Carrie Petersen

Some things in Haiti are different than back home. That’s clear just by some of the injuries we treat in the clinic. One of our first patients was a man who been struck in the face with a machete.

Then there are the many cases of malaria, the incidents of cancer that have gone untreated, and the children who are malnourished.

Yesterday, we saw a 3-year-old boy who weighed just 17 pounds. That’s someone who isn’t getting enough to eat. We were able to help him get into a “Medika Mamba” program, which means during the next several weeks, he’ll be getting a peanut butter (”mamba” in Creole) type mixture with lots of nutrients and vitamins added in. He should start gaining weight and becoming more healthy in the near future.

Some things in Haiti are the same as back home. People help one another. Many patients too sick to come on their own, come to clinic with family or friends. Some are even carried on a bed by people who walk here from wherever home is.

People laugh and like to have a good time. No one likes bugs or spiders, especially the tarantula we found in a bag full of fabric. It met its end under a shoe.

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