Last Day :(

I haven't made a post for a while as my computer charger was broken and now tonight is my last night here! Today at the clinic everyone made little cards for me and they all tried to write them in English because we now have English class there 3 times per week. It was very cute and made me pretty sad to have to be leaving. Everyone at the clinic is very appreciative of what everyone is doing for them and I wish I could stay longer!

I thought I would just give a brief overview of some of the patients I worked with while here and what progress they have made... here it goes!

Antoinette had a leg amputated below her knee and was working on getting more weight on her leg when I first arrived. After lots of practice she can now put all of her weight on her leg and for a short time she can walk without her crutches. She only ever uses one crutch now and she can up stairs and carry her baby around while walking on her prosthetic leg.

Sylvanie had a femur fracture and is doing very well. She can now walk without a cane when she feels like it which is a big improvement from walking with a crutch all of the time. When she does need to she only uses a cane, and she can walk outside on the road (which is unpaved) and she has gained some great flexibility!

Marjorie had an injury to her plantar fascia and had surgery and a skin graft on her foot. She now has drop foot and has to walk with an AFO. She still uses the AFO but she can now jog for short distances, climb stairs easily and can jump. She also had a below the elbow amputation and is hopefully awaiting a new hand however her arm is much less sensitive than it used to be from lots of de-sensitizing exercises.

Amanda had a femur fracture as well and has been doing mostly strength exercises since she has a cast still. She has gained a lot of range of motion at her knee and her swelling in her leg is improving steadily.

All of the patients at Heartline are incredible people with amazing unique stories that I could never do justice trying to tell. Whether they were brought to the hospital due to illness or injury they all touched the lives of many people and received the care and love they deserved from all of the staff at Heartline. It has been an amazing privilege working with this group and I really hope to come back to Haiti and work with them again. Haiti is an amazing country full of beauty and culture and it is something I believe everyone should experience. This trip has been the experience of a lifetime for me and I will never forget it. It was more than just a trip it was an inspiration, seeing the amazing humanitarian work that Heartline and other groups are doing here makes me excited and motivated to finish school and follow those inspirations.