~Assisting People In Need~
Archive for June, 2010
Great Job, Susan!
Jun 30th
Carole from Love A Child wrote the following to me last night about Susan…. Great job, Susan!!!!
“Susan is absolutely wonderful and a blessing to the people. She has been a real blessing to one of our own staff here who had a terrible back problem reoccur and is totally bed bound today. Thank you, Thank you for all you do.
Carole”
HOLIA Featured in “PT in Motion” Magazine
Jun 29th
HOLIA’s efforts in Haiti have been featured in an article in the July 2010 issue of “PT in Motion” (formerly “PT Magazine,” a publication of the American Physical Therapy Association). February & May volunteer, Tiffani Bacon, is featured working with adorable Valdine in the first photo. Nancy Malone is profiled on page 30 and pictured on page 32. Check it out:
Update from Camp Hope
Jun 29th
Susan, PT, reports that she and Retha, HOLIA’s Haitian PT aide, treated 25 patients yesterday with their tables side by side. Susan did a lot of teaching of Retha yesterday. The place really cleared out once the Brazil vs Chile (World Cup 2nd round) futbol game started! Danny, Susan’s son, is working at the warehouse today and then going to a real grocery store with LAC to pick out some food that he will eat. Dr. Scottie has been making them both comfortable and settled.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!
Jun 28th
Photo Slideshow (by Brad Rewold) – Those pictures remind me of our journey and our purpose. We currently have 554 people following our journey on Facebook. Join us! We truly need your help to meet our goal of taking the “disabled” out of 200 patients’ lives. Many camps are spending millions, but we just need less than $10,000 to allow us to pay for all the needs of our camp through October. We have gathered approximately $3000 since February. If 554 people on this site donated $15.00/person — we will be able to sustain our camp, pay our staff, gas, phone, PT needs until the end of Oct. PLEASE THINK ABOUT IT!
Help Betsy stay in Haiti for 3 MONTHS!
Jun 27th
Physical therapist and HOLIA board member, Betsy Murphy, has decided to volunteer in Haiti for nearly 3 months! In order to do so, she has had to resign from her employment in Raleigh, NC. She plans to travel to Haiti on July 12 and will stay until early October, in order to provide a stable & consistent point of HOLIA mission leadership & coordination.
Please read her own words about what she hopes to accomplish & how YOU can help her to make this world a BETTER place:
Haitian Hope: Field Hospital (by Envision Cinema)
Jun 21st
This video was shot by volunteers at the field hospital at Love A Child just before we got there in early May. Many HOLIA volunteers will probably recognize many of the places, patients & translators. This provides an excellent glimpse of the needs & the rewards that HOLIA’s work in Fond Parisien deals with…
[CLICK ON POST TITLE TO VIEW VIDEO & READ DESCRIPTION]
PT, Poppie, Party, Pathfinder & “Poor” People (Tuesday June 15, 2010)
Jun 16th
The day started early for at 5 AM, Dr Scottie was sending an ARC mother to the hospital to have a baby! We had Edner, Junior, Retha, Shana, Nancy and Jon working at the PT clinic today. When I walked through the camp last week, I found this patient Poppie that was sitting on a cement block. He is 70 years old. It would take max assist to get him off that block. He was shaky and using 2 sticks for canes to get around. Steady, he was NOT. I told him to begin to come to PT. He came and after exercise, I asked Junior to walk “Poppie” with his walker. Told Junior to take him all around the camp until Poppie was tired…
[READ THE REST OF THIS POST BY CLICKING ON THE TITLE]
Marble Matches, Majestic Mountains, & Michael Jackson
Jun 15th
Monday ended with Jon going over to ARC for soccer, Dr. Scottie, HHI and Shana, PT helping out in warehouse and I treating 2 patients in tents at ARC then going over to “futboll/soccer” practice. ARC at night is a different camp. There is this ground area that has been made into a marble field and there are SERIOUS marb…le games going on. If you are lucky enough to have a marble, you can play. Adults and children both play and man it is serious stuff. Marbles are like GOLD in Haiti.
(CLICK ON POST TITLE TO READ MORE)
Another Incredible Heart Felt Day in Haiti!
Jun 13th
It is just Shana, Jon, Nancy and Scottie at the camp right now. Sunday is our REST day–Went to church service at tent at ARC. Beautiful music and message. All dressed in finest. After church, Scottie, HHI Dr and I were called to ARC camp because 11 y…r old Malaquin (favorite of many volunteers) was hit by a huge rock, holding the tent tarp down, as it tumbled down from the roof of a tent. The rock fell on and fractured his hip. Patrick, camp president tore down 2 2×4s and we ace wrapped them together then ace wrapped a pillow to the boards. I stabilized the leg and the men lifted Malaquin to the board. We then ace wrapped his leg to the boards. Throughout this ordeal, Malaquin hardly shed a tear. As we were placing him in the van, Malaquin looked at me and said “Where’s Jon?”. I just laughed and gave him a big hug and kiss. Dr Scottie and Mom rode with him to the hospital. Suddenly we get a call from Dr Scottie saying Malaquin wants to talk to Jon. Malaquin talked to Jon for about 5 mins. So sorry that Malaquin fractured his leg but what a unique experience to treat, brace a fracture with what we have, and the phone call to Jon….
