Tuesday was our first full day in Haiti.
The day started off with some hot & strong Haitian coffee, along with some fresh and delicious fruit!
We arrived to the clinic to find many native Haitians waiting for us! We hit the ground running and spent time with nearly 30 patients and shared stories of faith, prayers of hope, and, of course, physical therapy. We saw multiple kids with foot and ankle problems that we were able to help with orthotics and exercises. There were men and women with multiple injuries including back, knee, and shoulder problems. We had to get creative with treatment on low wooden tables. We did manual therapy, exercises, stretches and all kinds of cool PT stuff. There were also multiple post-stroke patients that needed help with braces and learning functional movements. We helped with wound care to patients with gashes and sores. We had amazing translators that made it possible for communication with patients and we have a picture with them that will be posted. It was great to help educate patients about their worth and beauty despite their disabilities because physical ailments are often viewed in a very negative light in Haiti.
A few members of our team spent hours building and customizing a wheelchair for a young child with Cerebral Palsy. Thanks to some persistent creativity and innovative thinking, we were able to customize a useful and comfortable fit that will sustain much of the child’s future growth! The relief and gratitude shown by the boy’s parents was so warm and promising that we knew our hearts and hands were being guided by the Lord.
We grew closer as team as we spent the remainder of the evening debriefing our day and figuring out ways to be better clinicians and evangelists tomorrow. The night was capped with a classic Haitian dinner (rice, beef, potatoes, and fried plantains), hanging out on the patio with our host family, and hearing their incredible story.
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