One Nurse Answers Haiti's Desperate Call
Mwen se infimye ou ("I am your nurse," Haitian Creole)
Canadian Kyra Abbott, BScN, RN, grew up in the small town of Perth, Ontario, and now makes her home in the city of Ottawa. And while this Magna CumLaude graduate of the University of Ottawa could have opted for any number of relatively comfortable nursing opportunities, she chose to spend more than 4 years living and working in Haiti.
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Kyra Abbott, BSN, RN, with coworkers at Saint Damien Pediatric Hospital, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. |
That's where her nursing education - the non-degreed, eye-opening variety - expanded into that realm of compassion that cannot be taught in textbooks.
Why Haiti?
Why would an RN go to an under-resourced country like Haiti to practice a profession already rife with physical and mental challenges?
"Well, it certainly wasn't for the cold showers and lack of water in general," explained Kyra speaking before a church congregation. "It wasn't for the large cockroaches or spiders in my bedroom and sometimes in my bed... or for the enormous rats that come out at night. It wasn't for the staple diet of rice and beans or for the stench and filthiness of the streets. It was not for the toxic air pollution from old diesel vehicles, nor for the lack of electricity or the insecurity and corruption.
"It was not for the relentless humid heat nor the overcrowding," she recounted. "It is not for the infections that come along with the work - I have had scabies twice, malaria once, giardia countless times, and ciguatera poisoning..." Upon further reflection, Kyra said, "I think what keeps me going back is the mere fact that I've seen the misery of these people... the struggle they must fight to merely stay alive, the practical problems of existence and the hardships they go through each and every day without exception. I see their pain. I feel their pain. I am compelled to react," she said, personally summarizing her call to nursing.
Observing the Unthinkable
Kyra worked first as a volunteer at Haiti's largest pediatric hospital, then later on as staff at the Maison de Naissance (French for ‘Birthing Home') Foundation as their first-ever fulltime expat in the position of program development and sustainability officer.
Along the way, she observed the unthinkable.
"I've seen four newborn babies die from neonatal tetanus because their umbilical cords were cut with dirty tools and because their mothers had no access to the tetanus vaccine. I have seen babies whose ears, noses or toes have been nibbled off by rats. I have cared for severely burned children who scream in agony as their dressings are changed without the luxury of any pain medication whatsoever," she recalled.
Pediatric burn injuries are prevalent on the island - with a lack of electricity, dangerous open fires and hot cauldrons for food preparation, as well as kerosene lanterns and candles inside the small homes are the norm.
Nursing Haiti's Children
Kyra has nursed too many children who have fallen innocent victim to Haiti's shortened life expectancy. Meet
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| Kyra Abbott, BSN, RN, spends precious time with patient Sebastien. |
Sebastien, shown here with Kyra. He was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2006.
"Cancer treatment is rare and the field of oncology only just emerging in Haiti," explained Kyra. "The basic diagnostic tests, treatments and care that are available (i.e. CT scans, a very few oral and parenteral chemo drugs) are generally only accessible to the upper class due to their costs. Still, most upper class Haitians would opt to travel abroad for any specialized medical care."
Kyra noted that Sebastien was "lucky" enough to receive care at Saint Damien Pediatric Hospital, a Catholic mission hospital for the poor, "where he received free care including painful chemotherapy - no central lines in Haiti -and also had a kidney removed. He traveled to Dominican Republic for radiation therapy (also paid by the mission hospital).
"His cancer metastasized and more chemo treatments were trialed," explained Kyra. "At various times his eyes swelled out of their sockets and eventually he lost vision in both eyes. Sebastien had a million dollar smile and dimples that would melt anyone's heart. He fought his illness with courage and patience and grace...."
Sebastien died in March, "after incomprehensible suffering. He was only 9 years old. He is certainly resting in well-deserved peace," said his devoted nurse.
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A Haitian mother holds her newborn at Maison de Naissance. A proud sibling shares the moment. |
Looking Forward
So again, I ask while pondering Kyra's testimony, "Why Haiti?"
"Now that I have born witness to the plight of these people, now that I have seen first-hand the gross injustices of their lives, now that I know they are out there, I cannot possibly turn my back on them," said Kyra. "I have seen too much preventable suffering."
Ah, "preventable." It is a word that breathes hope for the future.
Next: A Haitian nursing school is called "a miracle."