Droplets of hope...

Amidst the waves of suffering in Haiti, droplets of hope can be found.

I read about a 4 year old boy who was brought to the IDF hospital by his father due to vomiting and weakness. Blood results quickly proved the child was suffering from leukemia, a disease which could not be treated in-country. Fortunately the child was transferred to Miami where he will be treated with state of the art medicine. Despite the circumstances, for this boy, the arrival of the IDF hospital and the world’s attention on Haiti, made it possible for him to get the treatment he needs. Before the earthquake, who knows what would have happened? Would he have been able to pay for a hospital visit? Would he have been diagnosed correctly? And would medical personnel ever have been able to fly him to the USA for treatment? I know that for similar cases in Sierra Leone, West Africa, there would be no solution. For this little boy in Haiti, there is now hope.

Another organization assisted a lady with an emergency c-section in the middle of the night due to placental abruption. Fortunately there was both an ObGyn and a pediatrician available to help this mother and child. After resuscitation of the child, both survived. Had this same event taken place prior to the earthquake, I wonder if both mother and child would have survived. Another glimmer of hope.

Although I have heard the situation is dire and the cases seen are horrific, it is great to know that many teams are on the ground, making a difference. And even those men, women and children with conditions not directly caused by the earthquake, are also able to receive quality care.

In the waves of suffering, there are little droplets of hope. Hope for individuals. Hope for Haiti.