Monday, February 8

When I wrote on Friday, I promised to share reflections from our volunteer medical team. I also asked that you send me notes that we could share with our team members. Today, as promised, I have included both.

The first letter you read comes from team member, Dr. Ken Guidera. Ken is a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon and is the Chief of Staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children.

The trip will leave a lasting impression on me. I will hopefully not take for granted all our luxuries and comforts. It was good to go back to basics and sleep on a mat + take cold showers [but not for too long!]. The people of Haiti are polite, appreciative and tough. The country has no infrastructure to include the medical system. When we got there I was amazed at the chaos and the extreme medical /surgical needs of the injured. It looked like a war zone and I felt like we were in MASH. We were first not made to feel welcome at our hospital, but our multi discipline team with all the competent, industrious people just started to work our way into the system. There were several other American teams there and by the end of the week we were basically running the hospital.

The orthopedic surgeons arranged an O.R. to take care of fractures, wounds and amputation revisions. We developed a clinic and cast room, and rotated between those two areas and the inpatient wards. Somehow a C-arm showed up and we were able to take care of complex fractures. We worked about 12 hrs /day in either setting. It was hot, tiring and stressful, with flies in the O.R. and wards. But we all enjoyed it and I never heard a cross word. We felt good about our work and the Haitians were appreciative. We developed lifelong friendships and most plan to go back. At the end of the day we stumbled back to camp, ate some goat meat and rice and supported the Haitian economy with beer money! My mat, sleeping bag and cold shower were greatly appreciated. As other teams arrived we got more equipment to take better care of the patients. The hospital seemed more organized each day. I think we left the place better than we found it. We passed the torch off to other teams and left somewhat reluctantly.

I must take this moment to thank the team of No Time for Poverty on their excellent organizational skills. We had food, lodging, travel, and all necessities taken care of. I was amazed at their ability to get things done. I would stress to anyone who wants to go, to work with an established group with ties to a local facility. Don’t just show up like some volunteers did.

I believe Haiti will need long term care once this acute phase is over. In my Pediatric Orthopaedic specialty we will need long term deformity management and prosthetic care. We need to work together to establish this. I am hoping that if we put groups together like NTFP, Shriners Hospitals, ACPOC [prosthetic group], and facilities such as St. Damien’s, we can make this happen.

I would like to close by thanking all my new friends at NTFP for their assistance, comradeship and spirit of volunteerism. I hope to work with you again.

Ken was an integral part of our team and we can’t thank him enough for his kind words and amazing generosity.

And now, here are some words for you, Ken, and for the rest of our amazing team who worked so tirelessly in Haiti.

To the wonderful staff at NTFP and to the amazing volunteers:

Thank you for your awesome generosity of time, talent and spirit. Your efforts were inspirational. So many barriers kept being removed by timely assistance and intervention that the whole trip easily fits the saying 'There are no coincidences'. Every Haitian that you touched will carry your generosity forever. Not only did you heal bodies, but you fostered the spirit of peace and cooperation. You were all a part of an experience truly blessed by universal energy. That same energy will follow the next teams' journeys. Words really can not express my gratitude for your work with NTFP.
~ Jean Beisler

Dear Michele and all who labor in love. Thanks to you for all the special care and sacrifice for those that are “the least of my brothers.” I plan to do considerable more outreach in the coming years and hope to go and do whatever I can in Haiti in the not too distant future. You all are THE BEST.
~John Feickertt

Michele and team – since I could not be there, you were my hugging arms, skilled hands, and speaker of comforting words. No words of gratitude are sufficient.
~Paul Kaminski

We will share more team member reflections and notes tomorrow. In the meantime, work on our next medical trip is moving along. A log jam of supplies and medical personnel in Port au Prince now exists. We are however, looking at a couple of possibilities where we can be best utilized. We hope to have some more information about this later in the week.
Michele Boston, Executive Director

Friday, February 5

As of last night, every member of our medical team has arrived home and has had the opportunity to hug their loved ones, sleep in their own bed, and be alone with their thoughts - free from the noise of helicopters and jet engines. Along with the medical team, Sue, Molly, Carmi, Michele A., and I are also going to take a much needed rest – and so you will not hear from us until Monday. On that day we will share more reflections from the medical team.

The writing time is now yours. So many of you following our daily updates wrote and shared your thoughts with me. I now invite you to share your feelings directly with our returning team. Please send me your reflections, reactions, and well wishes for them. I will forward these to team members and post them here.

Until Monday, I bid the entire relief effort team, those who worked tirelessly here and those who worked in Haiti, peace and good sleep.
Michele Boston, Executive Director

Thursday, February 4 The third and final portion of our team awaits departure at the Port au Prince airport as of the time of this writing. Awaiting entry into the United States to return to their lives before the quake, I trust that much like Kurt Anderson writes below, their lives will never be the same.

Michele, first thank you for giving me the opportunity to go to Haiti. A trip which I will never forget. The sights, sound, smells, and most of all the people are burned into my memory. The logistics of the trip from your end were unbelievably difficult and you and Sue here, and Lori and Jeff in Haiti did an amazing job!! It was such a comfort to know that the last thing I had to worry about was the details of the coming and goings, food, lodging etc… I don’t think you could have done a better job given the craziness of the situation. To put into words my thoughts and feelings of Haiti and our time there is very difficult. They are both wonderful and horrific at the same time. I know we did a lot of good for the most people we could, but a drop in the bucket for what was needed and will continue to be needed for months and years to come. I wonder how the people of Haiti will ever recover. To know there will be a whole generation of kids that grow up thinking missing an arm or leg is a normal part of being Haitian. There are large rooms of 15-20 kids in St Damiens where you walk in and look around and then after a few minutes realize that not a single one has all 4 extremities left, and it is like that in every hospital in the country. What will ever happen to these people and how will they function and be productive members of their society? The amount of orthopedic work that remains is enormous: Treating the acute injuries is soon to slow down but correcting deformities, non-unions of fractures, and treating chronic infected osteomylitis will go on for months if not years. If you are of help in these efforts in the future do not hesitate to contact me. Part of my heart and soul is now in Haiti and that part feels broken. I am unsure I can ever heal this broken part of my heart unless I return to do more work and I believe that someday I will. As I sit here in the luxury of my home, having slept in my soft bed with my arms around my wonderful wife Kris, my physical body is rested and restored but my emotional, spiritual, and psychological self is still in pain as I have seen with my own eyes the suffering of the haitian people with injuries, sickness, no where to live , and little to eat. Having said that, I can also say that my short time in Haiti was the most intense and rewarding experience of my life as an orthopedic surgeon. I will share 1 patient story most memorable to me. Prior to our arrival a young women of 18-20 years old and 8 months pregnant was admitted for a severe fracture around the elbow with massive soft tissue loss, although little exposed bone. The initial thoughts by the treating doctors were that she should have an amputation as they did not think they could safely and adequately treat her fractures with the available equipment they had and without xray [carm] in the operating room, yet she had a normal functioning hand!! They had a difficult decision. As long as she did not develop an infection, maybe she could keep her arm. They treated her soft tissue wounds and, although she still required skin grafting, when we arrived it was felt we could more definitively treat her severe fractures as we had obtained the necessary external fixator equipment as well as an all important c-arm xray machine for use in the operating room. We went ahead and placed an external fixator for her fracture. That evening she went into labor and delivered a beautiful healthy baby boy! She certainly could still have complications like infection, which could require amputation, and she may need more surgery in the future to get her fracture to heal but for now she is happy, healthy, and grateful for her new miracle baby, Antonio, as well as her arm to help care for him.

Over the next few days we will be sharing the thoughts of team members writing about their experiences. While no one person was affected by Haiti in this exact same way, all came away with appreciation of having had the opportunity to serve and a deep and abiding respect for the Haitian people.

For those of you who are early risers, be sure to watch members of our team on KARE 11 on Tuesday, February 9th, for a live interview with Morning Show host Kim Insley at approximately 5:50 a.m. We also applaud and thank Ken Guidera for the very fine interview he gave on MPR this morning.

A second medical trip is being organized as we speak. We are in need of some supplies and medications. Our greatest need is antibiotics – if you can donate and/or have a source for antibiotics willing to donate please let us know as soon as possible. We are taking delivery of antibiotics immediately.

