(written on the way to PDX headed to Haiti via Miami)
Sorry it's been so long. Far too long - I'm itching to get back "in country". And yes, my fellow medical geeks, there IS a drug for that.
Many people have said they expected me to write a "wrap up blog" after my last trip - to reflect on my journey, and the impact it's had on so many lives (most notably my own). And I must admit, the thought has crossed my mind... Especially when Laura (one of my new nurse friends) and I were giggling profusely at the idea of an actual BATH, and again when the drunk cruise ship passenger asked "why are you still going to Haiti? Isn't everything fixed yet?". Apparently, in her mind, since Geraldo had pulled out the problems must be over....
Well, I can tell you from personal experience, the problems are far from over. Over 220,000 people died, and sadly, many more will die from disease and infection related to the devastation caused by the earthquake that happened in January. Things like this don't wrap up easily like a sitcom.
As many of you know, I returned from my first trip to have unexpected surgery (not at all related to anything that happened in Haiti), and I've gotta say, there's nothing like laying on the couch watching daytime TV for a month to motivate me to return to Haiti. Although this time I'll "take it easy"... Ha ha ha...
It is an honor and a privilege to serve, and I am so grateful for the love and support I've received from my community, and to be going to touch so many lives. I suspect if it wasn't for those "pesky student loans" and the fact that I am almost equally inspired by what I'm doing down at Broadway Apothecary, I might make the move a more permanent one. But unless any of you have a direct line to President Obama or Bill Gates...
Oh, and before I forget - on my last trip, there was some confusion about how to contact me. I CAN receive email messages, just not as a "reply" to this address. The address associated with this "email blog" is for a user group - replies go nowhere. You can, however, email me at
pitt5297 (at) pacificu (dot) edu
Emails sent to this address get to me quite well, as long as the satellites are in the right configuration...
Okay, off to solve problems and save lives...
~PJ
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