I am writing this on the road back from a small village near the Haitian-DR border. Amazing technology! As we started our day, Dr. Beyda reminded us of the importance of random acts of kindness. Little did I know that we would be tested on that thought! Today we saw approximately 360 children. We were so busy that I didn't step out from behind the counter until lunch. After lunch, I got called on an emergency for rehydration solution and IV antibiotics. The initial story was that the child was brought in by a woman who found him on a trash pile. It was obvious that there was something wrong with him. Dr. Beyda confirmed that he had cerebral palsy. The boy was lethargic and fairly unresponsive. From a head circumference measurement Dr. Beyda determined that the child was 1.5 years old! I was shocked! He was so tiny! My first thought was that this was a random act of kindness. But as we dealt with his medical issues, hanging fluids, starting an IV, giving oral rehydration, IV antibiotics...Dr. Beyda and our local doctor, Dr. Manno, felt that something was not right with her story. Dr. Beyda gently questioned her and found out that she has ten other children. She felt that she could not care for this boy. After some counseling and support from the project for nutrition, she left wanting to keep the child. It was a good lesson in non-judgement. Something I am not going to forget for a long time.
Overall, it was an exhausting, trying day both mentally and physically. One paradox that we found at the end of the day... We looked out over the slums from our second floor clinic and looked down on a single sunflower growing next to an organic garden planted in the remains of a old building! A lone gardener was watering his crops using an old gas bucket with holes punched in the bottom. The wall remnants separated his crops. Like Sandey said, a lotus growing in the mud. And, a sign that hope can grow anywhere!
I miss and love you all! Don't forget to check out tenutophotoblog.com for pictures!
If you tweet, you can follow us throughout the day on Twitter: @commonfate, @tenutophoto, and @davidbeyda.
Sent from my iPhone from the nearest fair-trade coffee shop or remote hiking trail! (Isn't technology wonderful! Sometimes it can be used to keep you in the present moment instead of pulling you out of it. I will text in two iphone pictures separately!)
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