The medical supplies we are requesting are specific based on information we have received from those working on the ground in Haiti. Items include: Steiman Pins
K-wires
6” & 4” Splints
6” & 4” Casts
Cast Paddings
K-nails all sizes but mostly: 38, 39, 40 cm x 9, 10, 11 mm External
Fixators for open fractures
16 & 18 GIV needles
Plain 16 & 18 Needles
Syringes 5 cc and 10 cc
Saline Locks and related IV equipment
Thermometers and plastic covers
Sterile Gloves
Sterile Dressings
Surgical Masks
Please email us with respect to any items you may wish to donate. We regret we cannot take receipt of non sterile or expired supplies or medications.

Until tomorrow… Michele Boston, Executive Director

Wednesday, February 3 Jeff called last night. Usually a man of a few words when communicating by telephone he has, in Haiti, increasingly become more and more of a “yacker” – eager to share the goings on. Of course he would have to catch me at Walgreens in search of cold medicine for our daughter Sidney and me. Hearing his excitement and enthusiasm however, I settled into a comfy chair at the pharmacy, pulled out my note pad and listened. Reiterating the respect and appreciation he had for our medical team, Jeff spoke of the many ways our medical team had distinguished itself heads above the rest. He spoke of the initiative team members took, their absolute dedication to their work, and their tireless efforts to do whatever needed to be done – whenever it was needed. Jeff’s enthusiasm was only surpassed by his praise of the team. He wondered whether there was a way to quantify the team’s effect – the number of lives saved and the numbers of others whose lives have been forever changed because of the excellent care and treatment the team provided. I wish I could have put Jeff on speaker phone over the internet and email as he said, “I am so humbled, Michele, by the selflessness of each and every one on our team that I cannot even tell you….”

Jeff went on to speak about how glad he was, despite his initial trepidations, to be on the ground in Haiti. We discussed whether he felt our team would be experiencing any form of post traumatic stress upon their return. Jeff didn’t think so; he felt the team we’d assembled were “built” for the job they did in Haiti. He did, however, talk about his own feelings of survivor’s guilt; knowing that he was leaving behind a disaster of such epic proportions only to return home where even the concept of such a thing could not be fathomed. I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke of leaving behind a little two year old orphaned boy with down syndrome. He spoke of their everyday exchange where Jeff would blow him kisses – and how in return he would gently blow them back, cover his face, and run away.

He spoke of the little babies – the ones that had received the formula flown in yesterday. He shared how Autumn had poured over these babies for four hours, giving them the best of all possible medical care available to her, knowing that she would be leaving them today. One of the babies she referred to the hospital for fear that it may have had a virus. Fortunately it was fine.

Taking about the earthquake itself, Jeff shared concern for Haiti’s children having experienced the earthquake yet left confused as to what it was that had happened and what it all meant.

He talked about the refugee camp that was being set up next to Hospital St. Damien and wondered how St. Damien’s would manage with the greater demands placed upon it once the camp was filled.

Reading Jeff’s thoughts, one might conclude that he was only sad his feelings. If this be your interpretation, you would be wrong. In ending our conversation, Jeff spoke of the Haitians and the utmost confidence he had in them to overcome – and that their spirit, endurance, an incomparable ability to deal with what most would find incomprehensible, would carry them through.

Perhaps this text sent from Bill Peterson to his wife, Darlene, sums it all up: “…after the meeting (I) walked over to the hill looking out over the tent city. Full moon with hundreds/thousands of people singing Baptists songs. Ironic, very beautiful in the face of massive devastation and misery.”

We welcome back those of our team entering the US today. These include Erin, Karen, Joan, Carson, Joe, Pramita, Cortney, Kyle, Bill, Brenda, Nestor, and Christian. We send them our thanks, our love, our hugs, and our wishes for rest and peace.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Tuesday, February 2 There have been miracles too many to tell that have been evident throughout our relief efforts. Despite yesterday’s report that formula would not reach the babies until Wednesday, thanks to RoadieRelief, the babies are being fed as we speak. Additional supplements arrive tomorrow.

Living in a world turned upside down will not be easy for these malnourished babies. Moreover, doing it without the love of their parents is more than inconceivable to most. But to those of us who know Haiti, we also know that if it is anything, it is a country of strength and determination. My bet is on these little ones!

Literally, as I write at 11:40 a.m., the first four members of our medical team – Jean, Ken, Kurt and Matt – have touched down in Opa Locka, Florida. From the moment of arrival in the United States, that part of Haiti they choose to bring home with them will, I imagine, be forever in their hearts and minds. Their work at Hospital St. Damien is behind them: ten life-saving surgeries per day; creation of a pediatric E.R.; day and night shifts at the adult E.R.; and outreach with the 82nd Airborne to hundreds with no access to medical care. Not bad for a week’s work!

I’ve been writing these past days about our medical team – unquestionably people of valor, strength and character – people who represent the countless volunteer organizations, agencies and individuals bringing aid to Haiti. But our part of the story is only just that – a mere part. This story is really about the Haitians – their resilience beyond even the imagination of we ordinary folk.

Camilla is but one example about whom I write. A Haitian woman in her late sixties, Camilla has experienced the trauma of the quake, the loss of loved ones, and the destruction of her city. She arrives at the orphanage every day at about 6:00 a.m. and leaves late into the night. Where she spent the night is anyone’s guess as her home is no more.

Camilla prepares, cooks, serves and thereafter cleans up from the amazing meals she prepares daily for our team. Camilla speaks no English. Language, however, in times like these comes in many forms and Camilla, we are told, communicates in the “language of love,” more than frequently extending her arms to offer hugs of kindness and appreciation. So often is she seen smiling that one is unable to detect what you know to be a deep and chronic suffering.

What is it exactly that Camilla sees beyond the death, beyond the suffering and beyond the rubble?

All of us who travel to Haiti in this relief effort will return. And as hard, and as painful, and as tiring as our experience may be, we take comfort in knowing that security and abundance awaits us. Not so for the Haitians. Fortunately, however, Haiti is a nation of Camillas; those who will carry on, rebuild and do whatever it takes. After all, be there any other choice?

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Monday, February 1

Today’s update starts with our six tiny malnourished infants (all under 6 months) and our two year old. As with all best laid plans, a glitch developed today and the formula will be brought in on Wednesday - we had hoped it would have gotten there by tomorrow. Leaving out of Miami, the formula could not be found at local pharmacies but had to be ordered for arrival tomorrow. For those of you who may be thinking, “what a difference a day can make”… are quite right. But if this relief effort is anything, it is not predictable, and plans have to be revised, reworked, and reapplied. There is no question that the lives of these children are paramount, but for so many who have been reading about the babies, these infants have come to be a symbol of the preciousness of life and how one must stop at nothing to make a difference. Henry, No Time For Poverty’s Director in Haiti, will take delivery of the formula from David, the RoadiesRelief contact on the ground some time between what we estimate to be 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. He will immediately bring the formula to St. Damien to be administered to the babies. The formula we’ve secured comes in 2 ounce bottles and we are shipping in 144 bottles. Once again, we thank RoadiesRelief.org for making this happen. Many have inquired whether more formula or money to purchase it is preferred. At this point in time, we ask for the later – as storage is often not an option. Moreover, we are attempting to bring a manufacturer on board as a partner with No Time For Poverty to help us with future acquisitions. Today’s outreach team, working with the 82nd Airborne and JenkinsPenn include Lori (team leader), Neil, Brenda, Kyle, Cortney, Joe, and Tony. Vava, our Haitian dental student, has also joined this group. Escorted by military transport, our team set up its clinic in an area known as Delmas 85. On their way to Delmas, Lori speaks of countless people in the streets holding signs saying, “we need food, medicine, and attention,” followed by a pinpoint to their location. She says it is heartbreaking. Delmas 85, like so many others areas of Port au Prince, has yet to receive medical assistance, and countless people quietly wait in long lines to be treated. Many individuals suffer from tuberculosis and infected wounds not yet treated and resulting in sepsis. Some require transport to hospitals as gangrene had set in. The people living in these communities have set up cardboard houses with roofs of tin that remained intact after the earthquake. Children can be found playing amidst the rubble. By definition, outreach clinics are not supplied for every eventuality. Lori, however, reports that our team is creative, positive, and always able to find a way to “make it work.” Despite the post traumatic stress and physical suffering facing the communities in which our outreach teams work, team members report that these communities are welcoming and appreciative. They gather tables and chairs needed for us to set up and are in other ways as helpful as they can be. In every outreach area, a person has been designated by the community as the person “in charge” to work with us and aid in organization. Lori speaks of so many other outreach areas needing our attention but are unfortunately not accessible at this time. We can only wonder how many of the injured still await treatment there. I asked Lori to tell me what strikes her most as she travels though these communities, and this is what she said, “As I ride in the back of the transport trucks I look out on all the destruction. But can you imagine that irrespective of the destruction – and it is vast – Haiti’s beauty is still here. I can see it in its colors, I can smell it in its fragrance, and I can hear it in the singing. Haiti is vibrant and alive.” Shifting to our hospital team, Jeff, leader of that group, reports that 300 hundred post-op patients are expected to arrive at St. Damien this evening from the USS Comfort. Needless to say, our hospital team will be working in overdrive tonight and tomorrow. It seems to me as though our team has been gone for weeks instead of just days. Easy, however for me to say – I can’t imagine what it feels like to them. Our friends from RoadiesRelief have offered free flights out for our team from Port au Prince to OpaLocka (7 miles from Miami) beginning tomorrow. Thanks to this organization four of our members will depart tomorrow, 12 on Wednesday, and 9 on Thursday. With their departure instructions in hand, it is hard to guess what they are thinking. The reverse culture shock when they hit the Miami airport for their connections will be astounding. There is a lot of adjustment each and every one of them will need to make upon their return home. First responders pay the price… sometimes a very high price.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Sunday, January 31

