By ALVIN REINER
ELIZABETHTOWN — When a local doctor and nurse saw the suffering in Haiti after the earthquake, they knew they had to try to help.
"Some of us were blessed to go," said licensed practical nurse Vickie Davis. "It was like we had to do something because it kind of gets into the pit of your stomach."
She and her husband, Dr. Harry Davis, decided they could be helpful in Haiti.
"I am a doctor and speak the language (French and Kreole)," Dr. Davis said.
He was also familiar with Haiti, having lived there in 1985 and 1986 and again from 1988 to 1991, as the tumultuous "Baby Doc" Duvalier regime came to an end.
'TERRIBLE'
Dr. Davis is employed at Elizabethtown-Community Hospital, and Mrs. Davis is working toward becoming a registered nurse.
But they took time off and paid their own way — about $5,000 — to go to Haiti to help with earthquake relief.
"Port-au-Prince was terrible and smelled of dead bodies," Dr. Davis said.
Those who survived, for the most part, lived in tents fashioned of bed sheets and anything else they could scrounge.
"From a hillside looking over Port-au-Prince Harbor, we could see the impressive international response," Dr. Davis said. "There were cargo boats, aircraft carriers and hospital ships from many nations.
"At times, there was absolute chaos," he said of the organizational process. "In some areas, there were too many doctors and not enough nurses. What compounded problems was the United Nations lost many of its top people when the building that housed them collapsed."
They were sent to Daquini, which is between Port-au-Prince and the epicenter of the quake. That area saw less damage than the capital, as the dwellings were single story and the people were able to get outside before the roofs, mostly made of lightweight corrugated metal, caved in.
MANY PATIENTS
The Davises' duties included working at a clinic that treated not only those who were injured in the quake but people who suffered from disease and malnourishment.
They may have seen more than 100 patients a day, though there was no way of keeping track.
Word of the clinic spread. One man with an obviously broken leg traveled 150 miles over bad roads in the back of a truck to get there. He hobbled around with a single crutch and was patched up as best they could, as there were no orthopedic services available.
DESPAIR EVIDENT
Residents from Port-au-Prince were piled on to buses and sent to the outlying villages, in many cases to live with relatives who were just getting by with their meager necessities.
"You could see the despair in the patients' faces," said an emotional Mrs. Davis. "They were hungry and homeless. There were times you had to hold back your tears."
She mentioned being moved by a 2-year-old with a distended belly due to lack of nutrition.
"There were little kids who came up the hill to the clinic with their older siblings, as their parents were unable to make the walk.
"We're spoiled here in the United States. I saw kids making their own toys out of anything they could get."
At times, people came to their clinic simply for comforting. "Sometimes you weren't sure how to help," Mrs. Davis said. "Harry and I said a prayer with a lady as her son had not been heard from since the quake."
AFTERSHOCKS
The Davises experienced aftershocks while in Haiti. Starting around 2 a.m., they felt as many as seven aftershocks in one day.
"We kind of sat up," Mrs. Davis said. "We really didn't know what to do. It sounded like two trains colliding, and the earth was moving."
By the time they left, Dr. Davis felt the Haitians were getting back to some semblance of normalcy. While they didn't have a lot of food, street vendors and small markets had started to re-open.
Elizabethtown-Community Hospital CEO Rodney Boula said the hospital staff was proud that Dr. Davis could help in Haiti.
"I have no doubt that his commitment of time, medical skills and knowledge directly helped many people affected by the inconceivable conditions."
Other doctors at ECH willingly filled in for Dr. Davis during his absence.
"All in all, I would go back in a heartbeat to help," Mrs. Davis said, reflecting on their experience.
"It felt so good to be able to help — and the wonderful feeling of seeing the many people waving at us when we went by."
E-mail Alvin Reiner at: rondackrambler@yahoo.com
