HeartLine Haiti Blog

March 16

A BELATED BLOG
It has been several days since I have written a blog. The reason is not because I have nothing to write about as much as after being out and busy for 14 to 16 hours and then arriving at home, I simply am tired and don't seem to muster up the energy to open the computer and write a blog.

I last week forgot to write that we are now getting city electricity about 10 hours a day which means that we are burning much less diesel.

Yesterday I was visited by a young man that I hadn't seen for perhaps 10 years. I had for some years served on a school board with his father who was a pastor and a humble guy. The young man told me that last Friday when his father was pulling into his yard, men with guns stopped him and his wife and took the man inside and shot him dead. They then robbed the house. I felt sad and Haiti loses when good people are shot by stupid people.

We at the field hospital continue to be busy caring for those that are recovering and still have new people to us coming for care. Even as I write, Beth and a midwife or two are doing their thing with a woman who is in labor with her first child. They've been at it since early this morning but I haven't heard any loud nosies coming from upstairs at the women's center when the baby delivery thing happens.

We have started looking at land a bit outside of the city and will look at a couple of more pieces tomorrow.

We have a group from Foothills Church in Arvada, Colorado that are doing a super job of working and repairing stuff and encouraging us as we look to God for His plan for Heartline.

The Lord has been so gracious in giving Heartline favor with so many who have had made donations to help us help others. IT IS AMAZING.

It seems that so little has really been done to help the victims of the earthquake. The rainy season is almost upon us and so many of the tent cities are simply sheets joined together to make a covering. Such tents will not hold back the hard rain that is to come.

I have a Haitian friend that years ago told me that Haiti's number one problem is a lack of social consciousness. I think of this every time the government or a government official makes a decision that keeps aid and help from the injured and homeless and makes it more difficult for humanitarian help to get to the people.

I very much enjoy the evening Haitian church service at the field hospital.

Sheila Lynch sent me the following e-mail:

John (a.k.a the quote guy)

Heard this last night and thought of you.....

Anderson Cooper was doing an interview and asked Father Boyle

"Do you ever feel taken advantage of?

He simply said, I give my advantage away.

The whole interview was really good - this guy works with the gangs in L.A.

Grace - Sheila

We really do need your continuing donations. Please click here to donate.

John

3:54 PM GMT | Read comments(3)

March 11

SOME STUFF

I overheard a couple of ladies talking the other day about their effort to get donated food that was being given out by one of the large humanitarian organizations. One said to the other, " I and others got some food and after we pushed through the crowd to go home young men with guns took our food." This is an all too common story, especially in the tent city places.

One of our sewing ladies who is still sleeping outside in a tent told us that she will continue to sleep outside until the President of Haiti announces that people can now sleep inside.

Said by a patient at the field hospital, who is well enough to go home, to Beth, "They're making me go home, I want to stay."

LINKS

Lost in the ruins: Haiti's best and brightest

Thought Provoking Article on Haiti

Order Your Haiti Bracelet

Hand Made in Haiti Purses

Pictured above is one of our patients getting her cast removed by the folks at Merlin by a retired British doctor who responded to the cries of the injured and came to Haiti. Whatever I expected a retired British doctor to be like, he is it. The folks at Merlin are top notch.

Some of the kids at the field hospital being taught English phrases such as:
GOOD MORNING
GOOD AFTERNOON
MY NAME IS...
HOW ARE YOU
JOHN IS A GOOD MAN

One of our patients

The Heartline sewing and crochet classes are in progress but not yet inside the house as the ladies are afraid to be inside. We hope to have the ladies back inside by the end of this month.

The field hospital continues to provide loving care to the patients that the Lord entrusts to us. Thank you for your prayers and financial help that enables us to continue on. Please click here to donate.

3:35 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

March 09

THE BEAT GOES ON

It seems as if one day just blends into the next and then the next and I do find myself several times a week asking whoever may be next to me what day it is. We continue to give aftercare those injured in the January 12th earthquake and we as well continue to transport patients to other medical care centers where they have x-ray, wounds dressed or surgery. We also continue to receive patients for long term care and have a number of walk ins, so to speak, with injuries of broken and fractured bones that have just happened and since we are doing inner city work, we have had several gun shot patients as well.

A 35 POUND CEMENT BLOCK

The cement block that Renald is holding pictured above weighs 35 pounds. It is easy to see how most of the 300 thousand deaths and the untold injuries were due to falling cement block houses and walls.

THANKS AGAIN TO FUEL RELIEF FOR MORE DIESEL AT NO CHARGE TO US.
Check them out at www.fuelrelieffund.org

Beth's sister and friend Jean just left after a week's visit. What would a visit from Boston be without a bag of Dunkin Donut's Coffee

Today while at the Field Hospital I was sitting with this little boy named Rosemonde. While talking, he leaned close to me and said, "I have a problem." I asked him, "What" and he replied, "My father and mother are dead." And I wanted to cry.
Rosemonde has been with us for several weeks now and he is a joy to have. I am told that he lost his family in the earthquake but does have one grand parent still alive.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING HEARTLINE HELP CHILDREN LIKE ROSEMONDE. YOUR GIVING IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. CLICK HERE TO DONATE

5:31 PM GMT | Read comments(4)

March 06

HIS STORY: CLIFF ONE OF THE INCREDIBLE MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS

As many of you already know, I have returned from seven intense days working in a startup, makeshift field hospital with Heartline Ministries on the outskirts of Port au Prince. In my absence, there has been a support network going on via email, Face book, Twitter, Internet blogs, etc. – all of which I knew nothing about. As many of you know, this is all the technology that I have resisted. Now, I want to use this to thank each of you for all your prayers and support during my absence.

Since I’ve been back, I have had to do a lot of processing of what happened to me, and how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, as I was literally thrown into service when I walked through the field hospital door. Right up until I caught the plane home the needs were nonstop. These were the longest seven days of my life, and the shortest seven days of my life. They were the most impacting, the most defining and rewarding days of my life - not only from a medical point of view, but also from a humanitarian point of view.

