V.J. is a 90 year old woman who presented to clinic with shortness of breath. Unfortunately, her oxygen and blood pressure were low and her heart rate was slow. She has a history of hypertension. She did not have a fever and she was not anemic. Her lung exam was normal. We suspected that she was having a myocardial infarction involving the right side of her heart. Her family elected not to go to a hospital as there is very little intervention that a hospital in Haiti can provide for a heart attack. She was placed on oxygen and given some IV fluids. Many family members and friends were present. We explained that she likely would pass away but we would do what we could for her and asked everyone to pray.

I am happy to report that God has been merciful to V.J. and she has improved greatly. She required oxygen for 3 days and then we were able to wean her off. Her blood pressure normalized over the first 24 hours and then slowly increased back to her baseline. Taking care of this patient was a true blessing. She is a well-respected person in Cazale. She was a mid wife for a number of years. She has encouraged and blessed many people in this community. She used to rub Gretchen’s feet many years ago as a thank you for all her hard work. She has also came and encouraged Lori and Licia in the same way over their years serving in Cazale. It has been a joy for our staff to serve her as she has served RHFH in various ways over the years. The community response to her illness was humbling to see. She remained at clinic for 5 days and the entire time she was here there was an entourage of people from the community that genuinely cared for her and attended to every need. One morning I came to check on her and there were 5 ladies- not much younger than V.J., giving her a bath. V.J has sown many seed of genuine love and affection over the years and it was a delight to see her receive some of that love and affection back during her time of need. We are grateful to God for all He has done!