Tag Archives: Les Cayes

The Haitian Donkey Ventures Into Holland Hospital (Again)

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Hi All:

Since we are keeping our social distances, I will update you on what is going on.  All 4 of us are living and working from home (Rachel teaches her classes on line at University of Arkansas from here), I just take call for the office, which has been quite busy, and James and Jenn each have set up a home office in the bedrooms upstairs.  I continue to fight the infection, we upped the dose of the Amikacin a little and checked levels yesterday (not back yet) in hopes of killing the critter for good.  I had my line changed over a wire on Friday and that went well, but did grow out the critter on the tip.  However, in checking labs for the antibiotic levels on Monday, my Hemoglobin has been drifting down slowly and reached a critical enough level at 6.8 that Dr. De Cook was willing to help me get some blood tomorrow.  I had some blood in January, but between the cancer sapping my condition and the multiple blood draws, my Hemoglobin has drifted down again.  

As you remember, I had severe heartburn and vomiting for 2 days last week, with milder problems on each side of that time.  We hope that I can get a gastric tube placed at Holland Hospital to provide a blow hole for the backed up pressure to be released when needed without all the vomiting and heartburn.  It is only a palliative procedure but if it avoids weeks like last weeks, it will be well worth it.  Dr. De Cook also has arranged for me to receive 3 units of blood, for which I am very thankful.  Unfortunately, with Covid 19, they will not allow anyone to stay with me there in the night, likely not a problem but my left knee is “gimpy” as well as painful.  After 7 years of being numb, the left leg has become alive again and has a throbbing pain that first was in the lower leg, now has moved up to the knee and thigh.  It is troublesome at night in keeping me awake, but sometimes (like yesterday at the pharmacy in the parking lot) it suddenly gives way and I go down.  I use the walker a fair amount if not in the house, will take it with me to the hospital and also use a wheelchair but my frequent nightly bathroom trips will have to find another solution.  

There have been no new updates from Haiti, I have talked to them, but no cases of Corona diagnosed in our section of Haiti, but then, they have no testing supplies, so who really knows what is going on.  Plus, anyone who has ridden down the roads there realize that one can get a nasty cough and congestion just from riding in the open busses and taxis, as they all belch black smoke from their diesel engines and cough, sputter and gasp a lot themselves, let alone the humans who ride in them or follow them.  Please continue to pray that the ministries at CSL can continue and the workers be protected from the nasty virus, as treatment options are about as available as the test kits.  Dan Boerman and I have been trying to figure out how to get more supplies, as IDA in the Netherlands is still on lockdown and even if they open up, who knows when Haiti will and we don’t need our supplies locked up in Port for months.  

In His Service,

Bill for James, Jenn, Rachel and the Haiti Team

Haiti Update

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Hi All:
We are safely at the hospital, have had some meetings and about to start seeing patients in the clinic.  As the violence has continued, the fear factor remains high among the people, as well as discouragement, as many wonder what the future holds for Haiti.  The elements calling for the resignation of the president are quite vocal, but will the instability only increase if he does depart?  The runaway inflation continues, due to the violence, the stores are empty as no one wants to order a container of supplies as they have no assurance that they will be able to get the goods from Port to the store.  No one dares leave their house for the most part in Port au Prince, from what I hear, so the whole country is at a standstill except for the troubling rioters, who seem to move about unhindered.

The meetings yesterday went quite well, follow up on decisions made is always a struggle here.  Some of it is my fault, as surgery keeps me tied up the majority of my time here, now, I am more feeble than before, so prioritizing what I need to address is always a bit up in the proverbial clouds.  Dr. William will be with us for a couple days to help in the OR and then will go back to his residency.  He kindly has volunteered to take our luggage back to Port for us in his car, as the four of us (without any baggage) weigh pretty close to the maximum weight that the plane can take.  I figure that, in addition to my 175 # with my clothes, including my heated coat with batteries, etc, I have about 80 pounds of TPN with ice packs, etc in the 2 carryons plus two suitcases with my IVs that weigh close to 50# each, a real struggle for me in my travels.  So, that will be a real blessing for us and pray that he will have a safe and uneventful trip back to Port on Tuesday night with the extra stuff, etc.   