Our malnourished babies in the orphanage are holding their own. With them is a two year old, easily mistaken for an infant for his diminished size. All of these little ones tell us everyday by their fight to stay alive that their time on this earth is not yet up. Sadly, the same cannot be said of two infants who arrived last night at the new pediatric emergency room set up by our team at St. Damiens. Too sick and malnourished when they arrived … they could not be saved. Like so many sick and injured children in Haiti, their chances of survival are lessened by the severity of their malnutrition at the time of the quake. Other factors contributing to the mortality of these little ones is the loss of family members to care for them, or for the post traumatic stress loved ones are experiencing thereby resulting in their inability to attend to these babies. I don’t believe that a life lost can ever be measured against a life saved. But neither can it be ignored. Just last evening our team worked in the adult emergency room. A man was brought in whose chest had been crushed. Working tirelessly, the team miraculously saved his life.

No Time For Poverty is forever grateful to Andrea Fulkerson and her husband of RoadieRelief.org. These amazing people from Eden Prairie have secured and arranged to deliver the much needed formula with supplements for our malnourished babies in the orphanage. We will receive the formula on Tuesday and start the babies on it right away.

Jeff talks to me of the tremendous challenges ahead for the Haitian people. In a telephone conversation this morning, he tells me that one can hardly imagine the numbers who have lost limbs and the countless others who leave the hospital with pins holding limbs in place. “The destruction,” he says, “is all around and you are aware of it, but its overwhelming effect sneaks up on you.”

More news tomorrow.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Saturday, January 30

If day one’s transmission of our medical team into Hospital St Damien was rocky - raising concern for our team’s usefulness there, day two and three assured that we were well needed. Now, on day four, there is not enough of our team to go around.

Despite that migration to rural areas in the north and south of Port au Prince has been of an enormous magnitude, thousands upon thousands who are too sick or injured to travel outside the city, remain. Formerly only for the affluent, Petionville Country Club, located in a well known suburb of Port au Prince with the same name, is now home to almost 100,000 displaced Haitians. Upon its tennis court and golf course now sits a tent city of enormous proportion.

Jenkins/Penn (as in Sean Penn) and the 82nd airborne are organizing food, water, and medical care for those living in this refugee camp. Medical teams are also being deployed from this location to makeshift outreach clinics outside the city. Our team is currently rotating between St. Damien and the 82nd airborne - to say they are stretched is an understatement.

Brenda, Bill, Joan, Nestor, Sheri, Erin, Chris, and Lori comprise the outreach team today. The remainder are our surgeons, who continue to operate, and other team members who are in the process of setting up a pediatric emergency response area.

Arriving yesterday to Port au Prince to meet up with our teams were our amazing interpreters from Port Salut. Working side by side, these interpreters are proving to be as selfless and as dedicated as our medical team.

Thanks to our dear friend, Bruce Compton, the Catholic Medical Mission Board has been contacted in search of special care neonatal formula for our group of little ones suffering from malnutrition (as I wrote about in yesterday’s update) at Friends of the Orphans orphanage. True to their Haitian heritage, these babies continue to persevere against all odds. We know that so many of you are following their story and turning your hearts to them. We will continue to report as we have news of them.

The last chapter of the recent death and devastation in Haiti has not been written. It has been hard for me to be here when a country and a people that I dearly love are suffering so. I look forward to taking a second team down when Jeff returns. Knowing the Haitians as I do, there is one thing I do not doubt: that if the United States and other countries of the world continue to work as they are with the Haitians, the UN, the military, and relief organizations, I have no doubt that out of this tragedy will come triumph.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Friday, January 29

Please forgive today’s entry for errors, grammar, spelling or punctuation. I have taken the day off from most tasks to be with my daughter Sidney. Today’s entry is dictated by me via telephone.

At this moment moving a mountain seems easier than locating a case of nutritional supplements in Haiti. Yet that is what is desperately needed for eight critically malnourished infants all under six months of age and orphaned by the quake.

Taking turns between shifts, our medical team holds, talks to, and comforts these little ones. Here in Minnesota, I send emails to people moving containers of food within Haiti in the hope of finding the supplements these babies desperately need to survive.

Yesterday was a busy one for our medical team. Kurt, Ken, Jean and Karen performed surgeries nonstop into the night. Neil, Bill and Brenda worked in the ER along with Kyle, Chris and Nester. Jen, Tony and Joe worked post-op. Later in the day, Neil, Virginia, Brenda and Bill were escorted with security to work in Cité Soleil, otherwise considered Port au Prince’s worse section. Joining a Slovakian team, the group reported that the area was well controlled and the community clinic to which they were assigned well supplied. Jen by the way is reported never to be without a little one in her arms.

Sadly, a baby was delivered stillborn last night. Her mother had fallen during the quake as she ran to avoid concrete crashing down around her. On the other side of the hospital a mother in her 6th month of pregnancy was heard throughout the night vacillating between singing and screaming – racked in pain for her leg having been amputated above her knee. Her unborn baby survived, apparently thriving against all odds.

Hospital Saint Damien is at this time a mini United Nations of assistance; in addition to our team, others working there include German, French, Slav and Italian teams. While the Italians brought their own wine with them to Haiti, our team lore tells of Neil succeeding in his quest to find four ice cold Cokes in Port au Prince. What would be the likelihood?

Jeff and Lori report that our team works not only diligently as was anticipated but with a level of cohesiveness that could not have been predicted nor expected of a group of individuals coming together as a unit of 25 for the first time – let alone under the circumstances as presented. So impressed are the Haitian docs that our team has been asked to join a US military instillations on the outskirts of downtown PAP. It is there that a tent city has been erected serving an estimated one hundred thousand men, women and children. With an unbelievable report of ten thousand people per day migrating to this “compound” additional medical help is desperately needed.

Jeff is visiting the instillation this morning so as to determine whether our team will be relocated and resume their work under auspices and security of the US military.

Our NTFP “Minnesota” team continues to work with unceasing dedication towards two purposes. First, we want to get back to those of you here who emailed or called offering time, suggestions, or for some other reason awaited follow-up.

If we did not get back to you it was not because we didn’t think you are important. Urgency required us to prioritize and address those emails and calls which aided the immediacy of the situation.

We think we are doing really well with catching up but in the heat of a moment we may have unintentionally lost you. I think I can speak for our Minnesota team in saying that at times our minds were on overload and/or distracted by our aching hearts. Only yesterday I ran the cold water from the faucet for our dogs. I retrieved their water bowls from the floor, shut off the water and returned the bowls to their assigned places. It was only when I began to walk away that I realized I had never actually put the water in the bowls!

Please give us until mid next week to get back to you if you expected to hear from us but have not been contacted. While we don’t think we missed many of you we do suspect that we missed one or two.