In the face of this catastrophic event I was blessed to be able to work with other practitioners from all over the United States. They had hearts and dedication like I have never seen for the simple love of others. Our bond is incredible. We will all be friends forever.

I witnessed the hand of God guiding us in all that we saw, experienced, and did. He prepared each of us to go and He got us there together – miraculously. It was clearly Him working in us and through each of us. In Him we were able to endure the magnitude of devastation that happened to these people on January 12. That devastation is beyond description and comprehension. I know that others with whom I served agree with me that coming home was very, very hard to do. Regretting deeply having to leave so much undone is inexpressible, not knowing the end result of our work on the people.

All those trips out into the rubble of the slum areas, every touch we made, in most cases was the only touch of help that these people would have. Every wound was infected. I saw every type of known orthopedic injury known lying out in the street, or brought to us with help, even in wheelbarrows. Again, beyond scripting. It was and is hard to realize that thousands and thousands more were still suffering from all the crush injuries associated with the earthquake. In the field hospital with minimal supplies and no tools, it was Civil War medicine requiring a lot of improvisation. Believe me when I say that I used all 44 years of my ortho training there.

It has been well recognized that even at this level of care, we were saving lives. It was a very humbling experience. The Heartline website tells me that they are still finding these people with major, major injuries - again, a demonstration of the level of this disaster. Think about this: in under a minute, over 250,000 people were injured or crushed to death. Those numbers continue to rise. It was hard for us to wrap our brains around, even seeing it.

Very soon I realized that we saw and treated the outside of people, the physical injuries, but the inside of them, and the scope of their losses then or in their futures, I could not begin to understand or treat. At some point I will return to Heartline’s ongoing ministry there to do what I can.

I did and do realize that it was through the prayer support of my family, my church family, and my friends that I was able to be there for the people of Haiti in a time of catastrophic chaos, and human pain and suffering – and all that continues there.

It is disheartening, appalling for me to see that this human event has fallen off the media radar.

Through your prayers, donations, or supplies people were and are helped. Our results were in positive medical outcomes, and literally saving lives. But all of it means something more when you realize that they had nothing to start with, not even hope. Because I now have a greater understanding of the power of prayer, my request is that above everything else, you pray for the people of Haiti.

With love,

Cliff ~ and Adrienne

“But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

1 Cor. 13:13

CLIFF TREATING A LITTLE BOY

Heartline continues to move on with the field hospital as more patients are coming to us for after care. It is the beginning of the rainy season but an impressive group from Ecola Bible School put up a mega tarp on a frame that they put together out of pvc even as the rain fell lightly. The pieced together tarps we had were leaking but the mega tarp framed cover held back last night's rain from getting the patients wet.

CHECK IT OUT

THE SUPERDOME OF HAITI

FYI:

Heartline has not received government assistance and is paying for the expenses of running this field hospital by your generous giving. Please help us to help other by your giving. Click here to donate. Our commitment to you is that 100% of what you donate will be used in Haiti to continue the ongoing ministry of the Heartline Field Hospital.

John McHoul

1:09 PM GMT | Read comments(2)

March 04

A BOAT, A TRUCK, A PLANE and GOING HOME TO DIE

Wharf Jeremie is a large slum of tin roofed houses in Port au Prince, which is also the place where the boat from the coastal town of Jeremie comes loaded with people and their produce which is sold at the outdoor market at the wharf.

We for a few weeks had been taking the Heartline truck into the area as we treated the less seriously injured on site and took the more seriously injured back to our field hospital. We stopped going regularly after a medical group from Italy set up a tented treatment center in the area.

But this week Chris Plourde who has been driving the truck took it to Wharf Jeremie and while there we met Margaret, a 59-year-old woman and her son. Margaret had tried to get on the boat going back to Jeremie but was not allowed on because she is very sick. She is quite thin and coughs and shakes and can’t really walk without assistance.

It was at this time that the Heartline truck pulled into the wharf and people told her that the white truck people would help her. Our field people examined her and decided to bring her back to the field hospital. There she was examined and tested with a quickie HIV test and unfortunately it was positive. Our medical people also suspected that she could have TB.

We gave her and her son a couple of cots where they stayed a bit a part from the other patients because of our concern of being so sick and perhaps with advanced TB. Her son was wonderfully attentive and loving to his mother and he assisted in caring for her.

We brought her to a clinic that specializes in caring for those who are HIV positive where she was tested and she tested positive. The clinic said that she also had to have TB test before they would consider any treatment but they did express doubt that she would get any better even with treatment. We told them that we wanted to get her healthy enough to be able to get on the boat to Jeremie where she wanted to go home and die. They doubted that this would happen.

We talked about how we could help her get to Jeremie since she was not allowed to go on the boat for the 12-hour trip to Jeremie. We talked about putting her and her son on one of the jammed packed trucks that make the Port au Prince to Jeremie run, but we questioned how well she would survive the grueling truck ride over the loosely called dirt and rock roads of Haiti. And we weren’t sure if she would even be allowed on the bus. Our last and best option as we could see it would be to see of we could get her on one of the small planes that fly from Port au Prince to Jeremie.

So Tara Livesay contacted MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) here in Haiti to see if we could charter their six passenger plane to take Margaret home to her place of birth where she wanted to live out her last days. And that is what we did.

We (Margaret, her son, Tara, Corkey Cowart, John and the pilot) got on the six-passenger plane in Port au Prince and made the hour flight to the coastal town of Jeremie, where we landed on a somewhat rough runway. Margaret, I’m sure had never been on a plane before but she was simply too sick to even notice or be afraid.

When we got off the plane, the first thing she did was stand of the tarmac and urinate. She was too sick to care and the rest of us who were there including the local policeman and the airport meet the plane guy understood and said nothing. They came over with a wheel chair which surprised me and wheeled her to the lone building standing on the property. We, after saying good-bye, got on the plane and made the flight back to Port au Prince minus Margret.

We of course are saddened that she is so ill but feel that we did the right thing by flying her to her place of birth where she can spend her remaining days with family.

It started with a BOAT that wouldn’t take Margaret and the HEARTLINE TRUCK that brought her to our field hospital to a MAF PLANE that took her home where she could die with the support of her family.