So, we are looking forward to a productive week of work for our Saviour in this land of great medical, physical and spiritual need.  Pray for wisdom, safety and His direction in all that we do, that we may do it to His honor and glory.

In His Service, Dan, Duane, Mark and the (Feeble) Haitian Donkey

The Haitian Donkey and his Haitian friends anticipate the arrival of Christmas

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Hi All:
The weather has been most perfect for a small, stumbling Haitian Donkey, maybe a bit warmer than Sam and his Haitian coworkers might like, as they work in the container organizing the latest shipment of building materials into some semblance of order. Duane tries hard to put things in the container in a fashion that will facilitate unloading and putting things away in one step, NOT a Haitian priority. So, Sam and crew are getting things out needed for the next couple construction crews and putting spacers between the treated lumber pieces so they will not sweat too much and warp, etc. They have worked very hard at emptying the beds, furniture, etc from downstairs. There is an excitement among the employees as they have bugged me for a long time to put some tile on the floors and, thanks to friends in the US, it is becoming a reality. Seeing the new administrator, the newish head nurse, etc all pitching in with us in moving the stuff to the temporary storage spot also was encouraging, as their predecessors would not have dirtied their hands in manual labor. The whole spirit is encouraging.

We recently had a huge deluge of rain, again washing away a lot of people and possessions. Dr. William’s wife and family have been raising baby chicks and had 350 that they were preparing for market, including 110 that I planned to purchase so that the employees could have a special family meal at Christmas. Unfortunately, the sudden flash flooding included his yard and 295 of the chicks drowned. Even worse, several school children in the area left school to walk home and the flash flood washed them off their feet and they drowned as well as a motorcycle taxi driver. This morning we had a lady on a motorcycle totally crushed by a rogue bus coming over to her side of the road and she never had a chance. It again reminds us of the brevity of life especially here where it seems life is not valued as much as it should and the fact that the Christ of Christmas is our only hope for eternal life.

We also lost a 24 year old lady who tried to abort herself last week, then came in Sunday night as a transfer from another hospital, quite ill and anemic. We gave her mega doses of antibiotics and some blood but could never get her stable enough to take to the OR and do a hysterectomy and she passed yesterday despite our attempts to save her. When I proposed the possible surgery, she was very hesitant as she had no children yet, but in wanting to not have one now, she lost her life instead. Very difficult for us all. Sam told me he is squeamish about surgical procedures but we had a lady come in tonight with 2 washers and 3 rings on her left 4th and 5th fingers. I got my needle nose pliers and wire cutters and we put the lady to sleep as her fingers were necrotic due to infection and swelling. We worked at trying to cut through but the large washers (like those for a large bolt, fairly thick) would not budge. So I asked Sam for some more tools from the tool shed and he brought some and worked along with us as we sweat for quite a while before they gave way. Only then did his stomach rebel and he had to go out of the room, so I was proud of him concentrating on the job enough to see it through.

The town of Simon, where we are located, recently petitioned the government for a road through the village. They have been working on it a while and work started several months ago. Some of the cement has been poured but then a gang of robbers broke into the container they had full of the cement and stole it all. Then, a few days later, they sold it all to the residents of Simon at almost half price. One wonders about a population who is willing to be in cahoots with gangs just so they can get cheaper cement for themselves. The moral climate sometimes sinks too low and makes progress impossible around here.

So, the Haitian Donkey is most appreciative of the progress we have made here by the grace of God and for all of you who encourage and support us as we serve Him here for His glory.

