I keep starting to write another update, but it's so hard to give you a succinct idea of what's been happening here! But I'm not sure that succinct OT's exist. If you're out there...let me know! This is a dream come true, I have wanted to use my OT skills in a setting like this since before OT school! It's been such an encouraging time, I've been stretched in my skills and have been so busy, but it's a good busy! I love my patients here.
The Haitians are such amazing people, and a little hope and encouragement goes a long way. There's one woman with an elbow fracture who looked so sad the first day I saw her. Her arm had been in a sling for 5 months, even after the cast was removed, and not told to move her arm at all! So she had a lot of pain in each of her joints and limited movement. Her family had to do everything for her. After she was shown a few exercises, worked with myself and the physio, and a lot of hard work and perseverance she slowly regained movement in her arm, as well as more and more independence. And gradually, her beautiful smile is starting to return. Wednesday and Thursday she had worked with the physio and when I saw her on Friday I was so amazed by her progress, and seeing my enthusiasm (and those of you who know how excited I can get, she must of thought - 'Crazy Canadian, all I'm doing is straightening my arm'), she was just beaming!And in many ways, these patients are not much different then anyone else.
I'm treating two teenagers, one who has a below knee amputation and whose leg and arm was crushed in the earthquake, and another who has had an external fixator in her leg (left in for too long - the doctor told her to return when she could bend her knee. 5 months later and it's still as straight as it could be). I tease the one about all the calls she gets from her "boyfriend" on her cell phone - and get a huge smile and blush, and talk to the other about Justin Bieber - a singer she's crazy about!
On another note, the translators work has been invaluable in the clinic. They have done such a great job and are so much fun to work with. Many of them suffered horrible losses during the quake and yet are giving of their time for only $25 per week. Sometimes seeing the devastation of what has happened, it's easy to wonder what type of a future there is for the people here. Yet I was encouraged yesterday when we passed by a church and heard a group of children singing the song "Give Thanks" (in French), with such joy and enthusiasm. There is always hope.
