The Real Leaders

More and more over the last few days, rapidly!, have felt a changing wind here. Our Haitian partners are leading en force, taking initiative to do more than we blan can. Major challenges still, but anyone reading this would rather get vignettes than gripes:

*For the first time...finally, brought Dr. Coles to a OCHA/UN health cluster meeting. [He's our field hospital administrator, a pediatric endocrinologist who returned to Haiti after practicing in Montreal, with vision to reduce maternal and child mortality.] After report from MSF-Swiss, Dr. Gerald (Frenchman, WHO cluster lead) looked to me to update from the other hospital in town. Instead, I motion to Dr. Coles to stand up. Pretty sure Gerald smiled and winked at me: probably seeing the kid finally cede authority to those who should have had it all along.

*Williamson, our 7yo orphan(?) patient, has made good friends with the hospital housekeeper's son, who was admitted for an abcess a few days ago. Today, Mme Beaucicot, "Manuska," reported that we didn't need to feed Williamson that morning, because she had personally already fed him twice. With what? Perhaps generosity has caloric value.

*Our longest term patient went home today: Janine, partially paralyzed when she came to us with sores and skin grafts, but now wielding her walker with upper body tone that must rival the U.S. First Lady's. As we were waiting for the car we'd arranged to take her to Archaie, Janine asked me to write in her Kreyol Bible.

*...And as I did so, our hardest-working employee sat beside me. Frantzy, the "trashman," who incinerates all our waste, has told me he aspires to be a preacher. So he takes the Bible, and reads us Psalm 91. Pausing each verse to explain with animated metaphors.

On Eagle's Wings: Anba Zel Bondye

Here's to hoping something will raise us up...