This week, we were privileged to have a 3 team pediatric specialty group. Overall, it has been difficult to see a lot of the disabled children because we are so busy with the 14 patients that live here and many adult outpatients.  We saw many new children and both family members and the technicians were trained on several techniques to use with disabled children. 

This is Gail, physiotherapist from Toronto, training Kensley's mama on help him learn to sit up.

 This is Michelob. He is 8 years old and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.  The woman standing behind him is actually his aunt.  His mother died in the earthquake in January.  Here is Haiti, a disabled child doesn't go to school.  School is quite expensive and they feel that any physical disability also equals an inability to learn and contribute to society.  Many of them get dropped off at orphanages because the families can't handle to burden. I haven't had a chance to get to an orphanage yet but I plan to soon. 

 This is Gail with Michelob.  The gentleman in the back is our interpreter Mike.  He was educated in the USA, but has returned to Haiti to work for the medical non-government organizations here.  The two most lucrative jobs here for a Haitian are providing transportation and communication for the many NGO volunteers.

This is Rick, a rehab technician, working with Laura, the Canadian OT and Vladensky.  The rehab techs are actually the most important part of our team because they carry out the therapists plan of care and continue care even if there is no therapist here. 

 These are the 4 wonderful ladies that prepare our food, 3 meals a day: breakfast at 7am, lunch at 12:30pm and dinner at 7pm.  Clinic is often closed by 3 pm and the longest hours of the day are from 3 until 7 pm, when the bell rings.  They are also the hottest!!

This is a picture of the doctors from Chile that  volunteer here for a year.  Of course, the white woman is Kathy, nurse extraordinaire, who unfortunately left us on Wednesday to back home.  She was very excited and I was very sad :(

This is Kathy with an orthopedic ankle patient, Jocelyn.  She was in a cast for 5 months because she was either not given the right instructions or lost her instructions and did not know when to return to see the doctor regarding the care for her ankle fracture.  There was easily an inch of old skin wrapped around her foot and ankle after the cast was removed so Kathy was helping her with skin care before her PT sessions with me.  There is no hot water here so Kathy would use an electric teapot to heat water and add some cold water for a warm water foot soak.  Something very few Haitians ever get to experience.  Jocelyn loves Kathy's foot scrubs and then comes to me for pain and torture (PT).