In her words:

When the first opportunity was presented to me to fly into Haiti after the earthquake, I succumbed to fear and self-doubt.  After all, I wasn't a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or even clergy, simply a wife and mother and humanitarian who had been to Haiti 7 times in the past 3 years.   Other than a strong working knowledge of the French language, and a degree of comfort in and around Haiti, I didn't think I had much to offer as a first responder.  I was glued to the TV in Paris,  where oddly enough I had arrived 2 days prior to the quake. 

Upon departing my home in Boulder, Colorado, on January 10th, my family wasn't sure if I was off to Port-au-Prince or Paris...I had tickets to both destinations and was in constant contact with my Haitian sister and best friend, Melky Jean, founder of CARMA foundation.  Were we going to Haiti or France?  Or should we just continue brainstorming via text and cell while I chilled in Paris and processed the recent death of a close Parisian friend, priest, and confidant.

It was around midnight in Paris.  I was looking over the rooftops to Notre Dame and St. Chapelle when the texts started coming in. 

January 12:  4:52pm (mountain standard time) from Melky:  "Haiti earthquake!! In Petionville"

4:55 pm (mountainstandard time) from William Dise (Ground crew chief at American Airlines in Denver, guardian angel :  "major earthquake in Haiti"

5:12 pm from Melky:  "7.0 magnitude"

5:41 from William:   " PAP 7.0 quake.  It seems to be very bad.  Main hospital collapsed"

Over the next 24 hours I received calls and texts from my friends at Edeyo,  Airline Ambassadors and St. John's Episcopal church, such as "Leslie, where are you?".  William notified me that the last AA flight pulled out, and all flights are cancelled. 

Away went my journal mourning the recent death.  The dawn broke, the bells chimed, the birds flew, and the news flurry started in full force.  TF1 Euronews, CNN International, the Italian channel, the German channel, the Russian channel, all with different degrees of destruction and vantage points.

I was glued to the TV, the rooftops, the church bells, the anguish, the floating cries and prayers, and the souls drifting overhead.  The scene out my window was calm and serene,  majestic, quiet and solid.  Notre Dame loomed above the rooftops, while St. Chapelle, was highlighted by the rays of the rising sun dancing through her lacy spires.  Everything was solid and serene.  While on the TV there was chaos and panic, dust and cries.  Landmarks I knew well were collapsed, bodies: some screaming, some silent were exposed by the cameras.  Dignity and souls were lost in the panic and mass destruction.  The news crews looks bewildered and were announcing on fast forward, high on shock and adrenalin rushes.  

The French press announced that a former leader was coming out of exile in S. Africa to retake Haiti.  CNN didn't mention it.  Medecins Sans Frontieres was mobilizing aircraft, personnel, and aid, but their plane couldn't land.  the U.S. military had just taken over the airport, many aircraft were flying in and on the tarmac. 

A few days later, after watching the event unfold in the European arena, I returned to Colorado confused, tired, and torn.  Wanting to go to Haiti and not feeling adequate to jump at the first chance with Project Medishare.  So many calls came to me from friends and acquaintances wanting to know how to get into Haiti, all of which I fielded to William Dise.  Most of those folks (doctors, clergy and friends) ended up on the next Medishare manifest that had room, others flew into the D.R. and drove over.  Everyone sent me their updates.  I sat in Boulder, reading and wanting to be there.   I showed my family the series of updates, trying to ease their fears and prepare them for the inevitable news that I, too would be going.  In the meantime,  I updated my inoculations, bought some malaria meds, cargo pants, headlamps, hiking boots, ponchos, sleeping bags, bedroll, mosquito net, military meals, work gloves and other supplies, so I'd be ready to go at a moment's notice.

When the second chance came, I jumped at it.  No more fear or doubt, nor trying to round up a travel buddy.  I was packed and into Miami in 6 hours and waiting for the charter.  "Flying in alone," is how I put it.   We met at Miami airport, a cool group: mostly doctors and nurses, some church groups, the owner of a luxury hotel and her Father, and various other souls called to return to Haiti on this midnight charter to an airport half- destroyed and now under total US military control.