In His Service,

Bill and Sam

The Haitian Donkey is back home, briefly

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Hi All:
We survived the week of chemotherapy, the usual fever, chills and nausea, didn’t have any retching there at least, and we again decided to hit the road right after the last session, leaving at 3 and getting home a bit after 10 on Friday. I started running out of gas about the time I hit the Michigan line, but managed to keep going until we arrived home, as driving a car goes much faster than stumbling along on the shaky donkey legs. We brought in only the cold boxes and went to bed. I woke up about 1:00 am and had worse fever, chills and diffuse aches and weakness. Ended up sleeping in a chair as easier to get to the bathroom quickly from a semi upright position. This progressed to retching and I was unable to attend the planned suitcase packing Saturday afternoon. Sunday started out slow, unable to walk without holding the walls, but I managed to get more fluids in (TPN and rehydration fluids gives me more than 4 quarts daily already but with fever and chills, the insensible loss goes up considerably). It is now Sunday afternoon and I feel my strength slowly coming back, no appetite, but at least no more retching and the fever and chills are subsiding. I did sleep for hours on end, interspersed with potty breaks each 90 minutes if not more often. Pray that this will go away without complications, especially as I had the sepsis starting Wednesday after the last chemotherapy, which does knock your resistance down and leaves you more vulnerable to infections.

Dan, Duane and Butch (and the rest of the team from Butch’s church, about 20 total, not counting D and D, who were there a week earlier) returned after slaving in Haiti. They got the roads cleared around the camp, worked there for several days, then returned to the hospital and secured it by cutting up the trees that had fallen on the hospital fence, fixed the hospital gate that had been torn off by the winds and then helped clear up trees in the village of Simon (the suburb of Cayes where the hospital is technically located, maybe 3 miles from the center of Cayes) as well as setting up some of our experienced day laborers who work with our work teams each year to put roofs on their own houses first and then starting on those of our employees. They did cover 50 houses with tarps, but that will only last a while with the heat, winds and rains that hammer their little houses.

In that vein, Lord Willing, we will head to Haiti early Saturday morning with our team. Originally Dr. Luke, Karen, our nurse practitioner friend Tabitha, who was with us in Africa for years and went with me to Haiti 8 months ago and wants to go any chance she can get out of work for, Micah Baxter, the maintenance man at PVI washing and myself were going to go, as elections were scheduled in October, but I was worried about Luke going in the midst of the political unrest, so he would have to go the last week of October to avoid them and I was scheduled in early November, thus we decided to go together as my endurance is not yet what I would like it to be. It also would let me try to catch up on administrative duties that I got behind on while undergoing surgery and chemotherapy. With the hurricane, we added 8 more people to the team, 6 to clear more trees and help put on roofs and 2 ladies to help with cooking and other jobs with a larger crew. Dr. Jo Marturano, a psychiatrist friend who normally comes twice yearly for 2 weeks will join us in Lauderdale for the rest of the journey, so it will be a busy week. However, we pray that we can get a lot done for Him and the people of Haiti who have suffered so much over the years.

Please pray that we will have good flights and can connect up in Lauderdale, as we have 6 different flight plans to get there and one bus that leaves Port au Prince, so the last flight needs all 13 of us on board. I also hope that I can briefly meet Dr. William in Port to encourage him and also give him a study manual I purchased for him to help him study and prepare better for the residency demands. Communications have been sketchy but I know it was hard for him to be stuck in Port when the storm was headed straight for his family home and he could not leave to be with them. This is a difficult time for him but I greatly appreciate his dedication to the Lord’s work at CSL and getting the extra training to be able to replace me there. Pray that customs will let us through with our 22 bags of supplies as it appears our sheets all developed legs during the last while, having the fence knocked down needless to say didn’t help. We also are bringing most of our food, as not much is available in the markets where we usually could get much of what we need (though we heard it is getting better, but I have never gone shopping, not on my skill set for Haiti). We also have a bunch of supplies to do our work of relief, including things to help those who were less fortunate before the hurricane already. Pray that we will be safe, effective and God honoring in our efforts to serve Him next week.

As always, we appreciate your prayer, encouragement and support of our ministry there in Haiti (especially the Haiti Relief Fund and the Rice and Goats Fund, as they will be especially needful this year).