Heartline is making a difference in so many different ways and your support helps us help others.

Click here to donate.

THE HEARTLINE TRUCK

FOLLOW JEREMIE OUT TOWARD THE WESTERN TIP OF HAITI

THE PLANE THAT WE TOOK AND HELPING MARGARET ONTO THE PLANE

JEREMIE FROM THE AIR

WHEELING MARGARET TO THE TERMINAL

**************************

JUST HAPPEN: I left the computer for several minutes to go to the field hospital. As I was there a pickup truck raced up to our gate with an older man that had been hit by a motorcycle. The medical paper hopped to and transported him to the Miami Field Hospital.

MAN JUST HIT BY A MOTORCYCLE LOADED IN THE BACK OF MY TRUCK FOR TRANSPORT

7:48 AM GMT | Read comments(2)

March 02

USNS COMFORT & RONDI

It has been wonderful to see how people care about Haiti. We've had opportunity to trade patients, work together, barter for meds and see how organizations can work together for the good of the Haitian wounded. We've brought people to and from the University of Miami Field Hospital, the Merlin organization, Double Harvest and other places that have come together in a time of huge need.
The USNS Comfort, a US Navy medical ship has been sitting in the bay off Port-au-Prince for weeks since the disaster. Our doctor, Jen Halverson, brought them one of their first patients, Collette, who had a broken pelvis and was 7 months pregnant. Mom and baby returned to us weeks later alive and healing! It was a celebration. They gave us patients we gave them some. Jen kept in contact with them. Some of their personnel visited us. A Navy midwife came and checked out our prenatal program. I was struck by how she seemed to genuinely care about the ladies.
After being here for weeks the Comfort was returning to Bethesda, Maryland and bringing her medical staff back to their usual post. They finished up with their last patient, Rondi, a small boy with terrible facial injuries that went untreated for weeks. Jen, Tara, and I got to go pick Rondi up to come to Heartline to finish his medical care. I thought we would just receive him from the boat and take off home.
We arrived and were invited to tour the ship, meet the medical staff, eat lunch and then receive Rondi and his big brother. They loaded us up with his meds and supplies. Tears were shed. Hugs were given. Well wishes were spoken over and over. This little boy had been loved.
I always think of military folks as stoic, keeping emotions under wrap. Not this group. Doctors and medical staff of all sort stood around chatting, taking photos, well wishing and there was a sadness that they were packing up and heading back to the states. They didn't seem like people counting the minutes to go home - they seemed like people who cared and who wanted to do all they could to alleviate suffering. I was moved.
The ship was massive and I was in awe. In spite of the many patients the medical staff talked about people as individuals, worried out loud as to where these folks would return to after treatment. I saw tears of caring.
Off we drove with the last patient treated on the USS Comfort. Rondi and his big brother wore Comfort baseball caps and were surrounded by gifts and supplies. The Comfort ended it's season in Haiti while we sped away with their final patient. A war ship indeed - fighting suffering. Made me proud of the US Navy - and awed to be part of this moment in history.

Beth McHoul

TARA, BETH & DR. JEN ON A BOAT GOING OUT TO THE USNS COMFORT

USNS COMFORT

DR. JEN TARA, AND BETH WITH PERSONNEL FROM THE USNS COMFORT

RONDI BEING HANDED OFF TO HEARTLINE

This little boy has suffered horribly as he spent almost three weeks without treatment after blocks fell on his face. He among other things developed a severe infection and had maggot that had infested his wounds.

Rondi getting ready to get in the pickup for his time with Heartline.

Every day I take time to sit in the corner of the field hospital and watch the patients as they interact with one another and as they begin to get up from their beds and walk with assistance. We have such wonderfully dedicated people that have come to minister to the injured.
Your financial help is greatly needed. Please click here to donate.

John McHoul

3:33 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 28

HEARTLINE BULLET BRIEFS

We have not had city electricity since January 12th, the day of the earthquake.
Three of our remaining five children left last night for their new homes in the States. We now have two children remaining with us. Please pray that they are able to travel soon.
Rained last night
Will this week finally order the ambulance/multipurpose vehicle that the Heartline Runners raised money for when they ran in the 2010 Disney Marathon. It will take four months to actually get as there are none in stock.
We still have medicines in Haitian customs that were taken by customs. They are asking a steep tax for us to get them out. One box in particular had to be refrigerated.
Dr. Jen, Tara, and Beth yesterday spent several hours on the USNS COMFORT. Check out the COMFORT SHIP by clicking here.
We expect the Heartline field hospital to be open for several more weeks in caring for those that are recovering. We have quite a community going on and God is touching lives through Heartline.
One of our recent arrivals off of the USNS Comfort is a little boy that has quite a bit of facial damage due to his house collapsing during the earth quake. I spent some time talking to his mother who told me that she had 5 children and 3 died when their house fell.
HEARTLINE is in this for the LONG HAUL and was already in Haiti for 20 years when the earth shook on January 12th. Your support allows us to be care for and minister to those that are STILL suffering due to the earth quake. CLICK HERE TO HELP HEARTLINE HELP OTHERS.

John McHoul
Living in Haiti since 1989

4:29 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

February 26

ALEX THE DETAINEE
My days are starting to get a rhythm. I go to the women's center, do my stuff there, visit and help out at the hospital, do breast pumping with Djenie, take her to see baby Kenley, sterilize instruments and so on. The abnormal is starting to be normal. Then today happened.
I get a text from John since you can't hear on my phone. My car, phone and washing machine don't work these days. The text read: "Alex at the police station, go there now!"
Alex is one low key young adult. Always one for adventure, never flustered, always enjoying Haiti. We love him. He has become like a son which is very fun since I love his mom Debbie so much. He steals my socks and yells "I love you, goodnight" at night.
We have creche kids leaving one by one on humanitarian parole. Somehow Alex got volunteered for the escort job. He's up for anything, will read his kindle while stuck at the embassy all day and is so easy going that he is the perfect choice for the "you might end up in jail" jobs. We'll visit and bring you food. He's game.
Well, today it almost happened. The embassy gave the documents for Gabriel whose parents are waiting in Florida for him. Alex was brought to the airport and was supposed to head off with the baby, give him to his parents and then turn around and return to Haiti. The Haitian officials didn't agree. A document was missing. An important one that the Prime Minister was supposed to sign.
By the time I arrive at the police station an official was writing out the story in long hand in detail. Every detail. Byron, Agathe, Junior and I were there. The embassy was called. Alex's passport and the baby's paperwork were taken. Our American diplomats arrive. Our diplomat decided that Alex was not dressed nice enough to escort the baby (he should see John!). Of course you didn't get out you look like a bum! Maybe he didn't know that his own employees forgot an important document in the packet. It was all Alex's fault for being a casual young adult after the order of John the hippie. Alex just shrugged, I was mad, Byron was polite.
A long discussion ensued in French and our side must have won because we came home with Alex, the baby, and his passport. No jail time. We'll try again tomorrow with the proper paperwork and Alex just might wear the same clothes he had on today.
Beth McHoul

YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT HELPS US HELP OTHERS. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

6:50 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 25

DJENIE: A FOLLOW UP & A SURPRISE DIESEL DELIVERY AND BACK TO THE SAME OLD SAME OLD
Djenie is like a teenager anywhere. Up one minute down the next. She is dramatic for attention and loves it when we are moms to her. This is a universal story except that Djenie is a mom herself and lives in total poverty in Cite Soley. Our medical transport field bus picks her up or she comes on her own to our hospital each day and then we take her to the Miami Field Hospital to see her baby Kenley. He is now four pounds and we breathe a sigh of relief each day when we find him breathing in his tiny suitcase/incubator. When we bring her to see him she coos, makes faces at him, cries until we let her hold him and remarks on his every facial expression. It is pure love.
Today we were traveling into Cite Soley to make a home visit, meet Djenie's family and check out where Kenley will eventually be going home to. I know Haiti, I knew it would be poor, crowded, gray, sad and stifling. It was. We couldn't find Djenie although we knew who her family was on sight - they mirrored her features. Mom told me Djenie is one of eight children. I asked to see where she slept. I wish I hadn't. A room with tin walls held a bed, one pillow, some sort of shelf with a broken doll and that was it. Mom said 9 people slept in that room. It was dark, the alley was dark and no one should have to live there. But they do - by the thousands.
We left thinking that Djenie had missed us and would find her own way to the Heartline Hospital. As we made our way back to our oversized white truck she came running and yelling. I ran toward her, Laura ran toward her and we had a reunion of hugs. Overkill to be sure but I am on a mission to make this kid feel special and keep her coming back. All seemed well. I rode on top of the truck back to Clercine and Djenie and midwife Laura rode in the cage. I love the top of the truck with its view of the city. It's worth the near decapitation from wires to enjoy the breeze and the view. Port-au-Prince never stops amazing me with its crowds, traffic jams, trash, broken buildings and color.
When we got back to the hospital Laura realized Djenie was sick. She had a high fever and her mastitis (breast infection) had gotten bad again. Without the baby to nurse she is more prone to this. We got Doctor Jen to look at her who put her on an IV, on meds and put her to bed. Djenie was crushed that she couldn't go see the baby today. When I left she was sleeping, emotions spent.
There are thousands of Djenies and Kenleys in the slums of Port-au-Prince. Somehow God brought us these two and we will invest in their lives. This premature baby and his teen mom both lie in a hospital tonight. Both fighting to get better and go home to a place most of us wouldn't want to spend an hour in. Somehow we have claimed each other and Kenley and Djenie matter to us. Ownership. Somehow God brought us together and we will do all we can for the two of them. Djenie will enter our women's program and learn parenting skills and how to make better choices. She will find support and love. And love changes people no matter where they live.

NINE PEOPLE SLEEP IN THIS ONE ROOM ON THIS ONE MATTRESS

TIN SHACK HOUSES ONE OF WHICH IS WHERE DJENIE AND HER FAMILY LIVE

DJENIE SLEEPING AT THE HEARTLINE FIELD HOSPITAL WITH AN IV ATTACHED TO HER

A SURPRISE DIESEL DELIVERY

Yesterday afternoon Heartline got a great gift of free diesel for our generators and patient transport truck. Ted Honcharik, chairman of the Fuel Relief Fund, has a California based charity which responds to disasters and makes sure that emergency generators and vehicles have sufficient fuel to operate. The Fuel Relief Fund was active after Hurricane Katrina and shortly after the Port au Prince earthquake, Ted jumped on a plane to Haiti. With the help of local industry contacts, Ted quickly found a donated oil truck and knowledgeable staff. He has spent the last few weeks driving from clinic to camp, delivering much needed fuel. As there is still no centrally delivered electricity, emergency generators are literally saving lives. We hope to be added to their weekly route. Many thanks to Ted and Fuel Relief Fund!

We have not had city electricity since January 12th, the day of the earthquake. We are running our diesel generator at the field hospital for most of the day and we are burning through the diesel, so what a blessing it was to receive free diesel from FUEL RELIEF FUND.

YOUR GENEROUS DONATION HELPS US HELP OTHERS. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO HELP HEARTLINE HELP OTHERS

UPDATE:
THE HAITIAN GOVERNMENT IS GETTING BACK TO NORMAL AS IT IS HOLDING IN CUSTOMS HUMANITARIAN SUPPLIES MEANT TO HELP THE PEOPLE. WE AND MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS HAVE MEDICINES AND SUPPLIES BEING HELD WHICH WON'T BE RELEASED UNLESS WE PAY AN EXORBITANT TAX. THE ONLY SURPRISE IS THAT IT TOOK SIX WEEKS TO HAPPEN.
READ ABOUT IT HERE

3:12 AM GMT | Read comments(5)

February 22

HER STORY: JOHANNE PITIT FRERE

JOHANNE PETIT FRERE

Johanne a patient at our field hospital is 24 years old and she tells this story:

"I was walking along the street with my four year old daughter when the earth shook. We ran quickly but a wall fell on both of us. Both of my legs were fractured and some people brought me to a hospital but there were many, many people there and they did not help me. I was taken to another hospital from where I was sent to the Comfort Ship where my legs were operated on. It was from there that I came to Heartline several days ago. I am still in very much pain but I am getting better.
I was told that my daughter was taken to another hospital but three days ago my cousins came to see me and told me that my daughter had died when the wall fell on us. I cried and cried for much time as people in the hospital tried to comfort me. I am still very sad."

