Cleveland Haiti Relief Benefit

Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Vanek spent a week in Haiti helping the earthquake victims. We tracked their journey on our blog. Now, let's join them in person and help raise money to continue Team Cleveland's support for Project Medishare.

On Monday, February 8, we will be holding a benefit at the American Wine School / Cellar Door from 6-8pm. It is located at 3355 Richmond Road, Beachwood, OH 44122.

Donations will be collected at the door, and there is a $25 minimum to attend. All drink proceeds will go to Project Medishare. Donations can be made by cash, check, or credit card.

Food will be provided by Moxie, Melange, Sushi Rock, and Pickwick & Frolic. Many other restaurants and businesses have graciously donated gift cards that we will raffle off, including Red, L'Albatross, Fleming's, XO Prime Steaks, Melange, Melting Pot, Alson Jewelers, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and Cookies By Design.
I'd like to thank Debbie Harris for helping to organize this and Marianne Frantz from the Cellar Door for her generous support.

For directions, please click here.
For more information, please call Brandon at 216.337.4894

Shaqtastic News!

Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O'Neal is a strong supporter of Project Medishare. Click here to see a video of him talking about the Haiti relief efforts. To order the t-shirt he is holding in this photo, please click here.

On his twitter account he recently wrote, "Peace to organizations like Projectmedishare.org [...] They are really doin big things in haiti, thanks"

Dr. Fitzgerald wore his Cavs hat the entire time he was in Haiti. He mentioned that many of his patients were big fans of Lebron and Shaq.

Thanks Shaq! Cleveland is proud to have you as a Cavalier!

Dr. Fitzgerald and Theresa Jackson on WKYC's "Good Company"

Haitian Creole Language

Creole, or Kreyòl, is the language spoken by about 80% of the Haitian population. Along with French, it is one of Haiti's two official languages. It is the most widely spoken creole language in the world. Translators are in high demand during this crisis, and priority is given to medical volunteers with a background in Creole or French.

Here is a list of some common Creole words and phrases that Dr. Fitzgerald took with him to Haiti:
Bonjou - Good morning
Bonswa - Good afternoon
Komoan ou yet? - How are you?
N'ap boule - Good
Wi - Yes
Non - No
Mesi - Thank you
Merite - You're welcome
Tout bagay anfoam? - Is everything OK?
Atansyon! - Watch out!
Kote Ii ou fe mal? - Where does it hurt you?
Nou bezwen yon dokte - We need a doctor
Nou bezwen pansman - We need bandages
Kisa ki rive ou? - What happened to you?
Kisa ou bezwen - What do you need?

For more information about the Haitian Creole language, please click here.

Photo of Dr. Vanek in Surgery

Dr. Vanek performs limb salvage surgery at the Haiti Community Hospital on January 21 at 10:21 pm. Photo courtesy of Yan from Team Sweden.

A Message from the Executive Director of Project Medishare

Here is an abridged version of a letter sent out by Ellen Powers, Executive Director of Project Medishare:

Dear friends of Project Medishare,

Some 16 days after the Haiti earthquake, Project Medishare continues saving lives. The news cameras are beginning to leave but the most difficult work still lies ahead.

At the request of the Haitian Government, we are operating one of the largest field trauma hospitals in Port-au-Prince and have deployed more than 500 medical, administrative and logistic professionals to staff this 300-bed, tent-based critical-care hospital with four operating rooms and an ICU.

Retired NBA star Alonzo Mourning has provided generous funding to help pay for the hospital and has traveled to Haiti with our teams twice to help. Please click here to hear a special audio message from Alonzo Moruning.

Project Medishare has also assumed the role of triage alongside the U.S. military and managing medical evacuations of the most critical patients.

Project Medishare has a permanent presence in Haiti and we are committed to staying in this fight for the long haul. Already our long-standing rural health programs are being overwhelmed by the exodus from Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of thousands of women and children still need access to prenatal care, vaccinations, nutritional monitoring and other lifesaving healthcare.

Eventually our plan is to transition our tent-based field hospital to a Ministry of Health-managed permanent facility, leaving behind a first-class trauma hospital where none has existed before. We are also integrating local Haitian doctors and nurses into our operations in an effort to better train each other.

