Saturday’s PT Session
Today we were able to sleep in as we did not have to be at the clinic until 9:00 am. It is funny how the heat and the daylight make it easier to wake up early. In our house, we have water for a cold shower between the hours of 6:00 – 7:00 am and 6:00 – 7:00 pm. The rest of the time we take a bucket shower which is completely adequate and refreshing. (It is amazing how much water we waste back home!) Today there was not rush for a shower and I still made it down to breakfast by 6:30. Pancakes and fruit made for a delightful breakfast, in fact, my favorite all time breakfast here. We have no syrup but the guava preserves add a wonderful taste sensation. The coffee with crème and sugar is also an incredible staple despite the heat.
We walked over to the clinic and waited for our 6 patients to arrive from L’Escale which is the community down the road where the patients are housed while awaiting their limbs. Clair and I decided to have the women walk around the block out in the community to practice their community reintegration. We paused at the half way point to sit down momentarily on the low wall in the shade. Pictures and a bit of dancing also occurred! One patient was just finishing 9th grade. The other 3 were older women. We proclaimed it to be the parade of the femn valiant or the valiant women. The walk took about a half hour and we made sure that everyone rehydrated when all were safely back at the clinic. It was great for the women to be out in mass and for others in the community to see these women walking. Two of the men remained behind to work with Luke. We then broke into small one-on-one sessions with each patient working on functional activities like balance, gait training, and strengthening exercises. Although we have the normal PT equipment such as parallel bars, balls, theraband, stairs, ramps, and a plyos ladder, we also have our patients do function activities such as carrying things like a jug of water or boxes of things on their heads as they navigate the clinic. Anywhere in Haiti it is clear that balancing items on one’s head as people navigate from one point to another over rustic terrain is the norm. No ice or snow to deal with – just rugged terrain.
We were playing catch with one of our older women and she decided to get tricky. She passed the ball between her legs, around her back, and then she tossed me the ball. Eventually, she became even trickier and as she passed the ball between her legs, her face took on a mischievous appearance. Suddenly, she passed the ball up under her shirt and began to walk around like a young pregnant woman! It was hilarious! She then feigned that it was time to have her baby. She very functionally dropped down to the ground and gave birth to our soccer ball. We were then told to cut the cord! Everyone howled with laughter! We then practiced falls recovery with everyone in the padded cubical that Clair and I put together the other day after washing down the mats. All in all it was a fun and functional morning. We said goodbye to our patients and went back to the Alumni House for lunch. The rest of the afternoon we were off so we spent time in the pool.
Tonight will be very low key and I am looking forward to a good night of sleep. I thought I was coming down with a cold, but the fresh juice we have with every meal seems to have killed any bugs attacking my system. I hope to get on the internet tonight!
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