 

In His Service,

Bill, Karen, Anna, Jo, John, Kathy, Kevin, Kurt, Luke, Micah, Ron, Tabitha, Tom and Travis

SIRS and Haiti

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Hi All:

For some of you, Pastor McGee of Byron Center Bible Church has been faithfully contacting me (well, maybe Karen, as I have been “out of it” for the most part, barely able to totter to the bathroom, feeble as can be) and sending you updates via the church email.  He asked that I give you a more thorough update for myself and what we know of the Haiti situation.  So, will do my best, knowing that I do not have “complete knowledge” of either situation.

As you know, I had round #3 (of 4) of my vaccine injection, followed by the injections of Interferon and Rintotolomod for the rest of the week. I felt quite decent on Friday, the 30th, after my injections so we headed home, thankful to be doing so well. Saturday had some ups and downs, felt great in the morning and helped my brother and Duane unload some donated medical supplies, ran some errands and went to see my little sister, Shirley who has spent over 2 weeks in the hospital, having had almost every test in the book and we aren’t any wiser. Her asthma is much improved, but no reason can be found for total passing out episodes. The evening was rather nasty with fever, chills and retching again.

I was a bit under the weather for the next 4 days, but was able to work in the office, though easily fatigued, to be expected, of course. However, Wednesday night, I spent the whole night hugging the “Porcelain Queen,” having shaking chills, fevers to 103 plus and retching. The next 3 days continued much the same, I started an antibiotic and a treatment course for malaria, seemed to make some improvement on Saturday and could do a few things around the house and clean up some of my office paperwork backlog. I was a bit encouraged but Saturday night things became considerably worse and I could no longer stand up, navigate and just had continual shaking chills all night. Sunday morning, Karen hauled me to the Blodgett Emergency Room, I could hardly make it to the car even with Karen supporting me. I knew the ER doctor from years in the past and they all were superb in rendering care, starting 3 powerful antibiotics IV immediately and he agreed to leave me here instead of a transfer to Butterworth (they don’t like treating cancer patients at Blodgett as oncologists don’t come here). My diagnosis is SIRS, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, with growing out E coli from all blood draws, source unknown. Plus, my littlest sister, Shirley, was here, so we could see each other.  Within one hour of my admission, they transferred her to Butterworth anyway?

I have made considerable progress though now waiting for them to remove my port, give me a 48 hr “holiday” and then replace it on the other side. We are pushing them to do it before I leave, so the insurance will pay for it (Our special friend, Dr. Dan De Cook, did the other two for me in his office “the old way” most graciously, saving us $14,000 but we have no more catheters, as he brought the other two back from Bangladesh). I hope to return to work next week, as I have been negligent too long in my work duties.

Dan and Duane arrived in Haiti last night by way of Puerto Rico, as there are no landing lights in the Port au Prince airport so their flight was routed to Puerto Rico for the night.  Hopefully they can do some repairs to the hospital, some homes and the camp, depending on what supplies they can find. Beth Newton reported that a 40 ft container of supplies sent to Cayes by another organization was robbed along the road as the lawless elements always take advantage of difficult situations, it seems. My brother, Butch, who has gone many times to help me at the hospital, likely will leave this weekend with his church team to work at the camp, where there is a lot of cleaning up to do before they can consider repairs, surely. Pray for their stamina and health, as cholera is gaining ground again with the less than perfect hygienic conditions. The report is that there is moderate damage to our hospital, significant loss to 7 missionary homes and the government hospital is non functional, so more workload for our staff. Samaritan’s Purse is setting up a mobile hospital in Cayes and that will help.

So, thank you so much for your continued patience with us as we try to live and serve our Savior as He gives us opportunity. We appreciate your prayers and support. Again, pardon the somewhat rambling style, but consider the source and the condition of his mind?

In His Service,

Bill, Karen, Dan, Duane, Butch and the Rest of the Haiti Team