Ellen Powers, MPH
Project Medishare
Executive Director

The Mathematics of Donations

MSNBC.com published an article today explaining how the mathematics of donations favor cash contributions over goods. Good but misplaced intentions can "hinder even the most ambitious recovery efforts."

"From volunteer medical teams who show up uninvited, to stateside donors who ship boxes of unusable household goods, misdirected compassion can actually tax scarce resources, costing time, money, energy -- and lives."

"Old clothes, canned goods, water and outdated prescriptions are accumulating" but are "expensive to sort, to transport and to distribute."

Aid organizations like Project Medishare are encouraging cash donations that allow them to "buy in bulk from large suppliers and retailers."

"When people give $1, it translates into $7 in the field. If they spend $5 for bottled water, [...] probably it costs us more than $5 to send it. If they give us $5, we can get $35 worth of water."

Donors should take the time to research NGOs and check for their 501.3 status. Sites like GuideStar and Charity Navigator are great places to investigate the legitimacy of an NGO.

Also in high demand are skilled healthcare professionals, preferably with a language background in Creole or French and with prior experience in disaster relief efforts or in developing nations.

To read the complete article at MSNBC.com please click here.

If you would like to donate to Project Medishare, please click here.

If you are a healthcare professional who would like to volunteer with Project Medishare, please click here.

Tamaqua, PA Newspaper Coverage

Dr. Vanek, a native of Tuscarora, PA has been making headlines in his hometown newspaper, Times News.

Click here to read the paper's first article covering Dr. Vanek's planned trip to Haiti.

Click here to read staff writer Bob Urban's suggestion that the Tamaqua Area School District invite Dr. Vanek to speak at this year's commencement ceremonies.

Click here to read the newspaper's coverage of Dr. Vanek's return home. "No matter how much I did, there was more to do." "They need doctors and nurses. People are needed there right now."

Thank You Letter from Dr. Fitzgerald

Dear family and friends,

I can hardly begin to tell you how happy I am to be back home. Haiti was a life-changing experience I will never forget. I am so grateful for all that I have here. The Haitian people have lived with so little for so long, and the earthquake has left them with even less. They are a resilient people and with the world's support they will bounce back. Some things can never be replaced, but I was grateful for the opportunity to give back as much as I could. I am proud of the way that America has answered the call and stepped up to the plate. I know how hard we worked, but I just wish that we could have helped more. Dr. Paul Vanek was truly amazing and I could not have asked for anyone better to work with. Theresa Jackson, RN and Jean Kurdas, RN touched countless lives and the Haitians love them.

I would like to thank my family and friends who kept me, my team, and the Haitian people in your thoughts and prayers. I could not have gotten through it without all your support. I am glad my son, Brandon, was able to act as a liaison and keep all of you informed through his blog. He was also able to convey to me many of your words of support while I was in Haiti, which comforted me through the long days. Knowing that you were so supportive provided us continuous encouragement and energy and lifted our spirits. I want to thank everyone who made a charitable contribution, whether to Project Medishare or to any one of the many other incredible relief organizations. Your gifts are lifesaving.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank Project Medishare, the entire Cleveland team, Team Sweden, Lieut. Col. Wilson, everyone at the Haiti Community Hospital, and Amway for flying us home on their corporate jet.

Even though our team returned, the relief effort will continue for a long time and I encourage other teams to organize medical relief efforts deployed to Haiti soon.

Love you all,
Jack

Thank You Letter from Dr. Vanek

A letter written by Dr. Vanek and printed in the News Herald on February 7, 2010.


On behalf of the Cleveland team deployed by Project Medishare, I would like to express my sincere thanks. I am so grateful to be back home in America. From the start of this life-altering trip, the love and support of the people of Lake County and the Cleveland area has been felt by our team members.

Beginning with Dr. Ted Nichols, LakeHealth was totally supportive in both encouragement as well as material support. The more than $27,000 in antibiotics and supplies allowed us to be effective as soon as we arrived. Nichols authorized this without hesitation. Dr. Jack Fitzgerald volunteered upon hearing the news that a local physician was planning to leave for Haiti. His professionalism and skills allowed countless patients to have comfort and surgical care under the most trying circumstances. He facilitated the success of our team effort with his tireless work on behalf of the Haitian people. The LakeHealth nurses, Jean Kurdas and Theresa Jackson, touched countless lives and the Haitians love them.

