A letter Cindy Bither wrote to her daughter today . She arrived with team 1
January 27th
It's hard for me to get over here to the clinic office to check my mail. I was up until 1 am last night and up at 5 this morning. I'm just keeping busy over at the house w/cooking. Out of 16-17 food tubs, we have only received 3. We've had sufficient supply for meals so far, and the team arriving today has the rest of our tubs (hopefully!)
After what I've seen and the immense misery and suffering, I have no right to complain. The hospital here in Hinche is so sad - so many children with broken legs and fractures and they have to lay in traction w/cast for 6-8 weeks. These children just lay there all day with flies all over them and no meds for pain. The family has to bring food so they can eat. Many are with a relative because their parents perished in the quake. I was at hospital the other day and wishing I had some toys (coloring books, crayons, balloons, etc.) for the children.
The 2nd team that arrived last night "just happened" to have bags of balloons and a bag of suckers. God provided! It would be such a great outreach for a small group of young people to come & spend time in hospital just entertaining the kids and loving on them.
The most touching thing that I've seen was last night at the hospital I saw an old man asleep with his head resting on an open Bible. He looked so peaceful. I don't know his injuries, but his Bible was his pillow. I can't stop thinking about him.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Note FROM CINDY-"Cook"
Note from John-Still Smiling.......
Wednesday January 27, 2010
Chaos!!! We went back to the hospital this AM to see how we could further help, orient the new arrivals, and check on the old patients. There is a team from Dartmouth there, and a team from Yale arrived last PM. Four of our MD’s left this AM. There were able to take the flight out of Hinche which resumed with their flight. I feel left behind! Since the five of us have been together since Friday, we bonded. A new group arrived last night from Temecula, as well as a group from Idaho – flew into Hinche- also with Haiti Endowment. I have started to learn new names.
Back at the hospital, one of the Internists, a nephrologist tried to organize all of us, but things are still hampered by the politics and culture. Medical orders are missed and slowly addressed. Nothing happens quickly, regardless of urgency.
This afternoon, I joined one of the Family Practioners and worked the clinic here at the compound. It was actually more satisfying. There are more and more people drifting up from Port au Prince, both with minor as well as major injuries. Some are coming straight to our compound; others to the hospital. Some people come in and just complain of hunger. Haitian Endowment gives them a sandwich.
One of our interpreters is a medical student. He happened to be out of doors during the quake. This was fortunate, as his dwelling in Port au Prince was destroyed, as well as his class mates. All three medical schools were destroyed along with many physicians and students.
Pray for better organization. The poor people here deserve at least that!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Note from Dave-Logistics Guy
Everything has been a challenge on this trip but God has protect and provided thru it all. We arrived with 13 out of the 55 plus bins we started with. Our food and med supplies are still in transit. We have been well cared for by UN security details. I have a new friend, Klaus from Austria. He comes by daily to check on our needs and is now bringing us seriously injured patients that can't wait and sit in the hallways of hospital for days. Yesterday was the first day the doctors could go help at the Hinche Hospital. They worked all day till after 10 PM. I went to hospital in afternoon. Almost everyone has severely broken legs the x rays are crazy. Their legs were crushed as the tried to escape the buildings. By afternoon I was gathering power drills from HEF's tool room for orthopedic surgeons to use. This morning we worked with orthopedic doctor to build a special platform support device for operation on child with broken pelvis and legs. The villages and towns are filling up with hundreds of thousands of refugees from PAP. A tiny poor village (Bohac) near hear has 1000 refuges alone. Haitian Churches are trying to mobilize with their limited resources in the area. I have met so many that have lost their homes and entire families. It is so very sad. Many of Haiti's doctors and med students were killed in PAP. The Medical Universities are all gone. Thanks for all of your prayers and support at home and work. We will be very busy the next few days with the rest of our team finally arriving plus new med team from Idaho. So I won't be able to write again for a while.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Bless This Child!
Cindy found Johnell Joseph on the floor of the Hinche Hospital hallway. He lost his mother in PAP. His grandmother brought him to Hinche Hospital with severely broken leg. After Cindy found him, Dr Combs got him rushed into see Dr Pace (13 days after earthquake). There are so many of these stories its unbelievable. 
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