A Letter from Brittany…
Joel Jean is a Registered Nurse that I have been working with for over 10 years. He is a true hero to his people in Baie d’Orange and has dedicated his life to helping them. I got to know Joel when I worked with him in an outpatient malnutrition program when I lived in Belle Anse. Our partnership continued at Danita's Children in Ouanaminthe where we started an in-patient malnutrition center.
All this work has led us to found Partner Haiti, a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization, for the sole purpose of helping Joel and those like him that are working tirelessly for the people in their communities across Haiti. Day and night Joel is receiving patients- those who are sick, burned, hurt, malnourished, in active labor, those with cholera, and the list goes on and on. Women who need an emergency c-section are showing up at his door with nowhere to go for help. In a town where there is no doctor, he is usually their only hope.
Just last month a woman came for help. She was past due in her pregnancy and had been in severe pain for 3 days. The baby's arm was delivered, but the rest of the baby’s body was stuck, and she wasn't dilated. It was clear that the baby was no longer alive, and the mother's life was at risk. Joel spent hours calling for ambulances from all over the area but none could come. The woman was too sick to be transported on a motorcycle down the mountain to the nearest hospital that is 3 hours away, and they needed a miracle. It was midnight when the woman was finally able to push the baby out with assistance from Joel. Sadly, the baby was gone, but because he was willing and able to help, he was able to get her on an IV to treat her infection and deliver the baby. She would have died soon after if Joel hadn't been able to help her.
Unfortunately, stories like this are happening every day in Baie d’Orange. Joel and I, with the help of partners like you, have decided we can do more! In addition to working in malnutrition, we started a prenatal program where we can identify complications before they become life-threatening. This baby didn't have to die. If the mom had prenatal care, monthly checkups, and ultrasounds, they could have identified a problem before it was too late. At the prenatal program, women will know where to go for help before their condition gets worse. Countless mothers and babies will be saved.
In May of this year, I had a complicated pregnancy and delivery. As I lay on the operating table in the USA, with two anesthesiologists on both sides of me, a brilliant surgeon, several other doctors and nurses around me, and blood readily available matched to my blood type, I was in tears knowing women in Baie d'Orange don't get this same opportunity. I knew that if I was there, with my pregnancy, I would have died. It was a humbling thought, and it has driven me to do more for these women, children, and families. I AM that woman. I was just lucky enough to get the help and care that I needed. The women in Haiti deserve the same.
My healthy 3-month-old baby is my reminder, and she always will be that motivation to me. These women are no different than me. These children are no different than my own. They deserve to live and thrive just as we do. And if I am blessed enough to be able to advocate and fight for them, then that is what I will spend my life doing.
That is what Partner Haiti is.
Will you join me in helping these women, children, and families?
