15 years ago, devastation struck the island of Haiti when an earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude hit. Over 220,000 people died, 300,000 injured and millions of other were displaced as a result. Health professionals from Jackson Health System were some of the first to be on the frontlines providing aid to the victims. SEIU members, Rose Numa, RN and Marcus Desrosiers, RN shared their stories with us.
Numa originally from Les Cayes, Haiti remembers seeing bodies and people with infected wounds passing by her on stretchers throughout the day. “They really needed nurses, it was devastating,” Numa said. Numa went to Port-au-Prince less than a week after the earthquake hit. With resources scarce, Numa recalls hanging an IV bag on a tree to give fluids to a dehydrated child. “I was very happy to help my people,” Numa said. Numa brought five suitcases filled with over the counter medicine, sanitary products and any necessities that she could gather on such a short notice.
It wasn’t until she got off the plane in Orlando that Numa had a breakdown. “I stayed in bed for two days,” she said.
At the time of the earthquake, Numa was a L&D nurse at Holtz Women & Children’s. She is currently working per diem at Jackson North.
When Marcus Desrosiers, also from Les Cayes, heard about the earthquake that devastated his home country, he knew he had to help. “I felt this was the way to pay back Haiti,” he said. Desrosier, an ER nurse, walked into what he described as a “warzone.” He recalls sharing a big tent with his fellow colleagues where they slept on cots. “It was a lot of trauma,” Desrosiers said. Though they were all shell shocked from the scene in front of them, Desrosiers said each day was an improvement as all the medical professionals organized to provide better care.
Desrosiers tragically remembers patients passing away from ailments that would’ve been preventable if they had more supplies.
Elisa Priscal, OT and Delia Hernandez-Rivero, OT also spent a week dedicating their time and gifts in Haiti. Martha Baker, RN recalls the conversation that Priscal and Hernandez-Rivero shared upon their return. They both were overwhelmed with the number of injuries before them and pushed forward to render care “one patient at a time.”
As we look back on the tragedy that devastated Haiti 15 years ago, we highlight and uplift those who continue to selflessly serve their patients. Thank you all again.
In Unity,
Martha Baker, RN