Tosa paramedic brought life-saving aid to Haitians
She saw many horrors, but plans to return
March 10, 2010 | 0 comments
Wauwatosa firefighter/paramedic Michel DeLisle had visited Haiti numerous times as part of a medical team that treated patients' illness, provided medications and taught them about public health issues.
But during her most recent visit to the Third World country, the magnitude of despair and need for medical assistance were overwhelming due to the earthquakes that had pummeled it only weeks earlier.
DeLisle spent 18 days cleaning, bandaging and pulling debris from patients' gruesome wounds. Some had crushed body parts or had been impaled. With temperatures in the 90s and often no medication available, the sights, sounds and smells of her duties made it almost unbearable at times.
"Basically they would thank me for torturing them; that's how I explain it," she said, her voice shaking a bit. "They were in such incredible pain that they would beg and plead for me to stop, but I couldn't, and when I was done they would try to smile and thank me for torturing them."
Memories are painful
Her job as a paramedic doesn't typically call for wound care; that's usually done by hospital staff. So for the first few hours after arriving at the hospital, DeLisle learned the basics from a departing medical team from North Carolina.
Nurses in Haiti gave out medications, but they did not perform wound care, typically believing they were above such work, she said. The few hospital volunteers had seven wards of patients to care for, and in addition to wounds, the hospital was treating those with typhoid, a ruptured appendix and even had to deliver a baby via Caesarean-section.
But it was an 8-year-old boy, Douglas, who was at the heart of DeLisle's hardest moments during the trip. The boy had a head wound so deep that his skull could be seen. A doctor was found who could perform surgery, but there was no anesthesia available. DeLisle, the mother of two daughters, stayed by his side during the procedure quietly singing and rubbing his stomach.
Douglas started following DeLisle around the hospital and got the nickname "Mosquito" for sticking so close. His mother saw the bond that formed, and she begged DeLisle to take her son back to the United States.
"As a mother I understand. There's nothing there for him, no future. But I told her (legally) I could get in a lot of trouble. It was so hard," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
She returned from Haiti on Feb. 13, but has not talked much about the experience until now. She is sharing her memories at the suggestion of her fellow firefighters.
"The guys here know I've been pretty quiet since I got back," she said.
She prefers to talk about the assistance she got from her co-workers, so that she could leave work within 36 hours of getting notice that she could get into Haiti with the Bahamas Methodist Habitat aid group.
Coworkers, friends pitch in
The Local 1923 firefighters union opened up its charity fund to collect donations for medication and gave $100 of its funds, union President Hank Wendt said. DeLisle bought antibiotics, very mild pain reliever and an amnesiac for when doctors set bones.
Her co-workers also gave her money toward her plane ticket to the Bahamas, because she was paying for it out of pocket. One firefighter donated his overtime pay to her, Wendt said.
In addition, several fellow firefighters volunteered to fill her shifts while she was gone and gave her a day off when she returned so she could rest and spend time with her family.
"The union was very supportive of her efforts," he said.
She has heard many of her co-workers and people in the community say they feel bad they could give only money or supplies to the cause rather than going to Haiti and lending a hand. DeLisle is quick to point out that their home-based support allows for people like her - those familiar with the language (she speaks fluent French) and culture - to go in and make a difference.
"No one person can be that successful by themselves," she said. "There's always a network of unsung heroes behind them."
DeLisle plans to return to Haiti this spring.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: benefit to raise money for medication and supplies for DeLisle's next trip to provide medical aid in Haiti
WHEN: silent auction will occur throughout the day, live music begins at 6:30 p.m.; March 25
WHERE: Neighbors Bar & Grille, S16 W22255 Arcadian Ave., Waukesha
DONATE: Checks for the Haiti Project can be sent to the union at P.O. Box 26214, Wauwatosa, 53226
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