The second focus of our current effort is sending our next medical team to Haiti. The systems we developed for our first group worked better than we could have expected and are in place for trip number two. Only two considerations remain – and while to some they may seem to loom large, they are but two steps yet to be taken out of hundreds that have already been finalized. The first is transportation into Haiti. We were told that on Wednesday, the day our aircraft brought our team to Haiti, 27 planes were turned away. Having been made aware of such diversions, we had chosen to fly our team with an organization that even prior to the earthquake had been flying missions into Haiti. We knew that they’d been cleared to continue their efforts and had been afforded priority standing.

Daily rumors suggest that flights to Haiti by commercial airlines will resume on February 1st. We have no such confirmation. Teams and individuals frequently travel into Haiti through the Dominican Republic. If you know of anyone who has bussed from Santo Domingo to PAP please ask them to contact me. We know how to go about sending a team through the Dominican but we would like to confirm its efficiency before bringing a team of 25.

The final consideration for sending team number two is locations. While our team is being put to good use at St. Damien, the multiple teams from around the world working there suggest that the need for a team such as ours may be greater elsewhere. Our on the ground team will be reporting the possibilities to us in the next days. We don’t merely want to send a medical team to Haiti; we want to maximize its effectiveness.

To those medical personnel who have applied on our website to possibly join our next team – we ask you to sit tight. Once plane and location are determined – we will contact you. Please note that we do not adhere to a “first-come first-serve” approach to team selection. Instead, our goal is to put together a well-rounded team of surgeons, doctors, EMTs and nurses so as to serve the Haitian people in the best possible way.

If you are medical personnel or know of any others interested who have not completed our online application – now is the time to do so. We are going to do our best to get our second team off some time between Feb. 8 and 10. There are, however, no guarantees but once all aspects of the trip are in place we will move and we will move fast… but in accordance with proper planning and precautions.

In closing I want you to know that I would be less than honest were I not to admit to questioning the value of us spending literally hundreds of hours to assemble medications, supplies and a small medical team of 25 to bring to Haiti. At times it felt as though we could effect but a single grain of sand in an enormous dune of desperation and need. I wondered in the course of it all whether I would recognize how much was too much… and would I know when it was time to say, “We gave it a good shot – Let it go.”

For certain, it was on the plane to Florida after the teams flight to Haiti had been cancelled, that I was most plagued by doubt. Who did I think we were to even consider the possibility that we could secure an airplane to fly our medical team to Haiti?

In the end it came down for me to this: How much time, money and effort is one human being worth – be it an adult or be it a child … And are we willing to pay the cost? I believe that most of us go through life never truly confronted with these specific questions and if we are, it is asked of us only in the most philosophical of terms. In this instance answers come easy. Confronted with the true reality of the questions, however, I arrived at the answer this way: Be it that we are Haitian or American, we are truly just one; that the value of a life can not be measured against the cost of moving a single grain of sand in a dune of countless grains of sand. After all one can ever know whether one tiny piece of sand so moved, will make its way to the ocean and become pearl to the oyster.

Click here for recent photos from our team.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Thursday, January 28

I start our update today with a correction. Yesterday, we listed Queen of Peace Hospital as being located in Faribault – when in fact, it is located in New Prague. We want to get this right because two of our amazing team members, Joan and Jean, hail from Queen of Peace. We also failed to mention Sheryl Ebenreiter who traveled with me to Haiti on my last trip, returning only days before the earthquake. Since her return, Sheryl has been volunteering many hours right here in our No Time For Poverty Office.

The report from our team last night was bittersweet. They describe their accommodations as the “Ritz Carlton” for what Haiti had going on. To top it off Loune Viaud’s cousin, Mona, and her friends prepared a dinner feast exclusively for our team – goat stew, salad, plantains, rice and beans, and cornmeal. Though appreciating so great a meal, much of the team was disappointed, feeling that they had not been put to their best use the first day. A modicum of confusion had reigned. The 600 post operative patients St. Damien had been expecting were not transported. The day had also been one of transition when some medical teams left St. Damiens and others arrived. A child of age 3 with what appeared to be a pelvic break suffered while he awaited care. Another infant post surgery was not waking up. For this child, however, our team worked to bring him to arousal. As I hear the report I wonder if such a small being instinctively knows that waking to such a world as is now Haiti will mean a life of indescribable hardship and pain even greater than that which would have been before the earthquake. I wonder if this tiny thing chooses sleep and peace over the alternative awaiting him.

Lori speaks of countless crying children whose arms stretch out to be held and nurtured, lost and frightened for having been thrust not only into a place of physical pain and hurt but fear and aloneness as well.

Haitian hospital staff talk in fear of rumors that CNN is soon to leave – apparently a trigger for grass roots and other support to withdraw as well… and then what? As already a tragically ignored and forgotten country before the quake, what now be Haiti’s fate?

Today’s light shown more brightly. Our team members awoke to a breakfast of bread, cheese, fresh fruit, and much more. Thereafter, Fr. Rick Frechette held an all team meeting. He told our team leaders that we were needed and asked that we afford the hospital an opportunity to regroup. It wasn’t long after that, that our surgeons were operating, our anesthetist was put to work, and the remaining team assigned to shifts. By 9:30 a.m. central time the team was busy, some in fact assigned to community out-clinics - an option for which many were eager as it would take them outside the confines of the hospital. Jeff was called this morning to assist a surgeon working on a “little guy” who had lost his leg to amputation but needed additional surgery when gangrene set in. The pictures being sent back to us by the team, in fact, tell the story of the countless loss of limbs. While hard to see, the little comfort we take is in knowing that so many have come to Haiti to help. We warn you in advance that some of these can be difficult. We will not be posting those photos of the sick and dying children who lay alone in wait.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Wednesday, January 27

Only until 5:00 a.m. yesterday when the last person on our medical team was no longer visible passing through security at the Lindbergh airport in Minneapolis did my body and soul return to earth and was I aware of my surroundings. It was at that moment I realized the extent to which I had been functioning on some other plane since the horrendous earthquake and aftershocks hit Haiti.

As Sue and I walked to our cars we didn’t have to say it – we knew the impossible had been achieved.

The die was cast – thanks to our email blast, an absolutely amazing team of twenty five came forward, offered to put their personal and professional lives on hold for nine days and travel to a war zone of death and suffering for two reasons only – to cheat death of as many Haitian’s as possible and to alleviate the pain of multitudes more.

As the team was being formed, we developed a comprehensive plan coordinating all aspects of the trip. We knew communication was of utmost importance. Keeping the medical team up to date, making flight and other travel arrangements, working with Partners In Health, keeping up with those people contacting us via phone and email for information, connecting with media outlets, and so so much more was not only happening all at the same time but happening when so many of us were grieving.

Updates to our medical team were honest and thorough. When our flight to Port au Prince was cancelled, we notified the team and asked them to stay on hold. Not one balked or complained. Once a new plane was located (see Jan. 22 update on our website) and made available to our team, countless hours were spent finalizing arrangements with the flight company.

As busy as we were, we knew that we were working for Haiti relief at a time where a window of opportunity to seek donations was before us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it all. We asked for assistance through our daily e-mail updates knowing however, that so many of our constituents communicated primarily through snail mail. We knew that we were not using our facebook or our website to the extent we could have to ask for gifts, we knew, however, the right thing to do was to put our efforts toward organizing immediate relief for Haiti. Having said this, thanks to those of you who did receive our email blasts, forwarded them on to friends and family, and told everyone about the work that No Time For Poverty was doing. We did receive gifts.

Planning for the security of our team was extensive. While we hoped and assumed the team would be in good hands once delivered to Partners In Health, we nonetheless wanted to plan for every eventuality. Team leaders, Jeff and Lori, were provided with two satellite phones, most generously donated for our use by Gene and Jane Ott of PACKSACK out of Ely, MN, thanks to the efforts of Tom and Sheryl Ebenreiter. We are using these phones as back up in the event personal cell phones are inoperable. Team leaders also have personal cell and office phone numbers along with email addresses of Ray Baysden, a top UN Security official on the ground with whom I have developed a close relationship, and many others including Anne Marie Cassella, Special Attaché to Americans In Haiti, also on the ground there Once the team’s location is identified, I will email the information to our contacts in Haiti. In addition to these contacts, we have contacts in the United States and on the ground in Port au Prince with navy and other military. Lori and Jeff are apprised as to the location of the UN and we have also arranged for a “safe” house in the event of an emergency. Finally, in addition to the formal steps taken, we have put on notice staff and countless numbers of our friends who can assist in an emergency. We know, of course, the effectiveness of our precautions are dependent upon the nature of an emergency that could arise. The long and the short of it is – that the 25 members of our medical team are a selfless group who have put their needs second to those of the Haitian people.

