Leogane: The Epicenter of Mom's Experience

Leogane: The Epicenter of Mom's Experience

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Day Three: Life in Leogane

From Lee, as told to Kelly:
They are working in Leogane, in one of the few remaining structures of the city. Even people who have access to the shelters they call home tend not to venture indoors and are choosing to sleep alongside their countrymen on the streets or in what can best be described of as shantytowns. While people in the United States may imagine the country is flooded with United States aid, this United States team has not seen any Red Cross or United States military officials. In fact, their team is surrounded by fully efficient Japanese health care officials who carry their own x-ray cart and wear matching outfits, to boot. United Nations troops are warmly offering assistance and protection, and they are from Sri Lanka. Mom is essentially in a bowl where every nationality is truly adding flavor, depth, complexity and surprising textures to the experience. While there are healthcare officials seemingly all over their block, and despite the 130 boxes of medical supplies that this team carried with them, the overall feeling of the team is that more supplies are needed. Considering that most injuries being treated are orthopedically related (and as a daughter not on the scene I am unsure if this is the general case or because the team has such specialized skills in orthopedic work), it was eye opening for the team to walk on site and see that many injuries have been treated with hemostats, saws, and kitchen utensils.

The team, along with all other medical teams are treating people on-site and making home visits. With temperatures of 107 degrees farenheit, I can only assume my mother will need to sit in an ice bath for a month for the slightest relief from the heat. The team is getting along wonderfully-- 8 men, 4 women, three of their team nurses. There is an abundance of doctors compared to nurses, and most registered nurses who are there have served in a nursing capacity for ten years or less. The team is teaching one another new vocational techniques and forging success stories the best they can for the people they are serving. Mom's voice was so enthusiastic, alive, and confident today when we spoke together on the phone. Her dependency on her team is evident and I am touched at the meaningfulness of the relationships that have been built in little over a 72 hour time period. Considering that the team arrived to this city in the dark (imagine DARK-- no electricity, no fuel for fires), and most do not speak the language of the people, our team is making due with what they have and thriving in ways that Americans may not typically imagine. Mom's first home visit was to a woman who had passed away, and while on the phone, she was watching a four year old's eyes flutter open, having recently received an IV of medication. She is witnessing loss and miracles simultaneously. One can assume that one can not know death until one knows life and according to Maya Deren, the author of Divine Horsemen, the Living Gods of Haiti, "death itself we recognize is not so much by what it is as by the fact that it is not life. As the land and the sea define each other at the shore, so life and death define each other by exclusion." Mom is creating reality, defining and supporting those as they walk toward life and those whose path is a dignified death. She is safe, she is connecting with her unknown and she is sharing with others all that she knows and has mastered.

A CNN link for brief information on Leogane:
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-392288

Map of Leogane and the impact of the earthquake:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8466385.stm

Reports of Assistance in Leogane:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/18/AR2010011803833.html

Leogane Residents Share Out and Bury Dead the Day of Lee's Arrival (video included)
http://www.necn.com/Boston/World/2010/01/16/Haitians-in-town-of-Leogane/1263671749.html

1 comment:

  1. What an amazing story of hope and love. I am touched beyond words. Thanks for sharing your story and the one your mother tells. Know I am sending thoughts of love and hope to you and your family and especially your mom. As special kid once told me, "I think she is a very brave women." XO, Julie

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