Hope in the Balance

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Reviewed by Denise Flint

Hope in the Balance

A Newfoundland Doctor Meets a World in Crisis - Andrew Furey

In 2010, following a devastating hurricane,

Dr. Andrew Furey from Newfoundland and Labrador put together a small medical team to travel to Haiti and do what they could to help. From that first trip Team Broken Earth was formed. Now the organization has 1,200 volunteers working as small, geographically based teams from across Canada with missions around the globe. Hope in the Balance is Furey’s personal account of his work with Broken Earth, how he came to it and how he reconciles the relatively little they’re able to do with the overwhelming need for their services. As he faces one humanitarian crisis after another, he repeats to both himself and the reader the words of one of the early team members: Broken Earth is not trying to change the world, just someone’s world.

There are some extremely harrowing scenes here. Furey trying to hold closed the artery of an 18-year-old gunshot victim as she bleeds to death is just one example. His decision never to return to a Haitian orphanage because he just can’t face the children is a less harrowing but equally affecting scene. Yet, rather than making us turn away, these episodes bring home to the reader our shared humanity. Saving one life might not cause a ripple in the world, but it’s clear that it makes the world a better place, not just for the recipient, but also for the one doing the saving. And, although this might not have been Furey’s original purpose, Hope in the Balance is sure to inspire others to similar acts of compassion.

Q&A with the Author

Denise Flint:

You’re not an author and here you are with a book. Have you always wanted to write?

Andrew Furey:

No. How this evolved was I started keeping a bit of a journal and it was helpful and cathartic, and that evolved into a blog and I found my voice. With some help I was able to find a voice that was able to tell a story about people around the world.

DF: You don’t have a lot of time on your hands [Furey recently became premier of Newfoundland and Labrador]. What made you take the time to write a book? And how did you find the time?

AF: Some of these chapters will be recognized from the blog, and frankly, the publisher came to me almost three years ago and from there we started putting the blog and stories together. It was an evolution and a collection into a book.

DF: Do you have a goal in writing this book besides just getting it off your chest? Is there a fundamental message you’re trying to get across?

AF: I think there’s a personal one. This is about me trying to discover who I am and why I am where I am [prior to politics]. And the second element is to see if I could discover why Broken Earth worked, and through those arcs there’s different influences coming into play, whether it’s growing up in Newfoundland or the impact of my family.

DF: What was the best part of writing this book? The most surprising?

AF: The best was recognizing that – it sounds simplistic – is recognizing you are who you are and it’s hard to share experiences of yourself, your province, your family and your team. Lots of time we’re just wandering through space, but you’re the sum of many people and we’re all connected. The book is my voice, but it is a collective effort that got us there.

DF: What are you reading now? What’s your favourite kind of book to relax with?

AF: I like a combo of fiction and nonfiction, and I usually have both going at the same time. The last book I finished was 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I was reading that simultaneously with The Value of Everything [Mariana Mazzucato]. Sometimes I lean more towards the nonfiction, usually with an economical or psychological bent. Another book is All the Light We Cannot See [Anthony Doerr]. I really enjoyed it. I’m always reading nonfiction, even fun stuff like Malcolm Gladwell. Factfulness [Hans Rosling] is a great read for people who think we’re going backwards.

DF: What is Broken Earth doing now in COVID times?

AF: It’s been hard; it’s been hard on the charity. There’s still an incredible group that still wants to give, but it’s hard to hop on an airplane. The core is so strong and the will is so strong that we’ll come out the other side just fine, but it’s on hold. We’ve had to think about the future as every organization has, but we’re lucky that the day-to-day operation can be paused. I got three emails today about it. Some think now would be the time to return.

DF: I was struck by how this kind of overseas mission wasn’t something you’d ever been drawn to previously. Then suddenly it’s a big part of your life. Do you think there are moments in a person’s life that change everything?

AF: Yes I do. I think that opportunities present themselves. Sometimes they’re hidden, sometimes they’re not. I think people’s lives can change for the better by recognizing challenges. It certainly has for me. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as getting on a plane to Haiti. Hopefully, when we’re all old we can reflect on that being a good series of adventures. It opened my mind and heart, and made me a better doctor, father and husband, and made me develop better skills. The first trip was so difficult no one would have blamed us for walking away, and when you’re living it you don’t recognize it. Writing the book made me recognize it.

Andrew Furey presents a child in Haiti with a gift.

Broken Earth photo

DF: What are your dreams for what the organization can become?

AF: One of the nice things about the organization is that we didn’t have a big dream – it evolved organically. But now it would be by any measure successful if it just continued to do what it does now. Before COVID we wanted to expand into the United States and expand our footprint around the world.

DF: Will you ever get back to Haiti again?

AF: Absolutely! I am 100 per cent certain I’ll return. Over the years you develop such strong relationships with people they’re almost closer than friends. They become family. I look forward to continuing that in the future.

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