Working feverishly to get our medical team off the ground, we simultaneously established a plan for acquisition and accumulation of medication and medical supplies. To the frustration of many, we refused general donations. With the rush of relief effort to Haiti by well meaning renegade groups and organizations, Haiti is becoming a wasteland of ancient medical equipment otherwise difficult to dispose of in the United States. Therefore, we wanted to bring with us only those supplies requested of us and much of it was already available in our warehouse in Hastings intended for use at Klinik Timoun Nou Yo. Only sterile items were packed and only non-expired supplies were included. The list of medications from Partners In Health were quite specific. Our quota was reached by groups who reached out to us before we’d made a request. Also, many of the members of our medical team succeeded in securing large supplies of medication.

Among those donating were: Geritom Medical Inc. of St. Paul, MN and it’s employees, Sharon Carmody and Mercy Hospital; Autumn Erwin, Carson Harris, Tony Bigelbach, and Jessica Sandberg working through Regions Hospital; Jen Paboda through friends and family; Joan Gunderson, Jean Nusbaum and the staff at Queen of Peace Hospital in New Prague, MN; University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and Kristen Hansberry, who coordinated efforts by her church and St Therese School in Deephaven, MN.

In preparation for packing meds and supplies, they were laid out categorically. Arriving at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 23, an amazing group of 15 not only packed twenty six pre-numbered duffle bags, but diligently completed a packing slip of every item included in every bag. This group was so dedicated, focused, and driven – their job was completed by 1:00 p.m.!

The remaining fourteen duffle bags of supplies and medications were brought with them by those members of our team flying from places other than Minnesota. While we had a fifty pound limit per bag on American Airlines domestically, into Haiti we could bring only seventy pounds per person – requiring each team member to check two thirty five pound bags of medication and supplies. Included in the supply duffle bags were one and two person tents to be used by our team. These tents were donated thanks to the efforts of Martin Elie and Julie Brown. Julie and her coworkers at BHZ Company raised money to buy tents by paying for the opportunity to wear jeans for a day.

Knowing that our supplies would be no where near enough of what was needed, we worked with Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, (an organization in Springfield, Il to secure a far greater amount of supplies. It’s president and CEO, Bruce Compton, is a very good friend to No Time For Poverty. Thanks to him and those at his organization, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach arranged for a 40 ft container to be sent out, brought in to Port au Prince through the Dominican Republic, delivered to St. Damien’s Hospital and earmarked for No Time For Poverty. In addition to some items requested by Partners in Health, such as diapers, formula, etc, we asked that the vast majority of space be used for ortho surgical supplies. While, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach worked feverishly to get this container out, they are “only hoping” that it will reach us in time. However, if any group can get it to us they can as they are working with the Pentagon and the Military in getting equipment and supplies into Haiti.

Once our arrangements to get the group into Haiti by air were made, we needed an orderly process for the “Minnesota group” to connect with the “non Minnesota” group, both of which made up the No Time For Poverty team. Easier said than done – but our countless hours paid off. Just One hour after touch down in Miami by our Minnesota group, our two groups became one and had boarded the bus with Milly, its driver. The bus, donated by Endeavor Bus Company, brought the No Time For Poverty medical team to Fort Pierce, Fl, where it would be leaving the next day for Port au Prince, Haiti. While there was nary a glitch at our end, American Airlines cannot boast the same. The Minnesota team plane was met upon landing in Miami by the fire trucks. Apparently the landing gear began smoking after arrival and the plane had to be towed in to the gate!

Milly was a great driver and contributed to the teams good spirits. In continuous contact with the group to this point, my only concern for their emotional disposition came about when amidst their laughter in transit I heard a number of team members muttering about “Bus Bingo!”

Upon arrival in Fort Pierce, the team was welcomed – and I do mean welcomed – by the Best Western Inn. The team found the recently renovated hotel to be “awesome” - clean, comfortable, attractive, and located amidst tons of restaurants and fast food chains. According to the team more appreciation and accommodation by the hotel could not have been offered. It even donated a room for all of the baggage as well as for meeting as the group of twenty five needed to gather to discuss what was to come in the days ahead.

This morning, true to the word of the transportation company in Fort Pierce, the shuttle bus arrived at the hotel promptly at 5:30 a.m. Apparently, the company was gracious, warm, and like the staff at the Best Western, expressed its appreciation for the team’s efforts in Haiti. By 6:00 a.m. the team arrived at Missionary Flight International exactly at 6:00 a.m. as required.

Missionary Flight International reported that of all the teams they’ve been transporting into Haiti, ours was “by far” the most organized; duffle bags were packed in number and accordance with MFI requirements, the written passenger list forwarded to it required not a single modification, and no group had physically assisted with luggage to the extent of our group. Moreover the “carry ons” of our team members met all MFI specifications despite that all food, personal items, and sleeping bags had to be crammed into these bags.

By 7:45 a.m. Florida time, our team boarded the aircraft provided by the Hendricks family, with fifteen other passengers and took off toward their first stop to gas up – Exuma in the Bahamas. The comments I heard from our team as they were getting ready for take off were “leather seats!” Soon thereafter I heard an announcement from the pilot – telling the team that “if there was anything – anything at all that they needed - to let them know.” His voice was gracious, sincere, and appreciative. At 11:35 EST, the team landed in Port au Prince, was met by Partners In Health, and was taken to Hospital St. Damien, a state of the art pediatric hospital, under the auspices of Friends of the Orphans.

As I write at this moment (3:50 p.m. central time), I have received a number of phone calls from Jeff and Lori. The team’s tents are set up in a secured compound next to the hospital. They have access to a bathroom, shower, food, ice, and cold drinks.

According to Jeff, there is a significant degree of disorganization and confusion at the hospital. While it is easy to criticize the staff there, Jeff is quick to point out that at least half of the St. Damien staff have died in the earthquake. Moreover, the remaining staff, who have lost friends and family of their own, have been working around the clock since the earthquake occurred. Leave it to our group however, that after a briefing with the hospital’s Assistant Director, they organize themselves in such as way as to begin working by 5:30 central time. In fact, as I write, our surgeons are dressing to begin casting.

All hospital beds at St. Damiens are full and some patients are in tents. Moreover, 600 more post-op patients are being transferred to St. Damien’s from the general hospital in Port au Prince and 80 more from the USS Comfort. Our team will also be assessing 40 injured and disabled children brought from Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs, French for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters,” the orphanage under St Damien’s auspices.

Lori writes – “We have observed massive numbers of amputations thus far. Children reaching out to us for affection. Hugs and nurturing. Heartbreaking.”

We will continue to post updates on our website and send you email blasts. Please forgive if in the course of our business, we fail to include you on our lists of thanks. To all of you who have donated money and time, please accept our heartfelt appreciation. To those of you who continue to send messages of support and kindness, we appreciate your understanding of our inability to get back to you. Please know that each and every word you write keeps us going.

A thank you to the media – especially Fox 9 News (who was at the airport with us at 4:00 a.m. when we sent off the medical team), and the many other television and radio stations who continue to keep Haiti and the story of our medical team in the news. We want to make special mention of Channel 45 for inviting us to be a part of its Sunday morning show, CrossRoads, airing at 7:30 a.m.

We will post information about our plans for our next medical trip sometime in the next few days.

Until tomorrow, Michele and Sue bid you good night!

Tuesday, January 26

Gathering at the Mpls/St Paul airport at 4:15 this morning, an amazing group of individuals met and instantly became a team. Laughing, joking, and excited to be a part of something much greater than themselves, these 14 team members took off at 6:00 a.m. for Miami.

We just learned that the team has already joined up with most of the rest of the group in Miami and are currently traveling by bus (generously donated by Endeavor Bus Company out of Miami) to Fort Pierce, Florida, where they will meet up with the last 4 team members. Tomorrow, all 25 No Time For Poverty medical team members will be flown by Missionary Flights International to Port au Prince, Haiti.

Fox 9 news (out of the Twin Cities) was at the airport with us this morning. They did a number of interviews and camera shots. We are told that their coverage of us will be on the 5:00 or 5:30 news tonight. There is also an article about the medical team on-line at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Lastly, we are told that other local news and radio stations have been reporting about our group throughout the day as well.

