Bonjour from Haiti
Nurse anesthetist Emily Zimmerman’s experience in earthquake devastated Haiti
From: Emily Zimmerman Date: Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 8:47 PM Subject: Bonjour from Haiti Hello friends and familyConditions are worse than imaginable. The entire city has suffered destruction. The streets are lined with make-shift tents. Even families whose shelter remains standing choose to live in the streets for fear of after-shock. Recently orphaned children sit blank-stared on sidewalks just lost. As we drove to the hospital, the smells are overwhelming. Many bodies remain trapped under rubble...it has now been over two weeks. My team joined with other Doctors Without Borders. We sleep in tents outside the Hope for Haiti clinic across the street from Hospital Adventista. My first night, I was awakened to someone from the hospital across the street calling for the “blonde-hair anesthesia”. There are two anesthetists (myself included) on our team. I grabbed my new-found CRNA friend and ran next door. There was a stat C-section at the hospital. The conditions are unbelievable. Make-shift ORs with out-dated drugs that I have only read about. But we have an anesthesia machine! This morning I worked in a public health clinic. Six of us assessed over 250 Haitian men, women, and children. Later in the afternoon I went back to the hospital to help with anesthesia. Tomorrow more surgeries. Will try to keep in touch later. Take nothing for granted. Love you all. Emily