When the devastating January 12 earthquake hit Haiti, nurse Amy Desiderio couldn't get to the country fast enough to help the countless patients in need. She and 11 others from Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children arrived in Haiti February 20 armed with 15 bags of medical supplies and a strong will to care for those left injured by the earthquake.
They partnered with Medishare and the University of Miami, and lived and slept in tents for one week. The hospital was comprised of tents that housed everything from supplies to the pediatric unit to the emergency rooms for children and adults. In a make-shift set-up with patients pouring in from every angle, Desiderio and her team were able to help countless Haitian people and restore a little hope to those who were left with nothing.
Q. What inspired you to go to Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake?
A. I shared the same reaction as millions of people. Simply, I wanted to help. It was inspiring to see the world's response to the disaster despite economic strains. People gave whatever they were capable of giving whether it was food, money, clothes or their time. Nemours supported Haiti by sending four teams of their health care professionals to Haiti. I gave my time, nursing skills and knowledge, but the Haitian people gave us new perspectives.
There were times when I found myself questioning whether there was hope for Haiti. The Haitians' hope and faith is admirable and inspiring. My team discussed our doubts during our debriefing. One nurse assured us there was hope because she witnessed Haitians building schools in buses.
Q. How did the reality of the situation differ from your expectations?
A. I don't think you can grasp the devastation, destruction, loss, lack of health care and poverty unless you are there. It is unfathomable to run out of oxygen at Alfred I. duPont Hospital , yet we ran out of oxygen in Haiti. There's still supplies waiting to get unpacked.
Q. What was the atmosphere like?
A. It definitely was hard. We had 14 pediatric patients die in the seven days were there. Some of them were because we didn't have the equipment that we needed. They were sick, but we could have done more for them with the equipment we would have had where in our hospital. It was frustrating. We had one baby that passed away and the mom didn't have anywhere to bury it. One of the things that was hardest for me was when you discharge patients, you were discharging them to be homeless. You're sending them out into the street where they had nothing, but it's because you need a bed for another patient.
Q. What were your main goals while you were there?
A. My goal was to do the best I could with the resources I had. The primary goal (of the team) was to accept only earthquake-related injuries. A lot of the filed hospitals were winding down their projects so they were bringing us sick pediatric patients and we would accept them because they had to go somewhere. We wouldn't turn away a sick kid that came in from the ER.
Q. About how many patients did you assist and what was the range of ages?
A. I have no idea how many patients intensive care area on our first day and created the labor and delivery area. The ages ranged from premature infants to teenagers. The parents and siblings of the patients also stayed in the tent.
The kids that we took care of, some of them were orphans waiting for placement. We were providing wound care and physical therapy. The main pediatric unit held earthquake-related patients, and we have sicker patients in the pediatric intensive care unit. They had infections, dehydration, malaria, typhoid fever, premature births. We had lots of babies born prematurely.
Q. What emotions did you experience before, during and after your trip?
A. Let's just say it was an emotional roller coaster. The amount of children that died was overwhelming. We all cried and helped each other laugh and celebrate our achievements. By the last day of our trip, I was ready to come home. I felt guilty that I was an American citizen and was able to leave Haiti. I Sat on my deck and wondered how many tents I could fit in my back yard and how many people I would be capable of feeding. I also felt the need to get rid of excess. I donated a carload of clothes to Goodwill.
Q. Do you plan to go back to Haiti or any other country to help out as a nurse?
A. Yes definitely.
People are pulling out from Haiti because (doctors and nurses)need to staff their own hospitals, but there's still so much need for help. The rain season is coming, so the infections are only going to get worse. The living conditions are going to decline.
I was looking into volunteering with medical missions before the earthquake. I'm already looking into future missions to Haiti and other countries.
About Desiderio
Age: 27
Education: 2000 graduate of Middletown High School; 2004 graduate of University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science in nursing
Career Background: Current Alfred I. duPont Pediatric Emergency registered nurse. Former Alfred I. duPont Pediatric Hematology/Oncology RN, traveling RN with American Mobile Healthcare, Rady Children's Hospital San Diego Pediatric Emergency RN, and adjult home care nurse.
Current Hometown: Clayton, DE