Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thur night update

Brian called tonight. Here is the latest:

Brian said he is pretty worn out, that it has been physically challenging. It is hot. They are drinking lots of fluids. The food is just ok when they're out and about - granola bars - but great at the compound where they are staying.

He was anxious to tell me a story about a 14-year-old girl he saw today in the tent village in PAP. She had a splint on her leg and was writhing in pain. He could smell it and see that her entire lower leg was gangrenous. He took the old dressings off and gave her a shot of antibiotics. He knew she needed to get to a hospital immediately, but they had no means of transport. They were calling around trying to find transportation for her, and when he turned around the guy they were trying to reach was standing there and he said he came because he thought they might need to transport someone to the hospital. Within minutes she was on a helicopter.

Another person came in with a similar situation and was taken to have surgery. Then another, but Brian wasn't sure what happened with the third patient. He said he had never seen anything like this, especially in such volume.

Brian said that traveling within PAP takes a long time. There are people and debris in the streets. He said they drove 2 hours from the compound where they are staying to where they worked today, and then 2 hours back to the compound at the end of the day.

At the first place they went today, the orphanage that started with about 75 kids and where about 40 had died in the earthquake, Fox news was there videotaping. He said the children there were young, mostly under two years of age, and crunched up. He said it was heartbreaking. There were wounds, the children were crying. When the team finished there they ate and sat in a circle on a soccer field and talked and prayed.

Brian said that Larry had a good day at a hospital. They had x-rays there. Larry and another orthopedist put on casts all day for broken closed bones. Larry may go back to that hospital tomorrow. There are 40 broken femurs at this one hospital, and they all need to be fixed in the operating room.

On a side note, some friends of ours have a connection to a church in PAP where we think there are some people camped out. There were apparently up to 1500 people there a few days ago, but many have left due to lack of food, water, and medical attention. The pastor of this church drove to the Dominican Republic Monday for help, but his car broke down and he is stuck in the DR. We think the church may be located on the same street as the compound where the team is staying. Brian is going to see if someone knows anything about the location of the church and whether or not they can get any help there. It would be great if you could include this church in your prayers.

The team is going to try to get some good rest tonight.

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