One last note until we write more tomorrow. You may remember that we were to hold a raffle drawing on January 15th. In light of the devastating earthquake in Haiti and our need to get a medical team there as soon as possible, we put the drawing on hold. In celebration of our team reaching Haiti, we will hold the drawing at our main office at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 29, 2010.

Until tomorrow….

Michele Boston, Executive Director

StarTribune

Martinez Gazette

KSTP-TV

Monday, January 25

Ok - We’re packed at this end and attending to only final details! Our MN contingent leaves tomorrow on American Airlines # 925 out of Mpls/ St. Paul at 6:00 a.m. The group is scheduled to arrive in Miami at 10:40 a.m.

We will meet up with most of our other team members at the Miami airport and all travel together by bus to Fort Pierce, Fl. We have one small group who is driving from Orlando to meet us in Fort Pierce.

We can’t thank enough, Tom De Matteo of ABC bus companies in Faribault, MN and Mike Amador, owner of Endeavor Bus Company! Tom (who I happened to meet on the plane to Orlando when I flew down to arrange our flights with MFI) was able to connect us with Mike who donated a bus and driver to pick up the team at the airport and bring them to Fort Pierce, approximately 2 hours away. Endeavor Bus Company is out of Miami. They quickly responded to our need for assistance and will forever be our most favorite bus company anywhere.

Once in Fort Pierce, the team will spend the night at the Best Western. The next morning (Wednesday) they will take a shuttle to Missionary Flights International where they will be on one of two flights - either at 7:00 a.m. or at 9:00 a.m.

The team will arrive approximately 3 to 4 hours later in Port au Prince. The information that follows is what we have been told by Loune Viaud, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations for Partners in Health, and what we passed along to our medical team.

We will be under PIH auspices and care from the moment we arrive until we depart. Please keep in mind that we have done absolutely everything we could possibly do to gain their assurance that we will be put to good use and that our surgeons will in fact have the location and the tools that they need to work with. However, when all is said and done, keep in mind that the situation in Haiti is equivalent to a war zone and we can’t know what we know until we know it. Despite this, here is what we have done. We have arranged through Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, (the organization in Springfield, Il whose president and CEO, Bruce Compton, is a very very good friend to No Time For Poverty), for a 40 ft container to be sent out, brought in to PAP through the Dominican Republic, delivered to St. Damiens Hospital (where we are told you will be working) and earmarked for No Time For Poverty. In addition to some items requested by PIH such as diapers, formula, etc, we asked that the vast majority of space be used for ortho surgical supplies. While, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach worked feverishly to get this container out, they are “only hoping” that it will reach us in time. However, if any group can get it to us they can as they are working with the Pentagon and the Military in getting equipment and supplies into Haiti.

At this point in time – our trip is left to the universe. Special thanks again to all who donated medical supplies, medications, funds, and time.

Many of us at No Time For Poverty will be getting up at 3:00 a.m. to see the team off. For this reason, I shall sign off with more updates to follow tomorrow. For now – whether you believe in them or not, send the angels to follow our team throughout their trip. We at No Time For Poverty have learned that angels come in all sizes, shapes, sexes, and colors. So, if you believe send them. If you don’t – send them anyway.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Friday, January 22 - PM Report

If you saw our website this morning you know that I traveled yesterday to Fort Pierce, Florida to beg for a plane to bring to Haiti the 25 who comprise our amazing volunteer medical team. We’d gotten word on Wednesday that our flight to Haiti had been cancelled. Despite hours and hours of calling and contacting by NTFP staff, we’d exhausted all possibilities save one – Missionary Flights International. While we had been able to reach them intermittently by phone, we were unable to secure confirmation. As a last effort, I decided to travel to Fort Pierce to beg for our cause.

I was scheduled to leave yesterday on a 7:00 a.m. flight out of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Precisely at 700 a.m. the captain notified us that the plane was disabled and would not be flying. Despite NWA’s assurances to re-plane us – I was skeptical but peaceful – a quiet aching to get a plane accompanied by trusting that it was out of my hands.

True to their word we took off on another aircraft at 8:30 am. With me I took the thought of wanting to have commandeered for Haiti the plane we’d given up once ready to fly again.

Landing in Orlando at 12:15 Fl time, I was standing outside Missionary Flight International building by 3:00 p.m. The first person to greet me was a volunteer “What wish can we grant for you here today?” he asked. It caused me pause and I found myself unable to respond. He sounded sincere as if I had arrived somewhere where a wish could truly be granted.

Wanting to get my wish right - as I might not get a second – I told him that I needed a plane for 25 medical personnel to get into Haiti. Leading me to Trina, MFI’s scheduler, our wish was granted in a matter of 10 minutes.

Back at the No Time For Poverty office, Lori, Sue, Carmi, Molly, and MA have feverishly been working on a number of things, not the least of which includes acquiring, accounting for, and packing medications and supplies that have been so generously donated. We are allowed for each member of the team to travel with 70lbs plus their carry on (which the team members must use for all their personal items, including clothes, food, etc) We want to be sure that every ounce of medication and supplies is specific to what is truly needed in Haiti.

It is clear from the response to this medical trip that so many of you have been referring our updates on to friends and family. We ask that you continue to do so, so as to create a wide span of assistance. The weekend is upon us and as we have so very much to do to get ready for Tuesday, we will write as time allows.

Our love and appreciation to all of you!

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Friday, January 22 - AM Report

I write to you from Orlando, FL, heading back to MN this morning. Thanks to Missionary Flights International in Fort Pierce, our medical team will travel into Haiti on Wednesday, Jan. 27th. We couldn’t be more grateful to MFI’s president, Dick Snook and Trina, its scheduler, moreover our gratitude goes to the Hendricks family for the use of their aircraft.

Back at the No Time For Poverty office, Lori, Sue, Carmi, Molly, and MA have feverishly been working to acquire account for and pack medications and supplies that have been so generously donated. We are allowed for each member of the team to travel with 70lbs. We want to be sure that every ounce of medication and supplies is specific to what is truly needed in Haiti.

It is clear from the response to this medical trip that so many of you have been referring our updates on to friends and family. WE ask that you continue to do so, so as to create a wide span of assistance. The weekend is upon us and as we have so very much to do to get ready for Tuesday, we will write as time allows.

Our love and appreciation to all of you.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Thursday, January 21

Our Haiti Relief Medical Trip is on thanks to Missionary Flights International. We’re too tired to give you more information right now.
We will update tomorrow morning.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Wednesday, January 20

My day started with hearing about the 6.1 earthquake that hit Haiti. When I saw that CNN and MSNBC were giving it but minimal coverage, I admit to feeling relieved. E-mails on the ground indicate that people were absolutely terrified – it was like living a nightmare all over again. The children were most especially frightened. Imagine what they must be going through.

Apparently we are hearing that there is little damage to property resulting from the earthquake. I suspect this is because whatever was going to come down already has.

We were hearing all day that planes were being cancelled into Port au Prince. Apparently the need for food and water is so great that medical teams were being put on hold – believe that or not. This is not to say that individuals or groups of two or three are not getting in. They are kind of “hopping aboard” odd planes going in and out. Not surprising, we got word that American Airlines cancelled our flights.

Partners In Health wants our group as a whole. We had to ask our medical team to sit tight while we reviewed a number of alternatives. One of our options is to work in Les Cayes, Haiti. Les Cayes is only 40 minutes from our visitor center and clinic in Port Salut. It would be at Brenda Strafford Institute, an excellent Canadian eye, ear, nose, and throat hospital. The Directors of Brenda Strafford, Richard and Chantal are very good friends of ours with whom we have worked on a number of occasions. They have food, water (though we would need filtration systems), lodging, transportation, and security. We would need to bring supplies, but as water would not be a problem – these could be transported with us into the country.

Another option - I am flying tomorrow to meet with an organization out of Fort Pierce, Florida. They are telling us to come down and fly with them standby into Port au Prince. Their flights are going out regularly. We know, however, that our medical volunteers’ time is very precious and without assurance that our group will go out, we do not want to exercise this option. I’m going down to seek a commitment from them to transport our group on a confirmed status.

On a different note, we are delighted to report that one of our friends located her mother and brother alive. Unfortunately, her father is still missing. Her family lived right in the heart of the epicenter of the earthquake. Another friend has confirmation that her uncle and cousin have died. Her family in Haiti is trying to bring them out of the rubble to give them a proper burial before they are placed in an unmarked grave. She is relieved, however, that the remainder of her family has all been found alive. We still have no word of a family of five living in Port au Prince in an area that we know went to total collapse.

