Surgery

In the pharmacy, reading up on what to do with a Filariasis patient.

Going over the list of available meds on the first day of clinic.

Learning how to work the ultrasound machine.

Fritz and I in the lab. I'm running a hematocrit while he checks for sickle cell in a blood sample.

Assisting Dr. Saydjari on a minor hernia.

For the last two weeks, we were visited by a group of four doctors (2 family practitioners, an ER doc and a general surgeon), a nurse practitioner, nearly a dozen nurses and technicians and a handful of civilian volunteers. With their help, we saw 800+ patients, held 3 mobile clinics in areas even more rural and seemingly unreachable than where I’m stationed and performed two dozen surgeries. They came down with thousands of pounds of medicine and other medical supplies, thousands of toothbrushes and toothpaste along with action packers full of school supplies, sneakers and sandals for those patients who come to clinic barefoot.

We worked out of abandoned houses and used giant metal shipping containers as our clinic dividing the space into a pharmacy, laboratory, two exam rooms and an ultrasound room. We used the space in between the two containers as a consultation area and had triage positioned under a pavilion made of palm tree branches. There were 100 + people waiting outside every morning, hoping to get a bracelet that would allow them to be seen by one of the doctors. Examining up to six patients at a time, we saw everything from impetigo to walking pneumonia to elephantitis and hydroceles.

The amount of information I learned and experience I obtained these past two weeks was incredible. Allowed to assist on several major hernias, hydroceles, lypomas and other minor surgeries, I quickly realized how there was nothing fake or unrealistic about the work I am doing. The ability to remove a tumor from a woman’s breast or give a man back his ability to walk by replacing a massive hernia is nothing short of amazing, considering the lack of a sterilized operating room, 90 degree heat, and little to no electricity. The doctors and nurses who visited are some of the best in their fields. The speed, accuracy and grace in which they operated, treated and cured the patients they saw was nothing short of inspiring. These past few weeks reminded why I want to be a doctor.

Update on Lixier

Our baby boy with hydrocephalus has been back in Haiti for nearly a month now and doing well, until last week, when his mom paid us a visit. She was worried that Lixier's shunt was infected again. The shunt was infected once already while he was still in the states but they were able to replace it before he returned to Haiti. An infected shunt in Haiti is a death sentence. The only pediatric surgeons to come to Haiti are visiting ones, who spend little more than a few weeks of the year in the capital city. The only option would be applying for another emergency medical visa and trying to get Lixier back to the states for a replacement. With the help of Dr. Brodie and Dr. Stern from the states, we were able to get a few replacement shunts sent down to us. However, we would still lack the most important part, someone to perform the procedure.

Luckily, a visiting doctors group was here when Lixier's mom came by. Within minutes, we had a neurosurgeon from the states on the phone instructing us on how to "tap" the shunt (withdrawing cerebral fluid to determine if there was indeed an infection). The fluid was to our relief, crystal clear, meaning that there was no apparent infection.

It's hard to believe that Lixier is already 8 months old. It's been nearly 5 months since I helped get him a visa to the states and he looks great. I realized that day, as we were performing the "tap" how much it would affect me if we were to lose him after so much effort was put into saving him. It wouldn't be easy.

I promise I'll respond

Since the start of my blog, five months ago, I have raised tens of thousands of dollars, made unbelievable contacts and networked with other non-profit and non-governmental organizations from around the world. On average, I receive 100-150 emails from you all regarding each of my posts. As I have very limited access to internet and not much spare time in a single day, it will some times take me upwards of a week to respond to your questions, comments and concerns. Please be patient with me and understand that your emails are very important to me. I will do my best to post regularly in these upcoming two weeks but will be working 16-hour days among the clinic, public health classes (my students will be graduating this month) and marathon training leaving me little to no time for accessing my computer.

Thanks for your understanding and please keep those emails coming. I love to read what you have to say!

$12,000 Raised So Far!!!

Thanks to the help of many, I've received $12,000 in pledges thus far for the marathon that I'm running in an effort to fund much of the work I've been involved in these last 5 months! If you can pledge any amount at all, please do so! We're a long way from the $60,000 goal!

If you pledged:
$1/mile x 26.2 miles ($26.20), it would take 1,832 pledges to reach my goal.
$2/mile x 26.2 miles ($52.40), it would take 916 pledges to reach my goal.
$5/mile x 26.2 miles ($131.00), it would take just 366 pledges to reach my goal.
$10/mile x 26.2 miles (262.00), it would take only 183 pledges to reach my goal.

