30 January 2010 -- I had a great trip and have been very busy ever since I returned on Wednesday. I have been helping at the Gymnasium with Konbit Sante. More people are comg to the North every day. As of today, the Milot Sacred Heart Hospital is caring for 324 badly injured patients they got from Port-au-Prince. There a so many amputees, it breaks my heart and wonders in a country as hard as Haiti, how a they going to get their lives back? How are they going to survive? The hospital is too small to handle all these patients; therefore the USS Comfort currently transformed the Government Primary School into a Hospital to serve. All of the 22 people who came from Port-au-Prince with me on January 17th, the last one was Cleana Petit-Frere, who lost her husband and now is responsible for 3 girls, the oldest is her niece whose both parents died at the quake. We gave her transportation money to go to Port-de-Paix yesterday where she is from.

On Thursday, we have been working with Konbit Sante at Justinien Hospital Depot to see their inventory, they seem to be ok for the time being since more badly injured patients go to Milot. There are only 2 operating rooms functioning at the Justinien Hospital (the main Govt Hospital for the North Department). There are 2 teams that are leaving on monday and another team is taking over.

Yesterday, Sonje Ayiti did go to Labadee to get water for the Gymnasium du Cap-Haitien (The dorm where all the quake patients/victims arrive for triage and transfer to hospitals or temporary shelters in the North). We've been serving there and the needs are great. Food for the Poor provides dried foods for the displaced victims for many it's a challenge to cook. Since many are not from the area (no cooking pan, and the like....) you'll see them on the street selling their dried food in exchange for the money so that they can buy something to eat. We are making 500 sandwiches for tomorrow until wednesday, maybe we (Sonje Ayiti, Konbit Sante, Food for the Poor, Civil Protection, and the Mayor) can find a more sustaining solution.

Today, we came across  a very difficult case (15 years old Vanessa Saint Phard) who came with this massive tumor (see pictures) then I was asked to see where we can find some help so Richard Perez, an Independent Volunteer from Washington D.C was happy to take us to any hospitals or mobile clinics where we can find some Specialists to help her. We went to the Baptist Hospital at Carrefour La Mort, Dr. Kenneth White of Medical Ministry International in North Carolina was so delighted to help, but as you can see the Hospital is in constrution; therefore, not equiped to do such surgery (complications with blood transfusion, etc.) He gave me his contact info since he is leaving tomorrow to cantact him within a week to see if he can help to get her to the States for the surgery. I told Richard, we need a second opinion then we took her to Milot where we met Dr. Mark of the USS Comfort who will operate her tomorrow. So we are due at Milot tomorrow at 9 AM, we will go with her father and Dr. Mark said it wil be a 45 minutes procedures. Please keep Jessica Saint Phard in your prayers.

Richard also brought with him a Satellite phone that we used to get people to talk to their loved ones wherever they are. Meet Angela Mouscardy on Pic #26 who is talking to Auntie Betty for the first time since the quake although her speech is a little unclear due to that big mass in her face, she managed to tell her thashe is fine and in Milot. Betty was so happy to talk to her because she thought she was dead and I gave her Sonje Ayiti's International number for future follow up And we left messages for several others like Angela.

We are planning to go to Leogane by next week to see how we can help some areas that have not been reached thus far. Most help go to the major cities, the neighboring villages are forgotten. Please keep Haiti in your prayers!