Have you ever landed and walked onto the tarmac while military trucks, jeeps, and aircraft of varying sizes are starting up, loading and unloading and pulling in, pulling out, landing, taking off...all while you're trying to track your bag with your headlamp on, as the bags are unloaded, loaded onto a truck, off-loaded and placed back on the runway, (under the moving propeller), then reloaded onto another camion, only to be offloaded on the runway for us to sort through?  Quite an exhilarating fiasco at midnight in the steamy heat of Haiti.  Cracks in the airport wall call from the distance.  The sapin de noel can be seen on the upper floor of the now decrepit salon diplomatic.  The immigrations desk is manned by a familiar friendly face who waves us on with no paper work.  There are no baggage carrousels or porters, just chaos and the familiar Haiti mayhem as you drag your bag through defunct screening machines and checkpoints and exit via the old entrance into the street.

We arrive at the Medishare tent located about 100 yards off the end of the runway.  Looks like an army field hospital setting to me.  We are checked in, given badges, and told to find an empty army cot in the communal tent of a couple of hundred cots, 6 inches apart in 5 rows.  Ok, this one looks good, it has a pole to hang my mosquito net from and is on the edge.  The bunk next to it is free for my new friend, nurse Michelle, who knows my friends from Edeyo in Manhattan.  Small world!  Send a text and smile.  The sign on the entrance says: " vermin control, no food".  Ok, I dealt with rats on my first trip to Haiti 3 years ago:  zip up the suitcase, hang everything else, and pull the mosquito net over the edges of the bed/cot don't have any snacks open nearby.

I sleep lightly for 5 hours.  At  first light, I hop off my cart and walk outside and find "Barrista" John, who makes coffee for folks near the makeshift morque.

Dr. Larry Hoover., of The University of Kansas, walks up to me and takes me on a tour of the patient tents.  He is very concerned about his patient, Bernadette*, 16 yrs old, 4 months pregnant and suffering from severe hydronephosis and severe infection.  It doesn't mean a lot to this layperson, but I understand immediately the doctor's frustration that this girl is dying from a very treatable disease if she were to receive proper care.  Her condition was exacerbated due to a fall and debris landing on her shoulder and trapping her during the quake.  The lack of water and care coupled with the trauma and pre-existing conditions had snowballed into a very serious condition of impending kidney failure.  This girl had no parents in her life, and her boyfriend had disappeared in the quake .

Dr. Hoover's son, Todd, had found Bernadette at the home of his translator.  He had been taken there to treat another individual with a broken leg and had discovered Bernadette in the corner, crying and in pain.  Her sister stood over her and tried to comfort her.

Todd loaded her into the truck and she was brought to the main Proect Medishare tent where she received immediate emergency treatment by Dr. Hoover.

On this first morning at Medishare, Larry took me to Bernadette's bedside and asked me to take over for him as his tour of duty was ending and he needed someone to advocate for her to get on a list for evacuation either to the USS Comfort ship or to the US.   I spoke to the young girl in French and Creole.  She smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

An hour later, during a supply run for saline from the supply tent, I happened upon a group of Airforce officers.  It so happens that the visiting colonel knew my friend, William Dise, and was eager to help.  "A friend of William's is a friend of mine, how can I help?" said:  colonel Rob Ament of the USAF. I got Larry and introduced him to the colonel.   Dr. Larry explained Bernadette's case to Rob who asked me to document it on my Blackberry .  Emails and copies were sent to the appropriate parties in the USAF, Southconn, Medishare, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Haiti administration and University of Kansas.  Bernadette was now in the system and was being advocated for.  The excitement and satisfaction of being able to help, on the spot, via email to the appropriate parties was inspiring.  The next 24-30 hours all of these forces worked together and communicated through my emails, to work on the evacuation of this patient.  South Florida was no longer accepting earthquake victims. The system was "pushing back".  All requests had to go directly to Rene Preval, the President of Haiti.  Bernadette's condition deteriorated sharply.  The possibility to get her to the USS comfort disappeared at nightfall due to fog and a no- fly command on the choppers. 

