made the right decision to what was best for all. They have cancelled the rest of the medical mission trip, not bring in the other 22 team members who were to fly in on Saturday and will postpone visiting until the warning subsides. We cannot, at any cost and nor how brave some of us feel, endanger the lives of our team members nor our Haitian patients no matter how much we want to help them. Tough decision but the right one. The situation is what it is.
Telling the staff at Double Harvest was a very emotional and difficult task to handle. Tony did it with professionalism and grace like the dynamic leader he is. The staff at Double Harvest was very disappointed by the news but said that they fully understand it is not in our control and that all need to be safe no matter what. The Double Harvest team thanked us for the time we did spend there to bring hope to those who came to the clinic and to the staff. And the patients that Tony saw took the news with calmness and anticipated hope for the future.
Cal, Tim and myself continued to prep for a future visit. Tony saw more than 100 patients and scheduled them for surgeries which will now happen during another mission trip. And we had long goodbye hugs with the staff.
Tonight, the brother of Girard, owner of Villa Mamika where we are staying, is pouring out feelings of loneliness on his Spanish guitar. Seems appropriate. I will say goodbye to the cockroach who visits every night and the pile of ants who have diligently tried to attack my toothpaste (desperate things). And I look forward to not hearing the water dripping from the leaky shower head all night. The little things….now return to the US tomorrow and have a new worry of corona virus….
Martina