TO PLEDGE, simply email me at willinhaiti@gmail.com

TO MAKE A DONATION, please make checks payable to:
Theo’s Work, INC.
2303 West Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27403
Memo: Will’s Medical Mission

You can also donate using a credit card by visiting Pwoje Espwa’s website at freethekids.org

You can follow up your donation with an email to inquiries@freethekids.org to designate your donation to "Will's Medical Mission."

Thanks! -WILL

Back from the Dominican Republic

On Friday, I caught a flight to Port-au-Prince and then took a bus to Santo Domingo where I stayed for five days. After five months, I'd be lying to myself if I said that living here is a piece of cake. Everyday is a struggle. I'm currently leading 12 programs that are covering everything from disease treatment and prevention to hygiene and sanitation to public health education. I'm well aware of the load I take on and I do so happily but there are definitely moments when it feels as though my back is about to give out from all the weight. I've never been known for taking the path of least resistance and for that reason, I seem to welcome obstacles as nothing more than checkpoints that keep me on track in reaching my goals.

Having never been to Santo Domingo, I decided to take a short break from the stress that was becoming unbearable. I love the work I do and I see the impact I have all around me but still I find myself in search of constant motivation and inspiration. Since being here, I have been challenged emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually on a daily basis. My will to succeed and my drive to accomplish the goals I have set have never been stronger. However, it's become easier and easier for those things to become clouded by doubt and hidden by frustration and a lack in faith.

While I was gone, the public health classes continued uninterrupted and Fritzner even distributed the written test on nutrition and parasites that I had worried wouldn't get done. After the first week of the new TB DOT program, it seems to be a success! I'd like to get my public health team some cool t-shirts and backpacks that say ("Pwoje Espwa Sante Piblik") (Project Hope Public Health).

The fundraising for the marathon is coming along. I'm up to about $11,000 in pledges so far and am hoping that in the next month I'll reach my goal of $60,000.

Before I ever wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an architect. All those CAD classes in high school finally paid off when I was asked to design a new public health center for Pwoje Espwa that would serve all of the neighboring villages. I've finished the new clinic design and while I'm still searching for more funding, we will soon be showing the design to an engineer who'll help us get up and running.

TB Treatment Begins

I've just finished doing the TB skin tests for all of our new children and those that somehow slipped through the cracks in previous years. Starting Monday, my public health team will begin distributing INH prophylactic drugs to the 145 children and adults that tested positive on their PPD tests. (The PPD is a special skin test for tuberculosis. There are many different names for the PPD, including TB skin test, tuberculin test and Mantoux test. PPD stands for purified protein derivative). Often times, a person who lives in an area where TB is endemic, will test positive by exposure. Therefore, a positive test does not necessarily mean that you have tuberculosis, however, it does mean that you have an increased risk of developing TB later in life. For this reason, anyone who tests positive (11mm or greater) is being put on a nine month regimen of INH treatment. This treatment is a prophylactic that when taken regularly, can reduce the chances of developing TB by up to 90%.

TB is among the leading killers of contagious diseases worldwide. It is caused by a bacterial infection and mainly affects the lungs, but can also affect other organs. TB is very common, especially in poorer socioeconomic settings and the developing world. It can be found in prisons and homeless shelters and overcrowded homes. You may even know someone who has it. TB is contagious, so if you live with someone who has TB, it is important to be tested as soon as possible.

Under normal circumstances, a positive TB skin test should be followed by a chest x-ray. However, resource poor settings such as ours do not allow for that luxury. Instead, everyone who tests positive receives a physical exam where we listen to their breathing and ask them a series of questions in order to discover the presence of any active TB symptoms (cough, including bloody phlegm, weight loss, fever, night sweats, difficulty breathing etc.)

TB can be treated with medications, but you must take them every day. The best way to ensure adherence is to institute a directly observed therapy program (DOT) which is what my public health guys and I are doing. The INH treatment we are dispersing requires that a person take one pill, twice a week. Each of the public health team members have a list of 30 names of people who they need to give medicine to every Monday and Thursday morning. I supply them with a jug of water, cups, 30 tablets and a checklist to keep track of who has received their meds. After an intense three-day seminar on tuberculosis, my team understands how important treatment is for TB and for that reason, they are dedicated to searching for everyone on their list twice a week and watching them take their medicine.

Last year, the success rate of INH completion was under 48%. This year, we have nearly double the number of kids on INH than last year. With a DOT program in place, I'm hoping to see at least 90% completion. We start everyone on treatment Monday and will finish just before school lets out for the summer. Wish me luck!