LAST NIGHT after our own church service, I went to the service held at the field hospital. It is always a service with lively singing and preaching. Near the end of the service four people went and carried Johanne to the center of the yard and placed her on a chair with her legs placed on another chair. She said that she had wandered away from God and now, at this moment wanted to surrender her life back to God. She prayed, I prayed, the pastor prayed and the people prayed and then everyone rejoiced. It was good to see this young lady find comfort in God and to see her come to him with her grief.

Please pray for Johanne and please help Heartline continue to touch such live by clicking here to donate.

John McHoul

12:52 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 21

THEIR STORY: DJENIE & KENLEY

We have seen many, many Kenley's over the years. Babies born too early to young moms who cannot take care of them and who have no support system. Djenie lives in Cite Soley, she is 17, scared and unable to parent. Our big white truck with Don Buxman at the wheel brought Kenley and his little mom Djenie to us three weeks ago. They were treated for infections, mom had breast feeding counsel and they went back into the slum that is their home. Her first time with us Djenie wanted to go home quickly and I had to bribe her to stay with items that teens in the states take for granted. Sanitary napkins, toothpaste, deodorant. I thought they would be okay when they left us. This girl was in a hurry to get home to the only life she knows, a very poor and limited one.
Yesterday our big white truck that has stops near Djenie's small tin hut brought her to us again. Mom had mastitis, a painful breast infection. Baby was as tiny as the first time we saw him and now he was near death. Because he was quiet and slept mom was unaware that anything was wrong. She kept reminding us that he was born at 7 months gestation and that is why he was so tiny.
Djenie was trying to breastfeed but was having problems. Three pound baby was giving it his all but was unable to suck well enough to get nourishment. He was all wrapped up in a towel when they came in. I immediately focused on mom and passed baby on to someone else.
We have an incredible medical team at Heartline's hospital. My head spins at what God has done since the earthquake. How did we get all these brilliant people who are experts in medicine? They work all day and all night, laugh, cry, and totally love the Haitian people. They give their patients their all.
Some of our PA's and nurses just arrived on Thursday and dealt with baby Kenley on Friday. With limited resources they jumped into action to save this baby's life, He was important, he counted, they fought for him. Dr Brad decided Kenley needed to go to the U of Miami Field hospital located at the Port au Prince airport because they have equipment that we don't have. We were off in a flash. When we arrived we were greeted with "no meds, no room". They made room, Kenley shares an incubator with another baby about his size. Both struggling for life, Both born into peril. Both born into post-quake Haiti.
Teen mom came with us. She kept saying she wanted to take Kenley and go home. It took her a while to believe us that he was ill and needed to stay. Once reality set in she wailed. She wailed all the way back to our hospital in our car. We listened in silence sometimes cooing words of comfort to her, letting her grieve for a baby that might or might not live through the night. We grieved for the injustice of it all. The injustice of poverty, ignorance, little medical care, little support and no resources.
Today we brought Djenie to the hospital to visit the baby. Midwife Laura Hoppel stayed with her and helped her breastfeed for a few minutes. She clearly loves her little guy and wants him to be well.
So, we incorporate Djenie into our hospital community while we wait to see the outcome of her son. Extremely resistant at first, even hostile she is now less afraid and connecting with us. I heard her singing along with the nightly church services that our Haitians have. John loves these services. He sits back on a bench and enjoys it all. They love him, they know he cares. They call me "Mommie John".
Our women's program targets girls in Djenie's situation. We give them prenatal care, a safe birth and months and months of teaching. It makes a difference. There are hundreds of Djenie's and hundreds, thousands of Kenleys. But today we made a difference for two and that counts!
Beth McHoul

KENLEY RECEIVING EMERGENCY CARE BY OUR HEARTLINE VOLUNTEER MEDICAL PEOPLE

KENELY SHARING AN INCUBATOR AT THE MIAMI FIELD HOSPITAL

TEENAGE MOM DJENIE BEING COMFORTED BY AMY, ONE OF OUR HEARTLINE MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS

HEARTLINE HAS MADE A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE GIVING LONGER TERM CARE TO THE INJURED. YOU CAN HELP US CONTINUE BY DONATING OR BY HAVING A FUND RAISER. YOUR HELP MATTERS, YOU MATTER. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

5:02 AM GMT | Read comments(2)

February 20

THEIR STORIES: MARIE ANNA BAPTIST

MARIE ANNA BAPTIST

Marie Anna lost on the day that the earth shook, her son, her father, her lower leg and her house

She says, " On the day of the earthquake I was on the street selling sandals when a cement block that broke off of a wall fell onto my foot. My sister took me to a hospital which didn't not give me any treatment. I was able to find another hospital where they had to amputate my leg below the knee. It was this hospital that took me to Heartline to recover.

During the earthquake, my house collapsed and killed my father and my son who were inside. My daughter was not hurt."

FROM JOHN:
Yesterday I drove Marie Anna downtown where she will be staying with a cousin since her house has been destroyed. She repeatedly talked about getting a prosthetic foot and how important that was and how she had to have one or she wouldn't be able to walk. I assured her that we would work to see that she did get the prosthesis and that we wouldn't forget her and that she should come back in two weeks to see us.

The place that she is now living is difficult to get to with two feet never mind with one foot and crutches. To get an idea of how difficult it can be in Haiti for the amputees read: HAITI: WHAT TO DO WITH A NATION OF AMPUTEES
Please pray for Marie Anna as she works through the loss of her son, her father, her lower leg, and her home.

