When I think of Haiti, I think of gracious people in an incredibly poor land.
I have heard people say that the destitute people who suffer in unbelievable poverty are in their situation for a reason. As if a human being would choose hunger, illness, lack of property or shelter, etc.
I have been asked why I voluntarily leave my home, my family and all the comforts I know to travel to a country that is generally dirty, consumed by illness and poverty, where children live in orphanages to avoid starvation to provide medical care. My question is Why don't they?
Last week, I was fortunate to work alongside three orthopedic surgeons, a urologist, a plastic surgeon and a few Haitian OBGYNs to deliver care to some of the most needy people I've met. The nursing staff who provide care to these patients do so, like the surgeons and anesthesia team (myself and a dear friend of mine), because they know what a difference it will make in these families lives.
We fixed club feet, deformed limbs, burn contractures, hernias, hydroceles, drain abscesses, remove masses, assist with C-section deliveries (can you imagine that in Haiti?), and even performed a radical mastectomy for a mom nursing a 7 month baby with obvious cancer that had eaten away 2/3 of her breast. Would we heal her? Of course not. In a country of tainted water, limited resources, dirt floors and malnourishment, any treatment we could offer would surely be given too late. What we could do is remove the oozing, open mess of tissue and apply a skin graft to protect her from further infection until her disease finishes running its course.
No one goes on "mission" trips to heal a country. One group cannot heal the pain of poverty, malnourishment, endemic disease, HIV / AIDS, social injustice, starvation, sadness or untimely death. One group CAN . . . one individual CAN . . . make a difference. A difference in the lives of a community, a family, another individual.
Don't believe me? Resuscitate a grey baby for a mother who's been in labor for God only knows how long, without family following a home lost in the earthquake. How about the teenager who was raped in a tent city but believes this baby is somehow a gift . . . in a place where children end up in orphanages to avoid starvation. Fix a foot on a 9 year old boy who's never worn a shoe because his foot is so deformed it won't fit.
Everyone has the opportunity to make their own choices in life. I am, in no way, better than anyone else because I travel to a third world country to provide medical services. I do not feel superior because I have the skills and the resources to do what I do. I do not judge others who chose not to do the things I do. I don't criticize the coworkers who carry $400 purses and have several in their closets. It's a choice. I have been blessed to have my eyes opened to the needs of others, and even more blessed to have the support of my family and employer to do something about it.
Sunday, I watched a special on Operation Smile with my children. It was wonderful to have them see the communities in need and the difference that one group of medical providers can make in one week's time. My son identified the anesthesia provider and saw the fear and appreciation in the patients' families' faces. Hearing about children who never attended school, were believed to be cursed because of their facial deformities, were taken into the community literally wearing sacks over their heads, were ridiculed and shunned because of cleft lips and palates broke my heart. Seeing their little faces, and their hearts, healed was fabulous! Even my four year old understood the transformation.
You may not understand the calling I hear to reach out to the poor. You may think I'm crazy for selling my home and moving to a slightly lower income, but more diverse, neighborhood. You may call me "irresponsible" for leaving my children to travel to a country that is not known for its safety and abundance, but I think I'm teaching them that the world is bigger than our family. Our security and comfort and abundance is appreciated, but being able to provide those things for another is precious.
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