RN HEROES...
Ordinary nurses do extraordinary things
Kathy Reardon, RN, Helps Haiti Earthquake Victims
Friday, January 29, 2010
Massachusetts RN Kathy Reardon was stationed at a hospital in Milot, a small town 70 miles from the capital, where she wrote in her diary every day.
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Patient with Kathy Readon, RN
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Puddle jumper to Cap Haitien. A little nerve-wracking when they have the instruction manual out! It took 45 minutes to arrive at the “hospital,” over dirt roads with people in the streets, living in shacks on the side of the road. All Pam and I kept saying was “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” I think we’ve been saying this since we got the call to come.
We saw the soccer field where the choppers land, and where all the patients are housed. What a sight—people in every corner of these large rooms. It was a school house. The hospital has taken it over for patients. They all have various injuries—some with one limb missing, some with both legs missing, some paraplegics with huge open sacral wounds like you’ve never seen sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
They try and do three rounds a day for about 60 to 65 patients. Some can be discharged but there’s nowhere for them to go—and the family members stay and sleep there too. Unbelievable. An exhausting, shell-shocking, eye-opening day.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Today was a very long day—we worked from 8:30 a.m. to 12 midnight. We heard choppers overhead all day.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
I’m trying to keep my sense of humor about me. The people are very nice and grateful for whatever you do for them. We supply most of the water. But there’s so many family members and they’re taking it too.
Things were a little more organized today. We were able to do morning rounds and get meds out by noon.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Another day in paradise. Tents were set up today outside the hospital. It’s in a field where the people grow bananas and tomatoes. They bulldozed the field and graveled it over. The people were nervous we were moving them out to the tents—but we had to give the school back to the village.
More and more organized as the days go on.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
One of the translators, Jacqueson, who has been wonderful, has a little boy with him all the time. While I was giving out night meds I asked him who he was. He said his name was Voltaire. He’s about 10. He lost his family in the earthquake in Port au Prince—and he had no one. I don’t know how he got there, but Jacqueson said he took him into his house because he needed a place to be—for sleep, food, clothing and education. No Department of Social Services here. I cried on the spot. He told me not to cry and that God gives us what we can handle, and will take care of us.
They are very religious people. The church groups come into every room and sing and pray. The singing is really nice and breaks up the monotony. When one person starts to sing, they all start.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Much better day today—more nurses, people more organized in tents. The Partners in Health ortho people have been here since Sunday to get people up and change dressings. It makes a world of difference to their psyche, which hasn’t been addressed since the earthquake.
We’ve really gotten to know all these people and they are all very nice. They take care of each other, and help each other. Some patients have no one—they lost their family in the earthquake. So other people in the room help them wash, and fix their beds, and change their linens.
There was a mob of people in the big kitchen where the food is made. They wanted the food but the food was for the patients. I had to call for security to help disperse the crowd. It was very unnerving.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The doctors we’ve been working with have been great. We all gave meds together today and only had a few sick patients. One kid I worked with had renal failure and his left arm was crushed in the earthquake. So he had some nerve damage but is moving his arm better and up walking with a walker, doing well.
We also had a lady in makeshift Buck’s traction which consisted of Kirlex and sand in a bleach bottle!
One of my patients lost his arm above the elbow and they did a skin graft from his leg. One of the days the ortho team missed his dressing—it hadn’t been changed in three day and was seeping green drainage through the stump. We had to really soak it to change it. It was very painful to him. I apologized for causing him pain, but he understood and thanked me for changing his dressing. His son asked me how long his father would have to stay. I told him that in the U.S. we would send patients like him home and have the visiting nurse change his dressings every day. He said they lost everything in the earthquake and had nowhere to go.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Our flight left Cap Haitien at 10 a.m. We all agreed that we did a great job. The team that came in before us had all they could do to manage the mobs of patients the choppers brought in every day. We felt we had a little more breathing room after the first two days to organize and create some structure for groups that would come after us.
If I never hear another rooster crow again it will be too soon—right outside our window this morning. Glad to be going home, though I’m very glad we went. I made some great friends and learned a lot about Haiti, the people and their culture.