A TRUE STORY:
A few years ago someone in the States sent us money to see if we could help a young boy get a prosthetic arm. So we located a place and took him to be measured for the arm. It was about a year later that the place called and said that the arm was now ready. We, of course, had been there about 10 times during the year trying to get the arm. So finally we were told that the arm was ready and that we could bring the boy in to be fitted for the arm. Well the arm didn't fit and we had to order and pay for another one. This one only took a few months and he went with his mom to be fitted for the arm. I told the mom to call me when they got home, which she did. I wanted to see the prosthetic arm and to see how the boy liked it. So I get to their house and I see a brown arm and a white hand. I was shocked to say the least and had my assistant go to the place to tell that it was not acceptable and that it had to be redone. They said that they would color the hand so that it was the same color as the arm and not white and that it would only take a week. So they left the arm and a week later went back to get it. They took a brown magic marker and colored the arm with it. It kind of looked like the work of a young child. But by this time we figured that we didn't want to wait so long and have to order and pay for another arm. It was so uncomfortable, that the boy wore it for about a month and then it went under his bed.

Please pray for those who have suffered such loss, the hurt is so much more than just physical.

Please pray for and support Heartline as we minister to people such as Marie Anna. Click here to donate.

John

Next: A mother and her infant

11:10 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 19

THEIR STORIES: MADAME RODRIQUE

MADAME RODRIQUE

Madame Rodrique is 75 years old and she is pictured above with her husband who is 84 years old. They have been married for 51 years and have had seven children, two of which have died. Here is her story:

"I was in church when the earth shook. I felt the shaking and got up to run when I saw one of the walls of the church fall down. I sat down on the ground while still in the church and waited for the shaking to stop. When the shaking stopped, I ran to my house to see if my husband and child were okay. When I got near my house I saw that it had fallen completely and I ran more quickly; it was then that I stepped on a rock and hurt my foot and couldn't get up.

My husband and child were not hurt in the shaking and when my husband found me he put me in a wheelbarrow and brought me to a local clinic in the area. I was there for a few days and was in a lot of pain. While there I saw a big white truck (our group truck, that has become our mobile clinic) that came into the yard to take people to another clinic. I was still in the wheelbarrow and my husband wheeled me to the big white truck where I was placed on the truck, while still in the wheelbarrow. My husband wanted to make sure that he got the wheelbarrow back (he did a couple of days later). The truck took me to John's house (our clinic) where I have been treated by wonderful people.

My foot is getting better and I can now now walk but am not sure what I will do when I am released. I am trusting in God."

Madame Rodrique

THANK YOU for your continuing care and concern and your financial giving that enables Heartline to give ongoing care to the injured. We, in addition to our regular follow up, are seeing people who were treated shortly after the shaking and have not been treated since. I read recently that the next group of amputations will be of those who were treated but have had no follow up and now have serious infections.

PLEASE PRAY FOR HEARTLINE, FOR OUR VOLUNTEER MEDICAL GROUP, AND FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI. HELP US HELP OTHERS BY CLICKING HERE TO DONATE.

Thanks from the top of my heart,

John McHoul

Next: In less than a minute, the loss of a father, a child, a lower leg and a house

4:21 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 17

THEIR STORIES: NAHOMIE

NAHOMIE

NAHOMIE WAITING TO BE SEEN BY ONE OF OUR DOCTORS

Nahomie came to us after her desperate family first tried two other hospitals and a local doctor. On the day of the earthquake she was inside her house and instead of running outside she ran throughout their five room, two story house to look for her grandmother as second story of the house began to fall. Her grandmother was not in the house but before Nahomie could get out a cement block which had a steel rod embedded in it fell on her foot and the rod went in one side and out the other. A neighbor using a hack saw cut the steel so that the block could be removed from the steel rod that had pierced her foot. Her father then took her to a hospital where they took out the rod and gave her a shot and said that was all that they could do. He then took her all the way to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, but still couldn't find someone to deal with the hole in her foot. He returned to Haiti and went to a local doctor who said that he did not have the equipment to treat her. He then found Heartline and I was there the day that she arrived and helped carry her in and laid her on a table. I returned sometime later to see our medical people hovering over her and Beth was there squirting some type of liquid into the wound. I was surprised when I saw the liquid that she was squirting into the wound come out bottom of her foot. I then looked and could see through the hole that the steel rod had made as it pierced her foot and came out the other side. The docs at Heartline gave her extensive wound care (not sure what that means) and are giving on going care. She has been with us for about three weeks and is healing quite nicely and recently for a couple of days she was at medical group called Merlin with whom we are working and she received a skin graft. We were glad to see her come back.
Nahomie has the support of her family who comes daily to be with her and we are especially blessed that her father who is a pastor holds services each night. Nahomie celebrated her 15th birthday while with us and we all sang Happy Birthday and gave her some presents.
I have a nick name for Nahomie which is "hair" because the day that she came her hair was all over the place and kind of looked like mine did then and does now. The name has stuck for now as even her parents call her hair.

I FIND IT ALMOST HARD TO BELIEVE HOW GOD HAS BLESSED AND USED HEARTLINE DURING THIS TIME. HE HAS GIVEN US SOME PRETTY REMARKABLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TO HELP US. THEY HAVE BEEN SIMPLY AMAZING.

YOU, AS WELL, HAVE BEEN SO GENEROUSLY SUPPORTIVE WITH FINANCES, PRAYER, AND ENCOURAGEMENT. YOUR HELP IS STILL NEEDED AS WE CONTINUE TO TREAT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED BECAUSE OF THE EARTHQUAKE. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE ONGOING WORK OF HEARTLINE AS WE CONTINUE TO MINISTER TO THE INJURED.

Next: Our oldest patient

John McHoul

3:15 PM GMT | Read comments(2)

February 16

A FATHER/SON REUNION

We continue to be quite busy in making the Heartline field hospital a place of healing, hope, support, and community. Twice a day it is also a church, as a local pastor, whose daughter is in the hospital comes and holds services. The patients and workers eagerly respond to the spiritual nourishment.

We it would seem should be receiving fewer patients, but the opposite is true as we work with other organizations to take in some of their patients for aftercare. We are busy transporting people back to and from various hospitals and praise God, some to their homes. We recently put the call out for more cots to facilitate our growing patient population.

We recently received a patient from the Comfort Ship that lives at least three hours from our place, but we today or tomorrow will transport her back home. It is a privilege to do so.

