Haiti Update

I wanted to say thanks again to all who participated in the Hope for Haiti donation drive a while back. It was an awesome result and I’m truly grateful. After having flights postponed for a while, my sister and the group of doctors and nurses were able to travel to Haiti recently to help in the relief efforts. I asked my sister to share her thoughts from her trip.

As a photographer’s sister, I’ve come to appreciate photography and even more so the stories the photos tell. While the pictures of my week in Haiti speak volumes, they do not even begin to capture what has really happened there and what I had the privilege of experiencing. From the moment we hit the ground, the view was completely different than the ones I had seen before. The small Port Au Prince airport is filled with large cargo jets and military entourages. No questions are asked at customs or immigrations…the people are just thankful to have the help. On our way up to the home we were staying in for the week, we were told that the sites we were seeing…crumbled buildings, piles of trash, and tents everywhere…were nothing in comparison to what we would see later in the week.

The further we got from the city, the physical damage was much less apparent but the effects were by no means less real. We served almost 800 patients in 4 days in a small mountain clinic — many of the stories similar — people who could not sleep or eat after the earthquake, panic attacks, trouble breathing, and rashes after bathing in the only water they could find in Port Au Prince. While none of these seemed hard to believe, they became so much more meaningful after we toured Port Au Prince. We’ve all see the pictures on the news, and I’ll share some too, but they do no justice to what has and is happening there. Everywhere one looks, there are huge buildings crumbled to the ground as if a bomb went off inside each of them. Schools with empty desks visible through the holes in the walls. Piles upon piles of trash line the streets next to all the tents — some sturdy and others comprised of sticks and bed sheets. The palace and the cathedral are both in shambles. And there are tent cities every few blocks with some holding thousands upon thousands of people.

In the midst of all of this, the people are truly trying to move on. On the other side of the streets are all the vendors trying to sell their produce or wares. And in the tent cities, there are smiling children playing with toy cars made out of empty plastic bottles. There are truly no words to fully describe what we saw that day, but I count it an absolute privilege to be given a very small glimpse of what these people are experiencing. It truly puts things in perspective.

Thank you so much to all of you who donated through the “Hope for Haiti” fundraiser! With that money, I was able to buy medical equipment and supplies to better serve the patients at the clinic.

Here are a few more photos that my sister wanted to share from her trip…

Hope For Haiti Update

HOPE for Haiti

February 1 | Update
Just wanted to let you know that the photos have arrived from the online print company and will be mailed in the next couple of days. If you are looking for an online print company, I highly recommend MPix.com. They do great work and were very gracious in providing discounts to help support the fundraising efforts.

January 22 | Update
I just wanted to inform you that the date of the trip has changed. Due to flights into Haiti being postponed, the group will now be traveling to Haiti either the first or second week of February. All of your donations will still be used directly in the relief effort. I really appreciate everyone’s generosity. It has been an amazing display of support. Over the course of the next few days, I will keep you updated. If you have any questions, please email me.

I wanted to share with you an opportunity that has become very near to my heart. As all know, a massive earthquake destroyed a great portion of the nation of Haiti last week. Likely, you have all seen many moving images from the disaster. As the week progressed, more and more coverage of the disaster occurred and many opportunities to help the cause of Haiti became available. I want to share with you an opportunity to help in the relief of Haiti in a way that is very tangible and very real.

My sister, Kimberly (who is a pediatric nurse), had the opportunity to travel to Haiti twice last year on medical mission’s trips. Her most recent trip was just about a month before the earthquake occurred. On January 27th, a group of doctors and nurses, including my sister, will travel to Haiti to serve in the village of Gramothe at a ministry called Mountain Top Ministry. This ministry has a church, school, clinic, and orphanage. The ministry that she and the other medical professionals will be serving at is in great need of supplies. Because of the earthquake, the few supplies that were on hand are now depleted. With few supplies, it has become difficult to give the proper attention and care to those in need–and there are so many. The greatest concern and need that these doctors and nurses have for the people of Haiti are in the form of proper supplies. Things we take for granted on a day to day basis aren’t available for these people. As this group prepares to travel to Haiti, they are raising money to purchase supplies to bring along with them. These supplies will be such a huge relief to those in need. For those interested, the ministry where these doctors and nurses will be serving at has a website at mtmhaiti.com.

I believe that we all can play a part in helping the needs of Haiti. For my sister and these doctors, they are able to use their medical experience and expertise to serve those in need of medical care. Obviously we can’t all do this, but we can all help in one way or another. I know many already have and that is wonderful, but if you are feeling led to help out additionally or if you haven’t already helped, I want to give you the opportunity to do so through the avenue of this group of medical professionals. Know that your contribution isn’t about you or me, or my sister, or these other medical professionals- it’s about the many families in Haiti that are in desperate need. If you feel led to help, here’s one way you can.

As a photographer, one of the things that I do is take pictures of abstract items that can be pieced together to spell out words. Mainly, I’ve used them as gifts in the past. But this time, I want to put them to use for something greater. I have chosen the word “HOPE” as the driving force to this project. Whenever I think of disasters like this, I see that so many are left stripped of everything that they had and are left holding on to Hope. It is that Hope that drives them from day to day. Hope to be reunited with family. Hope to receive care that is needed. Hope to rebuild. Hope to experience joy again. Hope to regain happiness. You can help restore that Hope. With a minimum donation of $5 (and more than $5 is certainly welcome), you will receive in the mail four 4×6 images spelling out the word hope (as shown above). Due to the urgency of this need and the extra shipping costs, the images will not be framed. However, most major stores that carry picture frames will carry frames with an opening for four photos. All the proceeds from this donation drive will be given to the fund that these medical professionals have established for purchasing supplies that are much needed in order to care for those in need.

I understand that some of you may not know me or my sister, and may feel comfortable to give in other ways. That is certainly welcome. Please, though, don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. I’ll do my best to answer what I can and will get you in touch with my sister if you have any questions for her and the group.

For those of you that are led to help, thank you very much. It means a lot to my sister and myself, but more importantly think about what it means to those in Haiti. Please, please, please pass the link around to your friends and family. Every donation can make a difference.

Thanks very much for your contributions. Stay tuned over the next few days for updates.

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions.