Carol began working at the RHFH Clinic in September of 2005.  Her duties include patient consultations and medication distribution.  Carol attended nursing school in Haiti at the Axillary School of Ms. Miriame,  where she graduated at the top of her class.  She is married and lives in Port-au-Prince, which is usually a 90-minute drive away from Cazale.  Due to the long commute, Carol stays at another nurse’s home during the weekdays and returns to her home when the clinic week is finished.

When asked why she would choose to work at a clinic such a long distance from her home instead of pursuing a job in Port-au-Prince, she said that she loves her job and enjoys the work she does here.  She is very satisfied, and that is her dream, to simply be satisfied.  Carol realizes she is able to help many people, and that means a great deal to her.  She is a humble lady, though.  She said she doesn’t ever want to think of herself as being above anyone else.  “The only one who should be on top is God.” 

Carol enjoys seeing patients come in for different sicknesses (like high blood pressure, high blood-sugar, or Tuberculosis) and giving them the medications they need.  When they follow her instructions and return for a check-up appointment the following month, she gets to see them improving.  This is satisfying to her and makes her feel like she is doing a good job.

Without the RHFH Clinic being available, Carol says that too many people would die.  Life is very hard in Haiti, especially for the people living in the mountains.  This clinic helps them survive.  But it’s not just the people from the mountains or those living in Cazale that this clinic helps.  People from all over Haiti come here – from Lagonave (an island), Carrefour, Jacmel, and even Jeremie (located at the southwestern most end of Haiti).  They travel great distances to come here.  These people may lose a day for traveling such a great distance, but the care they receive here is worth the sacrifice to them. 

One huge factor for successful healthcare that the RHFH Clinic provides is good patient education.  The staff takes the time to talk to each patient, explaining the health issues and what the patient needs to do to take care of him/herself to get back to good health.  Carol says that she can give good patient care, but she also needs the medications to give to her patients for successful treatment.  At our clinic, patients can receive the complete care they need, both counsel and medicine.  For many in Haiti, medication may not be difficult for patients to find, but good education is.  Carol said she sees good results here, compared to other institutions in Haiti.

Carol’s dreams for the RHFH clinic would be growth and expansion in the services provided to the patients.  In-patient hospitalization and the ability to provide operations are the things she would like to see develop within this clinic.  She would love to be able to provide all the care patients require, without having to refer them on to other facilities.

Through her years of experience, she has gained a wealth of knowledge.  Carol’s education got her off to a good start, but she has continued to learn.  She says that Lori has taught her many things.  When Carol has a case that she doesn’t understand, she seeks Lori’s counsel.  Once Lori explains things to her, she is prepared for the next time a similar case comes along, and she knows what to do.  Carol enjoys learning and likes to study.  She would love to be a pediatric doctor, because she loves helping children.   

Carol has a strong dedication to her patients, and hurts for them when she can’t help them.  Sometimes she feels frustrated when she isn’t seeing good results or when a patient dies, but she strives to continue to do her best to give life.  She listens to her patients’ cries, whether adult or child.  When she hears them cry, “I need to move to see what I can do.”

We have great respect for Carol.  Not only is she an intregal part of the Clinic, she is also a woman of great integrity and unselfishness within her own family.  The child of a single mother, Carol not only put herself through nursing school, but she also sent all her siblings through school.  She made sure they all finished before she began her studies.   It just reiterates how amazing this lady is .   

Carol learned a valuable lesson in school that she has held tight to throughout her career,

“You have to forget about yourself to care for your patients.”

What a lady.  What a blessing.