Yesterday, I went to our local doctor with a young boy who our docs wanted to have a TB test. When I entered the office, the doc’s wife greeted me, but she was crying. I asked her if she was okay and she told me that her son, has a school in the northern town of Cap Haitian and yesterday the school fell and some students were killed: Four killed, three injured in school collapse in Haiti

HEARTLINE UPDATE

· We over the next couple of days will move the clinic that has been at the Women’s Center to the field hospital, which was the Boys’ Home. Just moving the pharmacy will be involve several pick up truckloads.

· We plan on reopening the Heartline Sewing School on March 1^st. The Heartline Sewing Ladies have now been sewing for a couple of weeks but they refuse to sew inside as they are fearful that another earthquake is coming or that strong aftershocks will cause the building to fall. Someone has called the fear tom be inside the new boogeyman in Haiti.

· We continue to have medical and support people coming in and out of Haiti and expect to keep the field hospital open for several more weeks. Your financial support helps us to daily care for, feed, and meet the immediate needs of the patients in our field hospital and to pay the several additions Haitians workers that we have hired to help. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

· I, Sunday night, during our time of worship, thanked those who have come to volunteer. I thanked them, though hundreds of miles away when the earth shook in Haiti on January 12^th, hearing the cries of the injured and responding with hearts of service to touch lives. We are so thankful to God for them.

A GREAT STORY

EDISEN & HIS PAPA

We since February 4^th have had a young boy at our hospital named Edisen. This 8 year old boy came to us from another hospital, but he came with no information, such as address, name of parents, etc. So yesterday Lisa Hojara with Renald and Ryan took Edisen to a local TV station and they put him on TV and asked if anyone recognized him. Well today a man showed up who said that he was Edisen’s father and when Edisen saw this man he broke into a giant smile. A father had found his son. Today they left together for their home.

TODAY is way busy at the hospital and it does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. We have about 35 on site people between the Haitian helpers and the American volunteers that have come in and who are keeping busy at the field hospital.

I got my earthquake shirt and you can get your by clicking here. I am waiting for my Haiti bracelets which you as well can get by clicking here.

John McHoul

10:36 AM GMT | Read comments(4)

February 13

THINGS I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT & FIELD HOSPITAL PICTURES

I was sitting at our glass table writing a blog on the computer when the earthquake it. Our two large mastiffs were lying on the floor next to the table. I, for some reason, thought that the dogs should have given at least a several second warning as I heard that they have been known to do stuff like that. It seems that they were taken by surprise just as I was.
I felt sad that a couple days after the earthquake we treated a guy who came in without his hand which had just been cut off in a machete fight. He survived the earthquake without injury only to lose his hand in a machete fight.
I felt sad last week when we on the way to the inner city to bring in the injured passed a woman who had it appeared been killed when she was hit by a car as she crossed the street. She survived the earthquake only to lose her life by getting hit by a car.
CRYING WHEN THEY COME AND CRYING WHEN THEY LEAVE: Often when we receive patients they are in tremendous pain as they come in with serious painful injuries. They often come in crying or moaning in agony. They after several days of Heartline’s special care, end crying again when it is time for them to leave. They often say that they don’t want to leave as they have receive such quality care and have been treated with love and respect and have experienced community.
Today I brought a few patients to another clinic where they received x-rays to determine the extent of their injuries. One guy, who somehow found us last week, has some type of metal apparatus attached to his leg which is attached to five rods which screw into the bone in his leg. He was in a motorcycle accident and had this metal thing screwed into his leg bone since July 2009. His leg was kind of swollen and I was told by the doctors that this thing should have been removed months ago. So I brought him with me today to the other clinic where his leg was x-rayed and it was decided that the doctors would take of the device and unscrew from his leg bone the five rods. Now I don’t know this guy real well, but I know that he works security for a local government official. Or he has a badge that says this and he has told me as well. He said that he usually has a gun, which I can believe, but when off duty he carries with him a big sharp knife, which I have seen. So when he went into the room to have this metal thing removed, I went with him to translate. I insisted that he give me the knife first as I wasn’t sure how happy he would be when the unscrewing started. The doctor was a tad wide eyed when he gave me the knife and the guy made lots of noises and did some shaking as the doctor with a pair of vice grips unscrewed the rods. After it was all finished, he was very happy and was hugging everyone in the room. I was glad for him and I gave the knife back when we got back to our field hospital.

NIGHTTIME PICTURES AT THE FIELD HOSPITAL

HELP US CONTINUE TO GIVE QUALITY CARE BY DONATING AT HAITI-RELIEF

John McHoul

6:05 PM GMT | Read comments(3)

TIRED

It has been one month today since the earth shook here in Haiti and over 250 thousand people died and hundreds of thousands were injured. There has been call to prayer and fasting for today and for the next two days. Today our former boys’ home which is now our field hospital has become a place where well over 100 people met for several hours beginning at daybreak to sing, pray, and fast. It was wonderful to see and to be there. The doctors and nurses still had their jobs to do and between prayers and songs they treated the injured.

We set up a portable sound system and a couple of keyboard players showed up and we had church,

I, for some reason, just felt weary today as it has been a whole month and we are still seeing people with terrible injuries and still going steady from early morning to the evening and receiving more people to our hospital. We have developed a relationship with the Miami Hospital set up in tents at the Port au Prince airport and the U.S. based Comfort Ship and a British medical group called Merlin where we transport patients back and forth. Yesterday some of the Merlin guys were with us for a few hours checking on their patients and when I drove them back to their hotel, they several times mentioned what a good job we are doing and how our medical people are top notch.

I continue to feel that we are just plodding along and I think of the quote by Abraham Lincoln:

“I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.”

THANK YOU FOR HELPING HELP HEARTLINE MOVE FOWARD!

YOUR GIVING HELPS US HELP OTHERS.

3:06 AM GMT | Read comments(4)

February 11

HAITI DAYS

It was Wednesday afternoon and Don Buxman, who is doing most of the inner city pick up of patient in the group truck called me and said that he was coming in and that he had two gunshot victims on the truck along with the regular follow-up folks. I was at a hospital picking up a patient who was being transferred to our Heartline Field Hospital and when I finally arrived the two gunshot victims who had both been shot in the legs were on the table being treated. The wounds were all in all not that serious I was told. The man still had the bullet in his leg and the woman who was shot had the bullet go in one side of her foot and out the other side. Such is life at the Heartline Field Hospital.