As Bernadette lay there in pain and on the verge of dying, I placed a call to Melky Jean, singer, performer, sister of Wyclef, and founder of CARMA foundation.  Melky sang to Bernadette in Creole.  She sang her the ballad of "Yele Haiti".  Bernadette smiled and fell into a restless sleep.  Her vitals stabilized slightly...just enough to hold her through until the morning.    Her sister Lucienne and I held vigil throughout the night.

At first light, the good news was received.  Bernadette was going to be evacuated to the US.  The baby was still ok.  We had a very small window to get enough meds in her to hold her over for the flight.

I called my friend and Archdeacon of l'Eglise Episcopale d'Haiti, pere Kesner.  He showed up, in full collar on the national day of mourning and gave Bernadette a special blessing for her trip to the U.S.  Afterwards they sedated her and evacuated her in a large military cargo plane.  With a song, a prayer, a sedative, and an evacuation card around her neck, Bernadette, her baby , and her sister were off to their new lives in the USA.  This was one of the last days of evacuations to the U.S. and so many people and events worked together to make this miracle happen before time ran out.

We weren't sure if she would arrive in Miami or another point further north.  Melky's phone number was given to Lucienne.  The plane landed in Georgia at Kennestone AFB.  The nurse's aid called Melky, who texted Leslie to tell us that Bernadette was safe in the US.  She had tested positive for TB.  This was good info to give to the other patients and personnel in the Medishare tent.  The info was passed onto to Dr. Hoover who was able to contact the hospital and tell them other important details of her medical history, which again, saved the baby.

The story continues with so many links and good deeds by several people who just cared and wanted to do the right thing.  Special thanks to the nurses at Kennesone who walked their cell phones into the room so that I could finally talk with Bernadette.  Thanks also to the professionals at Wellstar services who oversaw the discharge from the hospital and the successful transition into housing, and who took the time to explain to me the procedures in place for the earthquake medical refugees.  With the services provided for under RRISA and the immigration natural disaster act, Bernadette is learning how to use an ATM, receive medical services, get food and support from the Haitian community living in Marietta, Georgia.

Todd Hoover discovered her.  Dr. Larry Hoover diagnosed and treated her. I advocated for her and interfaced with Southconn, the USAF, Haiti administration and Medishare to get her on the log for transport.  Melky saved her soul with a song.  Fr. Kesner saved her hope with a blessing.  Regina saved her dignity with protection and a chance at a new life.   Lucienne saved it all: by being there 24/7, and always grateful and willing to help.

Thank you to Project Medishare for providing me the means to get into Haiti and the flexibility to let me work with so many professionals across so many projects.  Thank you to William Dise, my friend and guardian angel, who once again put me on the right path by getting me to Medishare.  Thank you to Karla Prentiss for pushing me the extra mile to do it, and for making it happen.  Thank you to Dr. Larry Hoover for believing in me and taking me under your wing and for passing your baton to me.  Thank you to Colonel Rob Ament for treating me with respect, patience and kindness and for personally overseeing this case.   Thank you to Heidi at Haiti Administration at Medishare for doing what you do so well.  Thank you to Fr. Kesner for caring enough to show up and bless my patients, and most importantly, THANK YOU TO MELKY JEAN, who's CARMA and caring nature worked though me ....as a conduit...to get a song into the ear of a dying girl.  The song that saved her life and got her through her last night of life in Haiti, as she knew it.    And Thank you Bernadette and Lucienne for allowing me into your lives.  I can't wait to see you guys, and I can't wait to meet the baby.  *(Bernadette's real name wasn't used in this story, due to her age but she knows who she is:). 

Mesi anpil, Haiti cherie and now Georgia cherie!

Love,

Leslie