In checking my e-mails later that morning, I learned that two of my colleagues, Mike and Claudio, were confirmed for flights down to Haiti on Thursday via Santo Domingo. I began exploring flight possibilities to leave on either Thursday or Friday, which would give the three of us some time to sit and catch up before my departure. Save the Children colleagues mentioned that I might be able to catch a ride out on a private jet. Apparently, one of their donors was using his jet to transport medical supplies in and out of Haiti and was scheduled to come in on Thursday.
I was concerned about our Haiti office staff. Each of them had been accounted for and was safe. The problem was that the banks were still closed and staff members had no way of accessing their salaries, which was typically wired in from the U.S. each month. I requested that at the very least, some extra cash be brought down by Mike and Claudio to provide the staff with an advance on their salary. As it would turn out, we were going to be able to provide each of them with a gift of $500. This would go a long way, especially for Guerline, the housekeeper. Guerline had lost her home, her clothes, everything, and was now sleeping on the street. To put it in perspective, $500 is double what she otherwise makes in a month.
I went back to Hope Hospital later that afternoon to confirm that Gladys had made it back, and to pick up the satellite phone that she was carrying down for me. I found the hospital grounds to be a very chaotic. Gladys had arrived, a team of American doctors had arrived, a team from World Vision (including President Richard Stearns) had arrived, and now I had arrived. Once I managed to track down Gladys she told me that the ride over had been smooth and she was ready to get to work. I was sad to find out that the doctor I had met yesterday was unable to save the woman in the case of the complicated pregnancy.
Gladys had purchased most of the supplies and medicines she needed in the D.R. with funds from Cross International. On top of that, she received another load of supplies from World Vision. While I could see the pain Gladys was feeling in her eyes, she was surprisingly calm. She was in the zone. Gladys’ country had suffered greatly and I knew that the fact that she hadn’t been there to help tore her up. Her daughter and the hospital staff had been entirely overwhelmed. They had been up against a challenge far too great for anyone to handle. The team had seen thousands of victims, each case more devastating than the next, and they had lost many patients along the way. Supplies were limited, space was limited, and staff was limited… At one point they were forced to temporarily close the hospital so that they could take the time to try to wash the mattresses that had been drenched with blood. It had been a total nightmare.At 4:53 PM all of Haiti observed a moment of silence for the lives that had been lost in the week following the earthquake. After a long string of silence, Gladys spoke.
She spoke and prayed with so much conviction, I was totally blown away. I didn’t realize that she had it in her. Gladys asked God for strength and courage, and then promised to fight with everything she had in her. The hospital’s fearless leader was back and had arrived with both a plan and a lot of back-up. Gladys and her team would undoubtedly overcome any obstacles that lay in their path.
The spirit and the sense of hope that Gladys brought back to Hope Hospital was exactly what the people of her community needed. When I opened up my eyes and looked around me, I realized that Gladys had brought everyone to tears. Helicopters passed overhead as the group sang songs of thanks and praise. It was unreal. The arrival of Gladys at Hope Hospital was truly a symbol of a new beginning.
0 comments:
Post a Comment