Michelle May

One day’s at Project medishare I was assisting a doctor & nurse team, when a woman came in with a little boy clinging to her, like a baby.  The woman was a white American lady who lives in the DOminican Republic- she explained that she was in town visiting her friends at their mission when a motorcycle taxi dropped off a little Hatian boy at their front door & sped off.  When they opened the gate he was shaking and curled in a ball.  The little boy clung to her as she told the story- he buried his face into her neck and chest- she had flimsy towel seperating her skin from his- his skin was covered in what looked like old burns.  His face was badly damaged- puss and a severe eye infection- to put it mildly.  The little guy was in so much pain.  It was clear that this woman really cared for him.  He was an urgent patient and the doctors and nurse attended to him immediately.  It was interesting to watch how various doctors of various specialities viewed him.  First they thought that he had burns- then they got an infectious disease doc over - he declared that it was a rare case of meningitis- one that i cannot even pronounce- meningacaca or something like that (i always clarified “I am not a medical person!”). We then all then had to take cipro and put on masks.  She told us that the poor little guy was restless and hardly slept the nite before- would not leave from being held like a baby- she stayed up with him.  He appeared badly malnourished and frightened.  We needed to get some nourishment into him, but to even put his hospital band on his tiny little ankle appeared to be very painful for him- he squirmed and tried to rip it off.  A nurse gave him a sedation so that we could get an IV into him.  When he first came in they thought he was 6 years old because he was so small- but once he calmed and was able to lay down we realized he was older.  He slept- and the woman who was helping him finally got to call her family- take a cipro herself- and could better tell us the rest of his story.  Out of all the patients i came in contact with he was the one who tugged at my heart the most- he was in so much pain and could not even see out of one of his eyes as it was pussed and scabbed over.  We did not have an ophtho in the house who could do any eye exam or surgery on him.  I was told that maybe the US military would airlift him to the US Comfort- a 1000 bed ship hospital.  I raced outside and found a man in grey and black camoflage that i recognized from the day befroe when a different patient went to the US Comfort.  I pled with him- he came to look at him.  A hospital admin told me that our little guy- who had no name- was better served here than the Comfort- maybe an optho would show up here in the next days- she was pretty certain there was not an ophtho on the US Comfort.  I cleaned the missionary lady and her clothes off with alcohol wipes (blood had fallen)- was an honor to serve someone who had been so selfless.  She had had him so close to her for so long & now we knew he had menigitis, so that was not good news for her- but she did not seem to care- she was still so worried about him. Her and i chatted- both so sad that they would not be taking him to the Comfort.  We brainstormed more ideas- she would go with him to Miami- i ran out to the communcation tent & ran our idea by the military guy & the hospital admin.  Unfortunatly noone is allowed to take a child out without a relative-  which makes sense- and this guy is clearly an orphan- probably was before the quake.  he has been in rough shape for some time- it was obvious.  He probably had been living on the streets for sometime.  WHo knows how he got the burns- or when he got the menigitis. Discouraged, we sat by his bed as he slept.  A mother came in with her four month old baby who looked more like a preemie fresh from the woumb- the doctor I was working at & I tended to her- got IVs in her.  An OR doc told me that they could probably use my psych skills then because the baby was likely not going to make it- they told the mom this possibility already.  Mom looked dazed as she squatted next to the cot we put her daughter on.  I kept running between the mom of the baby- and the missionary lady with our little friend.  “What about if i get a friend in Miami who is willing to adopt him so that he can go to Miami for care?”  she asked- many many were going to Miami to have treatment- just for the day.  I raced to find the military dude & hospital admin agan.  THey did not think our idea was as crazy as we thought.  “That may be a possibility.”  I went into tell my friend- she started calling Miami- to ask a friend if hs would adopt a child & see that he get care at the hospital in MIami.  Just then 3 guys in military fatigues and helmets came in- AIr Force- they looked closer at our little guy- had a few conversations with the admin & black/grey fatigues- he said ”We think we can take him to the comfort- WE HAVE AN OPHTHO.”  I wanted to jump up and down with joy- got so involved as if i was their social worker.  “10 minutes” they said and left- i went back to check in on baby and mom.  Baby was miraculously looking better already.  Mom said that this was the best baby had looked like in a long time- she still looked dazed and disconnected.  I asked the doctor how it was looking… He looked at me with his glasses all the way down his nose- “I think she is going to make it” as he was putting on another set of new rubber gloves tending to a patient who had giant pins in her leg to reset it.  Raced back to my friend- exchanged lovelies and emails- “Do you have wings?” she asked me.  THat was maybe the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.  

Tags: Haiti, relief work, UM hospital