I would like you all to know that we were sustained by the knowledge that our family, friends and well-wishers were praying for us and the Haitian people. The peace of mind this gave me is difficult to put into words. It allowed me to focus my determination to succeed. I would like to thank Brandon Fitzgerald for setting up a way for the Cleveland area to monitor some of our activities.

My family and I were out of communication and his blog served them to stay up to date. Jack read aloud to me from his BlackBerry the words of comfort and support that lifted my spirits and further energized me. I want to thank everyone who made a charitable contribution, whether to Project Medishare or to any one of the many other relief organizations. Your gifts are lifesaving.

I'd also like to thank the volunteers of Project Medishare who worked tirelessly to get our team to Haiti, American Airlines, the entire Cleveland team, Team Sweden from Star of Hope, Lt. Col. Wilson, everyone who shared our zeal at Haiti Community Hospital and Amyway for flying us home on their corporate jet.

The relief effort will continue for a long time. The world community is there helping the terrible conditions we see on TV every night. I call upon the medical community of Cleveland to mobilize and go to Haiti as soon as possible as lives will be saved by immediate intervention. My sincerest thanks and requests for your continued prayers for those involved in the Haitian relief effort.

Dr. Vanek on NPR

Dr. Vanek was recently interviewed by Eric Wellman on WCPN (National Public Radio). He relates a story about a young man whose leg they desperately needed to amputate. "Trying to sensitively convey that to him through an interpreter means kneeling down at his bedside and holding his hand and telling him we love him and that we love his life more than he has to love his leg."

He goes on to say, "I'm so appreciative for things like running water and the things I have in my home and my life and my community." "We're Americans and we need to be down there."

To listen to the complete interview, please click here.

Photos from Team Cleveland

I am happy to bring you photos from Team Cleveland! These photos say more than this blog ever could. Dr. Vanek and Dr. Fitzgerald talked about how important digital photographs were at the hospital. Volunteers would take photos of the victims' wounds and relay them to the surgeons to help the teams prioritize patients and determine how best to proceed with surgeries and patient care. It is remarkable the role technology can play in facilitating such a monumental relief effort. I have omitted any photos I deemed too graphic, but some photos depict surgeries and amputees that might upset some. To check out the photos, please click here.



Click here to see more photos from the Haiti Community Hospital taken by Tiffany Hein. [Note: these do not include any of Cleveland team]

Photographer Tomas Loewy--born in Prague and now living in Miami--has put together a photo album documenting the work of Project Medishare's doctors in Haiti. [Note: these do not include any of our Cleveland team] Click here to see his album.

Interreligious Fundraiser for Project Medishare

On Tuesday, I met with the SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) group at Lake Erie College in Painesville. I have signed on as an advisor to help them organize a fundraiser for Project Medishare. I was very impressed with the group and their interest in supporting the relief effort. They are hoping to organize churches/temples in Northeast Ohio to set up a supplementary collection that will go to Project Medishare for the purchase of much-needed medicine, supplies and equipment. If your church or temple would like to get involved, please contact us here.

SIFE is a nonprofit organization that gives students the tools to learn the free enterprise system in a real working situation. SIFE challenges students on more than 800 college campuses nationwide to take what they're learning in the classroom and use their knowledge to better their communities. Guided by faculty advisors, SIFE teams establish a variety of community outreach programs that teach free enterprise.

A Moving Story about one of the Team's Patients

The Cleveland team found this 6-year old girl who arrived at the HCH hospital accompanied by her aunt. Both her parents were killed in the earthquake. She was immediately prioritized and despite some concerns from other doctors, Dr. Fitzgerald assured Dr. Vanek that he could anesthetize the patient without issue. The Cleveland team were confident they could operate effectively. Their professionalism persevered over such an emotional case. Dr. Vanek successfully performed a fasciotomy and ulnar nerve decompression which means arm surgery. He also performed face and scalp surgery.

The team remained very close with this patient. They are confident the girl will recover and go on to live a long life. As you can see in the picture, tape was secured to the foreheads of post-op patients indicating what operating room they were treated in. Vanek and Fitzgerald worked out of OR 3. The tape allowed them to routinely check up on their own patients and occasionally replace the dressings, helping to ensure speedy recovery without infection. Although they may never hear from any of these patients again, they have great hope for their recoveries and were impressed with the New York team that replaced them.

Home From Haiti

I met up with my dad, Dr. Fitzgerald, at about 1pm today. I met Dr. Vanek for the first time and thanked him for all that he has done. He is a humble, down-to-earth, and all-around good guy. We drove over to WKYC in Cleveland so that they could be interviewed. Disheveled and unshaven--as you can see from the video here--they literally had just "stepped off the boat" so to speak but were so relieved to be home. You can also read the article by clicking here.

From there, we drove back to Dr. Vanek's home in Mentor and met his wonderful family. I also had the opportunity to meet Theresa Jackson, one of the Cleveland-area nurses with whom they volunteered. I had heard so much about all these people and was so happy to finally get the chance to meet them. Reporters from the News Herald and the Plain Dealer came over to interview them. Click here to read the The Plain Dealer article and click here to read The News Herald article. The mood was very emotional, particularly when Dr. Vanek described watching a piece on CNN of a small girl who died as her family tried to rescue her from the rubble by attempting amputation. This, he described, was the impetus for his trip to Haiti.

I felt privileged to spend the day listening to their stories -- from the miracles to the tragedies -- wide-eyed and attentive. Their tales were full of hope, gratitude, sadness, relief, uncertainty, humility, respect, exhaustion, concern, and joy. But never did they once feel helpless. They knew that as long as they were there, there was something they could do to help. I imagine they even surprised themselves by what they were able to accomplish at times. The two of them--always talking on top of each other or in unison--struck me as brothers or as soldiers who had shared a special bond in war.

I could tell that they all looked out for each other. The closer they worked as a team, they knew, the better they could care for the well-being of everyone around them. Their humility impressed me above all else--always thanking the other or crediting another with some particular success--but it was clear to me that they had saved many lives. They reminded themselves throughout the experience that they were acting as ambassadors of Cleveland, and our city can be proud of the work they did there and the way they carried themselves.

We welcome you home, and we hope others will follow in your footsteps. Vanek and Fitzgerald stressed the need for immediate patient care, and hope other Cleveland doctors, nurses, and hospitals will act directly and with urgency. They expressed thanks to Lake Health, Team Sweden, Lieut. Col. Wilson, everyone at the HCH hospital, everyone with Project Medishare, and everyone back home and around the country (even the world!) who has given of themselves in one way or another.

I would like to thank everyone following my blog. People have been visiting from hundred of cities and more than a dozen countries, including Canada, Sweden, France, Kuwait, South Korea, and England. Please continue to check back for more updates. I also hope to post some words from Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Vanek addressing all you readers, as well as whatever photographs they had a chance to take. If you would like to support the organization that made all their good work possible, please donate here. Your gift well help doctors like them save lives. If you are a doctor, healthcare professional, or institution/organization interested in helping Haiti Relief in a more hands-on way, please contact us here.

Photos from the Plane

Here are some photos of Dr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Vanek, and Dr. Soong on a Gulfstream G5 on its way from Port-au-Prince to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tuesday Evening Update

I am so very happy to report that the entire Cleveland team has made it back safely. I received a message from Jack at 11:30am letting me know that he was taking a tap-tap [a brightly-colored cab] to the airport and was planning on leaving today. I was hesitant to report this news in case he could not get out of Port-au-Prince for some reason. [editor's note 1/27: I recently learned that when arriving at the airport they witnessed a vehicle run over someone's leg. Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Vanek loaded this person onto the tap-tap for transfer to a medical clinic at the airport]

A few hours later, at 4:15 pm, he described to me the chaos at the airport:
We arrived at airport and we're in a long line to board military jet. We saw a pilot from a private jet owned by Amway and ran to him to see if he might fly us back. he is working hard to get us approved.

Dr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Vanek, and Dr. H. Kaz Soong, an ophthalmologist from Ann Arbor, were graciously taken on by this pilot and were in the air sometime around 5:00pm. They landed in Grand Rapids, Michigan sometime around 9:30pm. The three were then on their way to Ann Arbor, where Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Vanek will spend the night before making the drive back to Cleveland sometime tomorrow.

We will all be happy to welcome them home.

Theresa Jackson reported at 6:53pm that she made it home safely. She writes, "Special thanks to Dr. Vanek, Dr. Fitzgerald, Col. Wilson, Erica and family. I also would like to thank Project Medishare and the local Haitians who helped at the HCH hospital. It was great to see all the people come together to help. I am looking forward to returning to Haiti to continue the assistance in the relief efforts."

I am certain that the Cleveland team's involvement in the Haiti relief effort does not end here, and neither does this story:

Hospitals and clinics supported and staffed by Project Medishare are still running around-the-clock in an effort to address the surgical needs of the victims of the earthquake. The organization is also committed to the long-term care of the victims and will be involved in rebuilding the healthcare infrastructure that they did so much to improve since their founding in 1994. The road ahead is a long one. I encourage everyone to continue to spread the word about this group's fine work. I hope that the stories I have shared here serve as a testament to the power of individuals to come together in hopes of doing some good in the face of overwhelming crisis.

I will continue to update this blog as a more complete story of the team's time there begins to emerge. I may edit earlier posts to paint a more complete picture of the events of the day. I also hope to bring you more photos and news reports whenever I can collect them. Several of us here in Cleveland are planning a benefit to welcome the team home and to support Project Medishare's commitment to Haiti relief. A tentative date has been set for February 8. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact me here.

Monday Evening Update

I'm doing well. Had nice soup and Swedish wheat crackers with lobster and shrimp out of a tube. We are getting a pizza tonight. Major score. $35 each.

We are working hard. I am very fortunate to have the skills that can help these people. It's been an education and I applaud the countless people here and back home that are rallying in such a disaster.

Monday Morning Update

We are operating on a 20-year old male with gangrene of the right leg. His family refuses amputation so we will debride his leg and treat him with antibiotics. [Debridement involves the surgical removal of dead or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue] We first reported on this patient on the blog's Sunday Afternoon Update. [editor's note 1/27: learned that the patient was wearing #23 for Cavalier Lebron James and is also a big fan of Shaq. Jack was impressed by what Dr. Vanek was able to accomplish and believes that under the care of the New York team still there, he has a very good chance of surviving.]

The "Swedish NY Times" just arrived and their photographer, Jorgen Hildebrandt, is taking some photos of the surgery. [Jorgen, who was born in Denmark, is a photojournalist who has lived in Asia and Yugoslavia, and now resides in Sweden] He works for a newspaper called "Expression" in Sweden. We are trying to get copies of his photos.

Jack also talks about Guunar, who he describes as the rugged, fearless naval officer in charge of the Sweden team.  He worked 9 years for NATO, planned the response to 9/11 in NYC, and now works for Star of Hope, where he has worked for the last 10 years.

Dr. Jack Lafontant, liaison to the Ministry of Health, is currently coordinating patient transfers between hospitals to make the best use of what space is available. This primarily includes the USNS Comfort, a U.S. Navy-owned floating clinic. In order to transfer critically ill patients to the well-equipped ship, other patients need to first be taken off the ship. This has involved a major logistical plan to bring more patient beds into the various hospitals/clinics.

Sunday Evening Update

Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division just walked over to my tent and checked up on us. They told us prisoners got loose and to beware of anyone wearing red bandannas. They are a gang. It sounds bad but I'm planning our exit with the Sweden team hopefully by helicopter out of this country. The conditions outside the hospital are not good.

We took care of a lot of patients today and there is much to be done tomorrow. This will go on a long time and the whole world is helping.

France has a huge team in charge of dressing wounds for people outside HCH hospital. We have more surgeons than ORs but we work together.  For example, an eye doctor and plastics doctor worked together to help a woman with severe eyelid, nose and facial trauma. Paul Vanek did an amazing job on that woman just a few hours ago.

Sticking with team Sweden.