We, last night, had a hard rain and when I got to the hospital this morning most of the people who had been outside quickly, if it can be called quickly, as most of those at the hospital have casts and some can't walk moved inside to get out of the rain. Now these are people who are sleeping outside because of being afraid that an aftershock may make the house collapse. The Haitians who do not like being in the rain and moved inside regardless of their fear of the house collapsing on them. So this morning we put up more tarps to keep the people from getting wet if it rains.

Today was the first day that I have seen mass anger as thousands protested and blocked streets and made it almost impossible for us to get around due to getting wet in last night's rain. The people in real tents did ok, but the majority in nothing more that a shelter made of sheets got wet, very wet. And they started the day angry. Angry at the Haitian President and government. Angry that they don't have tents and that they got wet. Just angry!

We have lots to do tomorrow and so I hope that it doesn't rain tonight.

Well it is always a tad sad when a group of volunteers leave as they did today but we are glad to have a new group fresh off the plane. We have had an amazing group of people that have enabled the Heartline Field Hospital to be a place of love, security, and loving care.

John McHoul

LINKS:

BUY A BRACELET AND SUPPORT HEARTLINE

BETH'S PICTURES

LIMITED EDITION QUAKE SHIRTS

DONATE

6:18 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 10

HAPPY HEARTLINE HOSPITAL & PICTURES

We've seen so much suffering. Every person at our makeshift field hospital has broken bones, gashes and untold amounts of hurts. They suffer. They also laugh, pray, argue, have deep discussions about food and what Haitian food tastes best, and they love to worship really loud early in the morning while the rest of us are sleeping.
We've been doing sort of a patient exchange with Merlin, a British based field hospital, set up on the tennis courts where John used to play tennis. The hospital and housing are in tents with British folks running around and British doctors doing skin grafts. Haiti being the barter country it is, is a place where we barter for everything. In the first week of our clinic we bartered with some British firefighters for our corpse for their broken legs. We weren't being cold we just didn't know what to do with our dead lady. Finally John, who has always had morgue duty dealt with the situation.
Now we barter skin grafts for physical therapy. The only glitch is our folks don't like it at Merlin. Merlin is great, they heal wounds, do things we can't do and are fine folks. Their tents are hot and they don't have church at 5:00 AM. Yesterday when Doctor Jen and I were there a few of our folks came up and said, "Mme John, we want to go home! We are hot in the tents, we don't have enough food we are not comfortable here." "Take us home." By home they meant our field hospital at our boy's home. We have rows of cots outside, kids running around, two dogs. lots of American doctors, nurses and support staff. We have become a family. They have church at night (and in the morning), the nannies who used to watch the kids are now helping patients, babies are fed, games are played and community lives. They like each other. They like us.
It gives me such hope. Community where pain is. We are all in this together and we see no end in sight. All of our lives have changed. Nothing is the same as a month ago. My house still stands but different people live in it with us. The boys, girls, and women's homes still stand but they perform new functions. My dearest friends have left for a while. Our women's clinic is now a giant pharmacy. Bedrooms lay empty while the driveway is full of beds because Haitians will not sleep inside.
Nothing is the same except the strong spirit of the Haitian people. The commitment and love of foreigners. Doctors and nurses who work long days and nights from the day they arrive till the day the leave. These things are the same. People caring about other people. I am a witness to huge sacrifice and strength. I see God at every turn. I see people helping other people and putting their own emotions on hold. I see life.

Beth McHoul

3:11 PM GMT | Read comments(7)

February 09

HEARTLINE BULLETS

By and large people are still afraid to sleep indoors and for some to spend much time indoors. Although I haven't heard it lately, some of the radio stations here were telling people that another major earthquake was coming and so they should sleep outside. People listened.
Yesterday we had two babies born at the clinic, one at about midnight.
Please pray as we endeavor to have our remaining 5 children leave for the States. It is getting increasingly difficult to get into the U.S. Consulate to see a consular officer.
Today in our area there were several crews of what looked like just regular people (not official looking people with uniforms) sweeping the streets and picking up the trash.
Today we started working on the walls at my house that fell during the January 12th earthquake.
This week the Heartline Sewing Ladies will send about 70 more purses to the States to be made available on the Haitian Creations Website.
This may sound kind of screwy, but yesterday we discharged two patients from our hospital. They didn't want to go as they have been getting loving, quality medical care; they have been fed three times a day and have been in a cheerful, secure place. One of the patients demanded to see a doctor because she didn't want to go. I kind of felt sad for them as I realized that what they would be returning to was not as nice as our rapidly put together but evolving field hospital.
I apologize for turning you on to the QUAKE SHIRT website only to discover that the shirts had been sold out. I would give you mine, but I didn't get one either. THE GOOD NEWS is that there will be another run of QUAKE SHIRTS, so click here to sign up to get your QUAKE SHIRT. 100 % of the proceeds go to help Heartline on the ground here in Haiti.
And you also can order a BRACELET FOR HAITI bracelet with all money raised going to Heartline Ministries. Click here to order your bracelet.
We are thankful for the organizations that have come to Haiti to assist. Heartline was already here and has been here since 1989. When you support Heartline, you support a ministry that has been on the ground, in the trenches and on the front line for 20 years. Your ongoing support is important as we continue to care for the injured. Click here to donate.

PICTURES

I arrived at the clinic to find a very pregnant lady making groaning noises and lifting up her hands. She hung in there until about midnight and then she at the clinic had her baby.

This little one was born at the clinic prematurely to a 15 year old mother. The child weighs a little more than two pound.

This young boy is feeling better as he is being zoomed around the yard by his friend

Here is one of my friends at the hospital. When his mother brings him special food he makes sure to find me and he shares his food with me

Support Heartline as we are endeavor to be the hands of Christ in Haiti. Click here to donate.

John McHoul

1:43 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

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