Free Willy and other fun stories

Hey friends

Tonight I want to introduce you to Ian. I can’t even say his name without a huge smile coming across my face. I first heard about Ian when I asked one of my friends who was in Haiti if any of the team had any special requests for me to bring. The only reply I received was that someone named Ian wanted to watch Free Willy. I hadn’t met him yet but already I was smiling. I mean anything to choose from and he wants to watch Free Willy… I still haven’t asked him why that movie of all the movies…

It doesn’t matter. What does matter is how right away I was taken with this young man. I soon learned that this was his second trip to Haiti, first one being when he followed his uncle (Dr John Potts) to Haiti right after the earthquake. And basically he did whatever he was told. If he needed to stand and be an IV pole for 8 hours, I am sure he would have done it… and made everyone laugh all along the way…

I wish to share with you some Ian stories and quotes in hopes to bring a smile to your face. If you don’t get it… it’s ok. Just know that having him with us in Haiti took the sting out of  so much of the tragedy surrounding us.

Story 1:

So Ian and I are at the clinic in Cite Soleil. Remember this is not the cholera clinic but the basic every day clinic. And we get this one young girl in who has just taken a pregnancy test. And it is positive. Ian decides that he desperately needs to be the one to deliver the news to her but the clinic manager tells him that we have to be very careful how we deliver this kind of news. Sometimes there is no fella hanging around, sometimes the girl has been raped or is too young or can hardly feed and clothe herself let alone a new baby. This is explained to Ian and he nods his head appreciatively, taking in all we are saying. Jasmine (the co-ordinator) then teaches him how to say you are pregnant in creole and sends Ian out to the young girl sitting on the bench. She has her hands folded in her lap and looks up at his wide-eyed and wondering… Ian goes over, stands in front of her and throws his hands in the air while saying very excitedly, ‘You’re gonna have a baby!!!’

He then proceeds to question her on whether this is good or bad by offering thumbs up or thumbs down…

I cannot stop laughing…

Story 2:

Same clinic… remember that we were not allowed to treat cholera patients inside this particular clinic? Well we would keep them outside in the corner of the building, put IV’s in them and send them off to hospital. After a tutorial from his preceptor (me) Ian was becoming quite adept at putting in IV’s. He had just inserted his 3rd ever IV into a young boy about 10 years of age when the gentleman beside him on the bench starts to projectile vomit.

And ever the professional Ian turns to look at him and just starts yelling, ‘Whoa! Whooooooaaaaa!’ I immediately pee my pants from laughing so hard. The gentleman who is projectile puking now starts to laugh and spray vomit out his nose and all the patients in our ‘non’ cholera area are laughing, even the kid who Ian just stabbed with an IV needle.

Some random quotes:

Ian is in one of the cholera tents trying to help out and then I heard him say out loud:

‘How do you say get me a bucket… quick!?’

Followed by the sound of puking.

Ian was working his third night shift and his body was pretty ticked about this. We would bump into each other throughout the shift and give a hug to encourage each other and one time he said to me very lovingly;

‘I am going to projectile vomit and I want you to hold the bucket.’

Each morning right when we were getting slammed with admissions some random Haitian would walk around the clinic with a loudspeaker and just start yelling things. We never knew what he was saying but it was quite obnoxious. As this man is going around yelling through the speaker Ian is following him around yelling out ‘What are you saying? What are you saying?’

Okay… maybe these are you had to be there moments. But I guess that is what makes them special. Because we were there. And in the middle of the chaos and tragedy even just the hint of a smile means the world to us. The morning after we suffered the loss of 4 patients while admitting 45 others with a volunteer staff of 6 was probably one of the worst nights of our lives. And yep, we cried. But later as we sat around eating breakfast we laughed and giggled as though we didn’t have a care in the world.

I am grateful for The One who carried the weight of the world for us so that we could leave those burdens with Him. But I am also grateful that He called us together for such a time as this.

And I am grateful for a friend who followed his uncle all the way to Haiti to bring such joy to my heart in the midst of so much sorrow.

P.S. What were you thinking holding a cholera baby without a diaper??!

One Love, ♥