Newsmakers
March 2, 2010.
CSJs in Dominican Republic active in Haitian relief efforts
CSJs Active in Haitian Relief Efforts
Sister Babs Barry,CSJ and Sister Jane Reilly,CSJ serve with Msgr. John Cervini in the three areas that make up the Mission of the Diocese of Rockville Center in the Dominican Republic. These are the villages of El Cercado and Hondo Valle near the Haitian Border and the capital of Santo Domingo. They have been doing whatever they can to assist in the relief effort. "In our part of the frontier region", wrote Sister Jane in an email to the mission office, "all the parishes are raising funds and receiving donations of food. The center of our province is a formal border crossing point with Haiti and caravans of trucks are going to Port–au-Prince every day. It takes about two and a half hours to get there." She added that Sister Babs "is involved in the purchase and the sending of medical supplies to Father Rick Frechette, a priest who is a physician and who directs St. Damien’s Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince." Joanne Paterson who works with Msgr. Cervini wrote," in El Cercado, we delivered three truckloads of food and water…we continue to ask for donations to make up food bags as we currently are crossing the border on a weekly basis." She added that "Father Rick contacts Sister Babs daily for his needs and she packs it up and sends it by truck or helicopter" to the Haitian capital. From The Long Island Catholic , February 2, 2010 Letter from S. Babs Barry UPDATE "Your contributions and deep concern for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti have been beyond any expectation I had when Jean said she would ask for your financial assistance. The first day's mail, after our conversation, brought in $20,000 which propelled me into action to fill the list of medicines and materials requested by my contacts at St. Damien's Hospital for Children. This amount has doubled, and every day continues to bring in more from our Sisters and the institutions where we minister. In addition, you have reached out to your families and friends, colleagues, alumni, and parishioners and they have responded so generously. To tell the truth, I fall asleep at my desk almost every night as I try to keep on top of recording and endorsing checks. Here is a little background to familiarize you with a few people and some terminology from these parts. For years patients have been referred to me by Father Rick Frechette, CP, who is a medical doctor, founder of NPH in Haiti, which is an orphanage (Our Little Brothers and Sisters) and who is also connected with St Damien's and many other projects which assist the poorest in Port au Prince. Six years ago NPH established an orphanage in the Dominican Republic and our bonds have grown, as some of those referred patients are now residents at NPH here as they continue cancer treatment. After the tragedy, a communication and transportation system was quickly organized. The DR orphanage bus and trucks, filled with requested supplies and meds, left every other day to travel overland to St Damien's. They stop at The Inn to pick up contributions and continue to the border. Restrictions have been very relaxed and everything has gotten through to its destination.
On their return, they carry those patients who will receive our hospitality or who will go to specialized hospitals. My first patient, an elderly woman, Rose, arrived in a wheelchair. She is a blind diabetic who had been ten days without dialysis. Doctors here were able to stabilize her and begin dialysis. Some of the more serious cases came over by helicopter. I met two children suffering from leukemia and lymphoma with their mothers and took them to our Children's’ hospital where they are receiving treatment. Every day when we bring food to their mothers, we note how relieved they are to have this care for their children.
On most mornings I got a call from NPH here asking if we could get things like IV solutions, catheters, injection needles, sterile gowns for surgeons, anesthesia, analgesics, antibiotics, sedatives, suture materials and materials for casts, pressed cotton, and crutches (lots of crutches). Thanks to you, we could make their wish lists realities. It is only within the past week that we have begun to fill other types of requests. One sees the shift into long term planning for housing using family size tents. Every available tent in the DR was quickly bought up so we asked family and friends to buy them and ship them to us. We have also engaged friends to collect liquid infant formula for us as contaminated water supplies will not help in the preparation of powdered formulas.
Many orphaned and abandoned children have been gathered into little camps during the day to keep them together and out of harm's way. Feeding them is a challenge, but we have supplied them with, in your name, thousands of portions of "Plumpy Nut", a highly fortified peanut butter mixture which once rescued children in Africa. We will continue to send over thousands of portions each week as the Camp Director relies heavily on this contribution.
This is but a smattering of what together we have accomplished. For now, this brief report is all that I can share, but be assured you are remembered every day with much love and gratitude. Please tell anyone you may have inspired to help, that it might be impossible to get out all the thank-you’s we would like, but they are the greatest collaborators!"
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