I will admit to all of you today to having a most heavy heart all day today – something I have not allowed of myself. Some of it may be sheer tiredness. Some of it may be disappointment in our flight being cancelled. Perhaps it is Haiti catching up to me

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Tuesday, January 19

This morning when I awoke, I was keenly aware that it would be another day of all of us at No Time For Poverty putting one foot in front of the other in an effort to stay focused and do what it is that we need to do. The news about those few remaining people we know and love but have yet to hear from leaves us with heavy hearts. But we know what it is that we have to do…

Thanks to all of you forwarding yesterday’s email blast on to others, by noon today we had not only one medical team to go to Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 26 leaving from Minneapolis, but we also pulled from people across the country for a second team that will meet us on the ground in Haiti. The Minneapolis group we are calling Group Number 1 and they are 14 in number. This was the maximum amount of space that American Airlines had left on that day. The number of people in Group Number 2 arriving in Port au Prince prior to Group Number 1 is still growing. We should know the exact number early in the a.m.

Lori Lindgren from No Time For Poverty will be leading Group Number 1. My husband, Jeff Boston, will be leading Group Number 2. I will be commanding the No Time For Poverty offices with Sue, Molly, Carmi, M.A., and Sheryl, who accompanied me on my last trip to Haiti. Lori has been to Haiti numerous times, led two medical trips to Haiti, has worked with Partners In Health, and is quite familiar with the ins and outs of Haiti – its social, political, and economic structure. Jeff is a Psy D. psychologist and RN. Jeff has also led two medical trips, been to Haiti numerous times and is also familiar with its ins and outs. Both of our groups will be met by Partners In Health. Throughout their stay they will be transported and cared for under the auspices of that group.

Our volunteers will need lightweight 2-person tents. We would be grateful if you have any to donate. Most likely they will be left in Haiti for the use of others. They can be received at our offices at: 1865 Old Hudson Road, Saint Paul, MN 55119.

Most importantly, we are hoping to secure children’s antibiotics – hundreds of pounds of them, and so we need your help. As you did yesterday, we ask that you again circulate this email to anyone you know who may be able to contribute these medications or money to purchase.

We want you to know that the team we have assembled is an excellent one. It includes three surgeons, one anesthesiologist, a number of doctors, emergency and otherwise applicable experience, nurses, and EMTs. I am struck once again as I write by the generosity and bravery, not only of these medical volunteers, but of their families and loved ones who support their travel. We will be notifying you of a second medical trip to Haiti which will likely occur on or around Feb. 6 or 7. Medical personnel interested should email mboston@notimeforpoverty.org for more information.

It has been one week and one hour ago at the time of this writing that this terrible earthquake hit Haiti leaving its people in a horrific state. In some ways it feels like yesterday; in other ways it feels like weeks and weeks ago. I returned to the U.S. from Haiti only five days before the earthquake, having had a most successful trip - finalizing so many things necessary for the completion and opening of Klinik Timoun Nou Yo.

Only one of the many things that we achieved was the intensive training of eleven census takers ultimately dispersed to five localities in our region to distribute in the course of the census, vitamin A and albendazole. The vitamin A will prevent blindness, the albendazole will treat parasites. Not only are the census takers weighing the babies ages 0 – 5 so as to determine those worse cases of malnutrition, but they are also acquiring information regarding the medical and vaccination histories of mothers and children. Similarly, we will record information pertaining to poverty indicators such as whether a hut has a thatched roof or a tin one, a cement or a dirt floor.

When in my head and in my heart, I had no doubt that the census we had begun would cease under the terrible weight of the death and destruction of Haiti. I learned today however, that the community and the census takers have refused to stop the census; that they are more driven than ever to do whatever it is that they have to do to bring a program of comprehensive medical care to the region of Port Salut by No Time For Poverty. I must admit to it causing me pause to learn that even the completion of the clinic by the laborers is moving forward who also refuse to stop. Though while it is true that the effects of the earthquake were minimal in Port Salut with the loss of life estimated at around 6 people, everyone in our region has lost or has yet to learn the fate of loved ones.

I have traveled to many places around the world – most especially those of developing nations. Jeff and I chose Haiti because never before have we encountered a more beautiful people who persevere despite all of the worst that comes their way.

I thank each and every one of you who support No Time For Poverty by reading our updates, forwarding our emails, or donating time or money. We are grateful to each and every one of you – until tomorrow.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Monday, January 18

It is with deep sadness that we learned that a wife of dear friend has died in Port au Prince. She was attending church when the earthquake happened and was crushed under the debris. All of us are heart sick. We are also hearing of a number of our Haitian friends here who still continue to fear the worst. Our thoughts and our wishes are with them always.

We have cleaned out our med closet in Port Salut. All medications and supplies we have are being taken to Brenda Strafford Hospital in Les Cayes. It is located only 45 minutes from Port Salut. That city is already overflowing with the sick and the maimed who have come all the way from Port-au-Prince looking for medical care, food, water, and shelter.

We have received a telephone call from one of our medical students. He is working around the clock in Les Cayes where he had been interning at the general hospital. It was the first good connection we had with anyone on the ground as his phone call to us on Friday was not well connected. He describes things as all who contact us from Haiti do – horrific.

We have have sent out emails to medical personnel advising that we have booked a flight leaving on Tuesday, January 26th returning Wednesday, February 3rd, for our first medical team to go to Haiti and help with the disaster.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Saturday, January 16

First and foremost, we are happy to report that we have discovered that the two children of one of our staff have been found alive in Port au Prince. Our search list is getting smaller and smaller and for this we are grateful. We know now for those alive in Port au Prince, the key is to help them with water, food, and medical care. If you’ve been watching CNN, you know these efforts are being coordinated by UN, military, and major relief organizations. It is still very hard, however, when you have actual friends and acquaintances walking the streets of Port au Prince who are without food, water, and medical care. We know of almost no one whose house was left standing. Again also, we have so many friends from organizations here doing good work in Haiti that still await word from friends and families. Our hearts go out to them.

Critical to today’s news is that there is new word on our medical trip. Just yesterday I wrote to tell you that we would not be taking medical teams into Port au Prince. We told you that we were still dealing with issues of internal transport, safety, and a viable place to work. These “on the ground” details are no longer an issue for us. Early this morning I received an email from Loune Viaud, Paul Farmer’s Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at Zanmi Lasante. You may know of Paul’s organization, Partners in Health. This outstanding group perhaps has done more for Haiti than any other. Partners in Heath is the on the ground coordinating health and medical agency.

Loune has requested and secured clearance for our medical team(s) to come to Haiti. She, herself, will be meeting our team in Port au Prince and we will be assigned a specific site and transported there in an official capacity.

What does this mean exactly? 1, It means that if you are a surgeon, physician, or other medical personnel and are interested in going as we hope to be going in and out on rotation, please forward the following to sgrundhoffer@notimeforpoverty.org – in subject line please note - medical team volunteer.

We will put you on our medical trip updates as we have them. For now, we know that so many of you want to help – but we will only be bringing in medical personnel at this time. Also, if you know of any medical personnel who might be interested please forward this email to them.

2. Standing in our way is transportation to Haiti. We are researching multiple avenues to get us in. There are many rumors about commercial flights at this point in time. If you know anyone with, for example, a corporate jet, helicopter, etc. that can be placed at our disposal, please let us know – in subject line please note – air travel. Here again, if you know of anyone who could help in this area, please feel free to forward this email.

3. Many of you have been asking what supplies can be donated towards our medical teams. We are asking that you not donate items at this time. For some things we already have a donation stream, other things are best purchased outright prior to each trip as the needs are changing by the minute. Because we will be carrying everything in with us, space is a commodity and we want to bring sure that every item we bring in is what is being asked for and needed on the ground in Haiti.

How else can you help?

1. We wrote yesterday and told you that we need money now more than ever and we do. We are committed to the relief effort and thereafter to rebuilding Haiti. Our sources on the ground tell us that the migration out of Port au Prince into the country sides has begun at epic proportions. It likely will take years and years to rebuild Port au Prince. Already, we are told, that Les Cayes, the city closest to Port Salut, is bursting. There are no services specifically for children in the area and there will not be until we open Klinik Timoun Nou Yo. The medical needs of these children coming out of Port au Prince are, and will continue to be, horrendous. Our commitment to completing and opening Klinik Timoun Nou Yo is unyielding.

