Breathless in Bodarie
By Mark Ottenweller, M.D.
Yonel was gasping for breath. Sweating, unresponsive and his pulse was thready and blood pressure low. He was literally dying from an asthma attack in the waiting area of our medical outreach in Bodarie, Haiti. We were his only hope since the local clinic was closed today.
Immediately, I searched for emergency medicines, which we don’t usually don’t carry. Dr. Connell Bost, a volunteer with the team, had an injectable Epi-pen. Thank God. Someone also brought a nebulizer and Albuterol solution for inhalation. Awesome! Finding an electric cable we quickly started the inhalation treatment. Yonel’s breathing, pulse and blood pressure improved. Finally, he opened his eyes and began to move. The team also breathed a sigh of relief. After several more treatments, high-dose Prednisone, lots of fluids and some rest, Yonel and his family were able to return home.
The second patient was a woman who collapsed as she was waiting to see a doctor. For ten days she had been bleeding and suffering with pelvic pain. Our gynecologist examined her and had to tell her family she had cancer of the cervix – a sad start to a long day.
Ten doctors came from the U.S., Canada and Haiti to serve the poor in the mountainous regions of Haiti. We saw patients with lupus, congestive heart failure, severe angina and a wide variety of illnesses. As a dentist extracted teeth, a gynecologist was performing pregnancy exams and local residents were fitted for eyeglasses. We saw 650 patients in two days and screened 400 school children, from the school Haitian Support is building. Though we slept on the ground it was an awesome experience. Page Pennell and Haitian Support did a great job coordinating this Medical Outreach. Anael Hyppolite, HOPE worldwide Haiti Chapter Director, and his team from Port-au-Prince did a tremendous job organizing all the support necessary for the trip.
All of us have been hopeless and helpless like Yonel. God’s mercy and grace is there to rescue us even when we have been so far away. He gives us a new life and breathed His Spirit into us. Let’s use that new life to help others live and breathe and return to their families! Just like Yonel.