Hi All:

This will just be a note to let you know that I have been unable to go to Haiti due to unforeseen trouble with an intestinal blockage. Ever since my 2nd 15 hr marathon surgery and more so since the 3rd one, I have been very careful what and how much I eat. As you know, since coming back from Haiti the last trip, I have struggled with an infection, something I am prone to as I have sugar loaded fluids going in my central line to give me enough nourishment to survive for now almost 3 years, for which I am very thankful, as I would likely not be alive without it. The first IV antibiotic “should” have worked, according to the lab, but didn’t, so after 6 days without improvement, my infectious disease doctor switched to another for 2 weeks. I finished it on Thursday, but had my central line removed and changed over a wire after 5 days on the med and it grew another funny bug, so now am on a 3rd IV antibiotic. As my weight has been going down, I had increased the calorie load in my IVs but the stumbling Haitian Donkey has been struggling to keep going at times.

The plan was for Evert Bek (the AC, electronics repair man from Lowell who has dubbed himself the “Dutch Donkey,” after 5 trips to Haiti with me (he was born in the Netherlands 2 months before me but came to the US 20 plus years later than I, so I get to learn better Dutch when we are together) and I to leave this morning. I have not been able to eat much this last week and yesterday the obstruction set in during the evening and intensified all night to the point that I was vomiting from 12 am to 5 am. Karen and I decided that it would not be fair to saddle the Dutch Donkey with such a troublesome travelling partner at 4 am, when I was supposed to take off for the airport. Plus, we had no idea when this might end and wouldn’t want to get set off the plane enroute and be worse off. So, we made the difficult decision to not go at this point. I cannot go alone as need a second person’s carryon to take the rest of my TPN, so can’t just jump on a later plane and head south. All Plans B, C, etc are not tenable, so will not be able to do surgery this week there and am sorry to disappoint all the hurting people we, by God’s grace, would have been able to help.

So, am carefully sipping water and praying I can get my strength back in the days to come. Will likely have a lighter schedule at work as wasn’t planning on being there, so will do my best to overcome this infection, fatten up a bit and continue to serve Him here instead of in Haiti.

In His Strength and Service,

Bill and The Dutch Donkey