(CLICK ON POST TITLE TO READ MORE)
PT/OT update
Jun 12th
Since arriving in Haiti, translator Edner and I have walked tent-to-tent gathering a census of PT patients, ages and need. We would start at about 6:30 am and go tent to tent until 9:30 am. Meanwhile from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm, Katie, Julia, Krysten, Emily, Shana and Jon worked at the PT tent. The patient population increased towards the end of the week for as we were taking the census, we were also encouraging the ones that hadn’t been seen to get to the PT tent. Throughout the day, we had 10-20 patients waiting sometimes for 4 hours for PT treatment in a steady stream. We have found that the majority needs strong encouragement to get off the devices that they have been using, and to move forward towards 1 crutch or a cane or nothing. They also all need tons of stretching, joint mobilization, functional massage, distraction, traction and strengthening. Barriers to understanding include depression/anxiety, unrealistic expectations and “old” misinformation. All need education to make sure they understand that they had “crushing” injuries that are HEALED now and that will continue to hurt for 6 months to a year or longer, joints will swell, need to continue to move forward in their ambulation, need to do their HEPs and the importance of them, and take more responsibility for their recovery. Depending on the patient, you might need to repeat yourself several times during the week/weeks you are here. Don’t assume they know. They have very limited knowledge of what they can expect or that it is OK to walk on something that hurts. Once they understand and you take away one device and give them the next step forward, you will see them adapting, accepting and see them progress with their gait and ROM. Many joints still are severely limited but already GREAT progress was seen with many this week.
(CLICK ON POST TITLE TO READ MORE)
Update from Fond Parisien
Jun 12th
Thank you all for leaving food and supplies. We closed down the clinic and the PT for the weekend but we still saw a few in the tents. HHI Dr Scottie and I were called to the camp early this AM for a baby having seizures. I brought her back and Dr Scottie went to see a patient of mine for catheter removal. Treated Caroles sister for her knee dislocated at warehouse and Dugan for he lifted a 100 pound bag of rice. Put them both out of commission for a couple of days. We all worked at warehouse sorting food then we were able to TAKE some
food:):):) because we helped so our cabinets are pretty stocked right now. Julma has been bringing us mangos, bananas and pineapples:) YUM!
More to tell but a few LAC children showed up to walk with us to ARC camp for they know a short cut. Have to go. Jeff Berry is there and lookin GREAT!!!!
Hugs to all,
Nancy
PS I still havent handed out the presents sent by some volunteers to patients for the word gets around so fast at the camp. I will hand them out but closer to when I leave.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mostly about Jon—my 15 year old son in Haiti…
Jun 11th
I am finding out that I can’t remember each day unless I write it out that night for all the experiences for me are so incredible. Will summarize these days. Everyday that Jon arrives at the ARC camp, you immediately hear JON, JON, JON and at… least 7 kids are clambering all over him. HE LOVES IT. Even the toddlers run up to him and try to climb up his leg. He always has 1 child on his hip, 2 others on each leg and the rest crowding around. Because of his athletic background plus living with a PT, he picked up general strengthening exercises quickly and so we hand off the general strengthening patients to him. He works them hard and I have been very proud of what he has done.
(CLICK ON POST TITLE TO READ MORE)
More news
Jun 8th
Upon deplaning and transport by bus over to the baggage shed, my 15 year old, Jon and I had to find and gather 4 big suitcases amidst a …CROWD of people all nationalities vying for a spot next to the small baggage run. About 30 minutes later, we managed to gather our 4 large bags


Fond Parisien Field Hospital
Haiti [HQ] (by Amber Thorne)
Haitian Hope: Field Hospital
Hallejuhah- HAITI (photo montage by HOLIA volunteer Diana Lamsis, PT)
In Post-Quake Haiti, 1.5 Million Remain Homeless
Need for PTs in Haiti
Trip to Haiti [HQ] (by Laura Jacks)
Camp Hope July 2010
CAMP HOPE, Haiti June 2010
Haiti (by Diana Lamsis)
Haiti (by Jen Roberts)
Haiti (by Roxanna Watts)
Haiti 2010 (by Megan Brock)
Haiti 2010 (by Sarah Kolp)
Haiti 2010 February
Haiti extended edition! (by Shana Weaver)
Haiti Highlights (by Krysten Salla)
Haiti July 2010 (by Andrea Nissley)
Haiti Slideshow (by Brad Rewold)
Haiti-September 2010 (by Andrea Nissley)
Awesome Volunteers
bonjour Haiti (by Jessi White)
Camp HOPE
Camp Hope Request Photos Oct 2010
Faces of Haiti (by Shannon Hannon)
Haiti (by Amber Thorne)
Haiti (by Catherine Bevilacqua)
Haiti (by Laura Jacks)
Haiti (by Megan Herrmann)
Haiti (by Nicole Lamb)
Haiti (by Rikki Hudson)
Haiti (by Sarah Marx)
haiti 2010 (by Angela Standefer)
Haiti 2010 (by Misty Smith)
Haiti 2010 (by Sarah Benn)
Haiti 2nd Trip – Oct 2010 (by Kevin Martin)
Haiti : Vitality (by Stephanie Hansen)
Haiti =) (by Diana Lamsis)
Haiti Facebook Album (by Donna Corb)
Haiti Medical Mission Trip (by Nicki Sessions)
Haiti Trip (by Gary Standefer)
Haiti Trip, May 2010 (by Emily Nantz)
Haiti ~Surprise love affair of my lifetime~ (by Jana Lynn Gottino)
HOLIA – Hurricane Katrina
HOLIA February Trip
HOPE for Haiti (by Beth Melborne)
Joshua's Haiti Pics
Nou Pa 2