The Epidemic
Epidemic. Is not the kind of word you want to hear; especially in a nation that is barely keeping it’s head above water as it is. Unfortunately the word epidemic has been ringing in our ears for the past few days. I know more about cholera now than I ever care to know.
Thankfully this time we at least have some time to prepare. The hurricanes, the earthquakes, the car accidents, the sudden deaths; those come all of a sudden and all you can do is scramble to pick up the pieces.
This time it’s different, this time we can actually be ready when disaster strikes and, we are ready, we are prepared. The beds are lined up, the buckets ready, the IV fluids and anti-biotics wait in anticipation. We sit quietly waiting for the chaos to break through the gate. Cholera we are ready for you!
Not only are we prepared but we are also being proactive. The medical staff has been busy educating our students, our staff and our church.
The kids are doing pretty well. They have been asking a lot of questions, are drinking only Culligan water for the time being (instead of using the bio-sand filters they normally use) and are using hand sanitizer like it’s going out of style. We had a “family meeting” and I explained as clearly as possible that they don’t need to worry, we are doing everything we can to protect them and even if they do get sick we have a clinic on campus, all they would have to do is take some medication and they would be fine. The little kids don’t really understand and unfortunately are hearing all sorts of wild stories from kids at school.
Last night Stevenson was acting a little strange, I pulled him aside and asked him what was going on. Between sobs he choked out that his stomach hurt and he didn’t want to die, the poor guy. We talked it through, and he was alright in the end, but still had this worried look on his face when I left.
Please keep Haiti in your prayers. It breaks my heart that kids don’t just get to be kids here. They shouldn’t have to worry about earthquakes and cholera, they should be laughing and playing worrying about soccer balls and Barbie’s.
Peace, love and the end of an epidemic!
Rachel
Thankfully this time we at least have some time to prepare. The hurricanes, the earthquakes, the car accidents, the sudden deaths; those come all of a sudden and all you can do is scramble to pick up the pieces.
This time it’s different, this time we can actually be ready when disaster strikes and, we are ready, we are prepared. The beds are lined up, the buckets ready, the IV fluids and anti-biotics wait in anticipation. We sit quietly waiting for the chaos to break through the gate. Cholera we are ready for you!
Not only are we prepared but we are also being proactive. The medical staff has been busy educating our students, our staff and our church.
The kids are doing pretty well. They have been asking a lot of questions, are drinking only Culligan water for the time being (instead of using the bio-sand filters they normally use) and are using hand sanitizer like it’s going out of style. We had a “family meeting” and I explained as clearly as possible that they don’t need to worry, we are doing everything we can to protect them and even if they do get sick we have a clinic on campus, all they would have to do is take some medication and they would be fine. The little kids don’t really understand and unfortunately are hearing all sorts of wild stories from kids at school.
Last night Stevenson was acting a little strange, I pulled him aside and asked him what was going on. Between sobs he choked out that his stomach hurt and he didn’t want to die, the poor guy. We talked it through, and he was alright in the end, but still had this worried look on his face when I left.
Please keep Haiti in your prayers. It breaks my heart that kids don’t just get to be kids here. They shouldn’t have to worry about earthquakes and cholera, they should be laughing and playing worrying about soccer balls and Barbie’s.
Peace, love and the end of an epidemic!
Rachel
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