We filled you in (above) about our medical trips and relief efforts. We’re asking you now to donate either toward that effort or to the completion of our clinic. You may do so by any of the following methods: a. Donate via our website at www.notimeforpoverty.org b. Send a check to No Time For Poverty, 1865 Old Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN 55119 c. Leave a message on our phone line at 651-714-6359 and some one will return your call. Please indicate whether you wish your dollars to go to the relief effort, the completion of the clinic, or our discretion. If you do not so indicate it will be used in accordance with our discretion.

2. You can forward this email on to everyone in your address book. Please let them know who we are and what we are doing. Vouch for our efforts, legitimacy, and the extent of our commitment, dedication, and effort. Please stress the importance of them passing along our cause as well.

3. We seek your assistance in helping us create a facebook campaign equal to that of some of the biggest we’ve seen since this new technology. Please link our website/cause onto your facebook site and share it all your facebook friends. Also, please stress the importance of them sharing the information as well.

4. You can speak to your employer about contributing or setting up a matching funds donation. We stand ready to share our story by giving more information to your agency, firm, or company. If you want us to forward information to them, please let us know and title your email - need info.

We want to thank you again for all of the cards, emails, calls, good wishes, and most of all support at this so critical a time in Haiti’s history. Don’t think for one minute that this country will not be rebuilt. It will. From out of these ashes will arise a new generation of children who have been through much much more than any mother or father could fathom for their children. Also, do not think for one minute that your assistance is but a band aid on a wound never to heal. The Haitians are an amazing people. They are resilient and they will rise above this. Those of us working in Haiti continue to have great great hopes for this amazing country and its people. Help us to heal its children who will grow up to make a difference.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Friday, January 15

This morning I was struck by the following reflection: the title of our foundation, No Time For Poverty, is but a backdrop for what we are feeling right now – there is no time for tears. While the situation in Haiti is dire, people like Sue, Lori, Molly, and Carmi are working tirelessly to help locate people, maintain communications, and evaluate and formulate relief efforts.

The latest:
First, we know now that the actual death toll will never be known. Bodies are being put in mass graves because there is little room elsewhere for them. Most persons will not be identified or counted. To do so, is an impossibilty.

The U.S. military is in control of the airport in Port au Prince. We have two groups of American friends trying to get out of Haiti but at this moment the current state of confusion is making it difficult. Planes are being diverted because the airport is jammed. We know that everyone in these groups are safe. But, they are exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I imagine recovering from all they have seen and been through will take a very long time

We continue to plan and strategize using information and recommendations from our higher level contacts within the UN and US military. Based on what we now know, we have decided to put our emergency medical relief team on hold. The Port au Prince airport is turning planes away. The single runway is unable to receive landings. Food is unavailable and clean water is non existent. We are working with “higher ups” to overcome these obstacles. The food and water, we believe, would not be an issue for us. However, a viable place to work from and security, are paramount and we won't take a team unless we can maximize transport, operation, and safety.

This afternoon, we had an appointment with someone with navy connections. He may be able to assist. We are looking at entering Haiti from the Southwest. The city of Jacmel is 70% annihilated. Many people are in need of services. Also, the city Les Cayes, located not too far from our village of Port Salut, has become crowded with people who have left Port-au- Prince in search of medical assistance.

So many people have been asking, "what can I do?". To each and every one of you, I say " I am more grateful than you can imagine." As for what can you do, here are some options: we need your donations and we need them now. We are asking for you to make a contribution of dollars to No Time For Poverty.

As I have already written, our clinic is needed now more than ever. You can earmark your donationto be used to complete construction of Klinik Timoun Nou Yo. Alternatively, you can earmark your donation for emergency relief and we assure you that your donation will not go toward any item left on a dock in Haiti but that it will be used directly and immediately to benefit the people of Haiti. You can also donate without any earmark and trust that we will use your contribution as we think best.

I will continue to keep you updated.

P.S. It seems trivial now, but we have been selling tickets for a raffle. Thanks to all who have purchased tickets. The raffle drawing was to be held today. Given the state of things we are moving the drawing to sometime next week. We will let you know.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Thursday, January 14

Another long day so please forgive if this update lacks panache. We are happy to report that we have located two more of our close Haitian friends, and they are alive. We are still awaiting word on others. Moreover, we have talked to a number of other philanthropic groups in Haiti who are awaiting word from Haitian friends and staff in Port au Prince.

While yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions as we learned one-by-one about the survival of those we love and care about, today we are working in overdrive to move forward. The issues seem to be these. First, the clinic is needed now more than ever before. The news story featuring No Time for Poverty by KSTP-TV last night brought about a realization that in our shock we had not considered; once completed Klinik Timoun Nou Yo will be the first new operating clinic in all of Haiti since the earthquake. If our drive to open the clinic was huge before, it is now gargantuan.

The second issue is that of providing immediate medical relief to those in need. Toward this end, we have begun to plan for a medical trip to Haiti. Indeed this is a difficult task. Preparations for this trip must be made mindfully. The team we put together should be diverse. It must include doctors of different specialties, EMT’s, nurses, etc. We must assure that we can secure proper medications and supplies. Transportation to Haiti must be assured and travel within Haiti must be guaranteed. Gas is limited and so it is incumbent upon us to assure to the best we are able that it is available for the vehicles that we will be using. Lodging and clean water are paramount for our volunteers. There are a number of other factors to consider – finding a viable location from which to work is critical … and much, much more.

We have been inundated by persons willing and wanting to come to Haiti to help. The trip we are putting together is only one of many that we will be making as long as volunteers, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals are available. If you’re interested in future trips, please provide us with your name, qualifications and contact information.

So many have asked what can be done to help and to this point in time, we have not specifically asked for financial contributions but only responded to those requesting to donate. We have done this as a result of the lesson learned two years ago from the hurricane disaster in Haiti. At that time, people wishing to help donated tons of food, supplies, etc. through various agencies and organizations. Unfortunately there was no viable method of distribution in place and a substantial amount was lost or ruined and never distributed to those who needed it as there was not an infrastructure to do so.

We are fortunate to know Haiti very well and to be able to secure the help from those on the ground willing to help and offer what they can despite the enormous losses they have personally endured.

Now I’m here to tell you that we need your donations and we need them now. We are asking for you to make a contribution of dollars to No Time For Poverty. As I have already written, our clinic is needed more than ever and you can earmark your funds to be used to complete construction of Klinik Timoun Nou Yo. Alternatively, your contribution may be earmarked for emergency relief and we will assure you that your contribution will not go toward any item left on a dock in Haiti. We will guarantee that it is used directly and immediately to benefit the people of Haiti.

It is usually our delight to thank you within 24 hours of receipt of your gift, and we will make every effort to let you know it was received, but please appreciate that it may take us some time to catch up.

To those of you who have sent e-mails, written notes and have telephoned, please know that we are grateful to each and every one of you for the support that you lend to all of us at No Time For Poverty. We wish we could respond to each and very one of you individually. For now it may be the best that we can do to provide you with these updates.

I will write again tomorrow.

Michele Boston, Executive Director

Wednesday, January 13

The last 24 hours have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The news coming from friends and staff in Haiti is horrific. The good news is that we have learned that 12, for whom we feared, are alive, 7 are yet unaccounted for. The clinic compound and our visitor center, both located away from Port-au- Prince, have sustained no damage, though many of our friends have lost their homes in Port-au- Prince. There is also little or no food, water or medical care available in Port-au- Prince.

We are awaiting information from our contacts within the military and the pentagon on strategy and planning. While so many want to help, we want to avoid the situation of 2008 when food and supplies were left to ruin in Haitian ports for lack of a distribution method. As soon as our government's intervention plans are solidified, we will be posting those ways you can truly make a difference.

If you do not want to wait - we are accepting donations online. The need for KTNY to serve children ages 0-16, and our comprehensive medical outreach program is needed more than ever. Should you wish to contribute, you may indicate whether your contribution be earmarked for emergency relief efforts, completion of our pediatric clinic, or a combination of both.

In addition to all else going on, Michele was interviewed to appear on the KSTP TV 10PM News.

As we learn more, we will share information here at the end of each day. If you wish to receive more frequent updates, sign up for email blasts.