"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing each other."

Anonymous

It’s Time to Go Home

I was born in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

I have adopted the Dispensary and Hospital St. Joseph of La Vallee de Jacmel, which serves a population of over 100,000 people.

This 30-bed hospital, built by the people of La Vallee, is located in the southwestern part of Haiti, an arduous three-hour journey from Port-au-Prince.

The hospital is staffed throughout the year with one medical intern, two nurses, one midwife, and two nuns.

The Need

Haiti is currently one of the poorest underdeveloped countries in the Western hemisphere, being plagued throughout its dynamic history with catastrophic political upheaval and unrest. Haiti’s demographic breakdown is startling:

• No basic necessities to sustain life and health such as electricity, safe running water, or food and shelter for the majority of its people
• No infrastructure for basic medical care for its poor
• The highest rate of infant mortality in the Western hemisphere
• A life expectancy for adults of only 45 years
• 85 percent illiteracy rate
• 80 percent unemployment rate

When the team is in La Vallee, the small waiting room is always full, while a long line of sick people waits patiently outside under the hot Caribbean sun.

There is only a single unsterile operating room with no air conditioning, a citronella candle to ward off mosquitoes and flies, and a generator for electricity available only when there is gas.

On occasion, when the generator is not working, a flashlight is held by an assistant in order for the surgeon to complete the surgical procedure.

During the rest of the year when the team is not present, the majority of ill people die from a lack of basic medical care.

In order to meet the needs of this population, we must take with us medical instruments, supplies, and everything necessary to perform minor and major surgeries, medications, antibiotics, and analgesics—in short, a complete pharmacy!

The Team

With a group of ancillary personnel, I will be rotating with a team lead by Charles Rene, MD, a Haitian ob-gyn practicing in New Orleans, and the co-founder of the Haitian Association for Human Development.

Dr. Rene has been going to La Vallee twice a year for over 14 years to provide outpatient care, minor surgery, and when permitted, emergency C-sections.

This dedicated team helps an average of 250 patients per day, putting in long days of 12 hours or more.

More patients could be served if additional staff and supplies were available.

I was born in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Because of our family’s economic situation while growing up, I occasionally had to go to bed hungry. I grew up in a country with very few resources and an extremely oppressive and dangerous political climate. Schools closed at the first sign of political unrest¾ books were banned and rare to find. I also lived in a caste society wherein women were considered second-class citizens without the opportunities and rights that men automatically enjoyed. In spite of these challenges, I was given tremendous support from my relatives and was brought up to believe that I could do and be anything I desired. Because of them, I decided that I was going to be smart and go as far as any man could ever go. I was going to be different¾ I was going to be a champion of hope!

 Several important events compelled me over the years to become a doctor. When I was 9 years old, I became very ill and was brought back to health by the caring of my paternal grandfather, a well-known indigenous healer. At age 16 my desire to be a doctor and serve the poor was cemented when I acted as an assistant to Joseph, a nurse who was running a clinic in Source Chaude, a poor rural town.

My dream, while growing up, was to build a hospital, just as Albert Schweitzer had done, to provide medical care for the poor. In pursuit of this dream, I became an obstetrician-gynecologist and was fortunate enough to work among diverse populations and conditions in New York, Mexico, Jamaica, and Milwaukee.

In 1982, I established my ob/gyn practice in San Diego, and in 1993, the non-profit Health Through Communications Foundation. Through HTCF, I developed "Let’s Stay Healthy," a cable television talk show geared toward low-income viewers and reaching over 600,000 households. In addition, I’ve recorded several audiocassettes, written articles for various publications and a Spanish-language newspaper column covering women’s health issues. I’ve made numerous talk show appearances discussing the importance of helping women to become better informed about their own health¾ to become self- empowered to take charge of their own well-being.

For almost two decades, I have been providing free medical care to under-served women through Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Village, and Native-American Health programs. In addition, I have received multiple community awards for my on-going efforts to improve the life of the women and children of San Diego.

It’s time for me to go home!