Greetings!

We been here for 6 days already, boy has time flown by. It has been busy, so forgive me for not emailing sooner. Internet access is intermittent here and very slow.

Ned and I have been blessed with a great team (Team Montana – Hearts for Haiti) including nurses Margie Smith and Janet Beiser, physical therapists Andrea Breuer and Patrick Gulick, and OR equipment Rep Blaine Platt. Everyone here is doing well and really enjoying the opportunity to serve the Haitians. Every member has been instrumental and amazing. We are working so well together, and having such a synergy that only God can provide. He is the center of it all. Additionally, we joined several other Americans here to continue the USA Orthopedic contingent at Saint Damien Hospital. We are all working toward the same goal and it’s wonderful to feel the commoradary.

The only thing constant here is change. Saturday we had only a half of day at the hospital with clinic and rounding. Saturday afternoon Father Rick asked us to join him and a few others to distribute rice and water to several communities in the greater Port-au-Prince area. It was an enlightening experience to see the devestation and desparation of an entire city, and yet see the resiliance of truly strong and gracious people. Sunday we expected a slow day, but ended up working all day in the hospital. We met several very charming children, took care of them and loved on them. They love hearing “God Bless You” in Creole, which i try to say to each patient and family with whom I work. It’s difficult to see so many patients with amputations, fractures, and soft tissue wounds. Moday and Tuesday I got to work in Clilnic and in the OR, which was a blessing. Clinic was very busy both days. We did our first case under general anesthesia too.

We look forward to a few more days here, and are trying to make arrangements to fly back to the Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon, rather than drive. This will save us hours in travel time, allow us to work another half day, and make the trip home a lot easier. A few of us have had some abdominal cramping and such, but we are pressing forward. We have had technical difficulties with x-rays, and bovies, but those have been solved now. We covet your prayers, as they sustain us, protect us, and motivate the best in us. Thank you so much for praying for us.

Blessed to be blessing, Kally

Hello everyone:

Home at last! I left Haiti late Sunday on a C-17 Transport from March AFB. We arrived at an isolated airport near Orlando. We made our way through Customs, then we were placed on shuttles and bused to the Orlando Airport 30 miles away. Once we made the airport, the Red Cross was set up to help with transportation, food, and a place to sleep. I was handed two blankets and made my bed on the floor across from the rental car desks. Three hours later,we were all awakened and escorted up into the terminal for release. Then it was a matter of flying all day to make it back to the Flathead Valley.

I would like to take this time to say Thank You to all of you. It took scores of people and multiple organizations to make this mobilization possible. My wife and family gave me permission to leave them. My partners at Flathead Orthopedics for covering my practice. To all the clinic staff at Flathead Orthopedics for reorganizing my schedule. A special thank you to Kathy Bolme, my nurse, for the hours for triaging my patients and the hours required rescheduling them. Another special thanks to Scott Chille for setting up our web site to share these emails with all of you. As for my patients, I appreciate the disruption this had on your lives, whether it was canceling your surgery to rescheduling your appointments. I owe you all a debt of gratitude.

We will post photos over the next week and hopefully some today. As you reflect on these pictures remember Haiti’s plight continues. Pray for Haiti and her people. Consider sharing some of your time, treasure, and talent. Everyone can help in some fashion. Once again thank you for your support and prayers.

Respectfully,

Albert D Olszewski MD

This was a three story building with a store on the bottom floor. Notice that the living quarters on the 2nd floor is crushed completely. This is what they call pancaked.