Living the Dream: Heat SPEW Love- Day 4 of Haiti 2012

Since today (June 20, 2012) is Lacey's birthday, it only seemed right to make sure that this blog is primarily about her. :) Trust me, she would have NOT had this day, if it were up to her, but HEY, it makes for a great great story. I woke up, and pulled out my journal before anyone woke up, I was clueless at the beginning of what was to come....just like the day before. Here we go....

Wed am --

I was too exhausted to write last night. 2 hours in the bus. 25 miles. Rioting was intense. Gas trucks with tires slashed and windshields smashed, pulled into the middle of the road. No traffic able to move on main highway in Haiti. Just eeking by. Really no honking either, doing nothing to attract attention, and just slowly making our way back to safety. It was so intense. 3 to a seat, over 70 people on bus with no air.

I can understand the unrest, these people are basically unemployeed everywhere, there is heat, and dirt, and hopelessness. I think it's a brewing storm waiting for something to light it up. And the people felt entitled to something they didn't pay for, and when it went away, it exploded. It's probably not so much about the electricity as it is about the hopelessness of their plight. Praying for God to give them peace today.

We are feeling effects here at the mission. No availability to the mission today for the water truck to get here, so we ran out of water and our pumps seized up. No water this morning.

Now this news is bad, as several girls (including Lacey) are feeling sick and nauseous. I woke up to the nurse in the bunk beside me throwing up in the bathroom. 5 kids from River City got sick at the resort last night and Chase (the PK) got sick on the bus and threw up out the window. Fun Stuff. You all know barf is my strong suit. Right up there with blood.

I am praying that Lacey is just exhausted and doesn't turn into full blown sick. Trying to figure out a way to text bubba so he can know we are good and tell mom. Ms. CNN will know about the riot and be on her way to a full blown panic if she hears about it. I might just dub this "Best Vacation Ever".

1 hour later

Lacey is sick. At breakfast they made an announcement to anyone that had been sick, or was currently feeling sick to get on a canter and get down to the clinic. We loaded up with 27 (!!) americans. Went to the clinic with fever and nausea. They brought her gatorade and the nausea she had been holding at bay, unleashed itself into a CVS bag (shopping bag). I'm so proud of her. She hurled into a CVS bag, and didn't make one sound. Which was a very important, wonderful thing, as there were 27 ticking time bombs all around her, just waiting to hurl. It could have been very ugly.

We have had a terrible wave a sickness hit today. After Lacey threw up, she immediately felt better, and insisted that we go back up to the mission, so we wouldn't "Cut" in front of the Haitians waiting for their turn at the clinic. (that's my nice girl) SO, being "Nice" mom at this point, I took her back, put her to bed, leveled all my fans on her (sacrificial, that's me), and tried to write this and keep a cool rag on her forehead. Not easy when she is running the high temp. Another girl in this room, Kaitlyn, is running a fever too, and her mom, Linda is vigilant over her as well. Our girls are really the only ones running fever. Everyone else has trots and throws, and no water.

Found out there was so much flushing going on, that's what caused the water to run dry...they are fixing the pipes right now...Lacey's nausea is gone and she is just running a high fever now. Trying to keep her hydrated, but she doesn't want to wake up.

Hallie went with Austin and Kellie into the village for ministry. Rioting was so bad, they turned the bus around and came back to the mission. I'm so relieved they are all here. Wouldn't want them caught out in it again.

Have water again!! Praises!

Good news....we got great hamburgers for supper last night. Bad news, most everyone threw them up.

Lunch---Saw the PA from Norman (couldn't remember his name so called him Sean Kyle Bob (he was actually Scott) and I told him about Lacey, and he wondered why the doctor hadn't seen her, she had disappeared? I told him she needed to lay down and felt bad about "cutting" in front of the sick Haitians there, and then I ran into the nurse, and she said the same thing! "She was one of the only ones with fever, she needed to be seen". So, those two told the clinic director, who told the interns, who told the doctor, who told the.... (now I'm being over dramatic), actually the clinic director came to see Lacey & Kaitlyn and said..."Uhm, I want both of you to go to the clinic if you will." They both resisted, Lacey not really responding she felt so bad, and Kaitlyn the same and the "MOMMINATORS" (Linda and I) stood up. "Yep, come on, down you go", and we loaded up in the ambulance and off we went. That was the bumpiest ride I have ever experienced in my life.

Lacey's temp was 102.4 and her blood pressure (get this) 80/40. So my germaphobe, neat freak, gets to get an IV in a Haiti clinic, in the hot hallway on a ridiculously uncomfortable gurney. I had my little neck fan on her and keeping her cool with water from my hot water bottle and Scott brought a bag of ice to put on her neck. (ICE, YAY, what a wonderful invention). Of course, I got woozy from the blood dripping on the floor (Not Exaggerating, unfortunately), from the Haitian nurses putting in her IV, and the lack of air in that hallway, so I went to pass out over on some chairs, when a 15 year old from Austin (Tyler, who was waiting for a ride back to mission, as he was feeling better), said "I don't feel so good" and I went into "Mom" mode on him and poured my water bottle basically on his head. Lacey threw the ice bag on her head and the little fan over to him. I asked him if he had an adult with him, and he shook his head no, and started crying. Well, I was all over that. Poor baby. Who wants to go to a foreign country and be sick without your mom? Not Lacey, that's for sure. He revived with ice on his neck, and I gave it back to Lacey. Scott found a fan and turned it on, and all the sudden life was better. Lacey's IV finished and it was WAY past closing time at the clinic. They had already given her a shot for the fever, and that giant solution of IV fluid... when they decided to give her an antibiotic shot too. It was so strong, I'm pretty sure her future offspring will have it in their DNA. Painful, mean shot in the tush. She was still recovering from that when they decided she could sit up.
Yep, she sit up, then she fell over. Passed right out on me. I had what was left of my water bottle in the crook of my arm, and in catching her, I totally poured the rest of my water bottle all over her shirt. I was saying "Lacey, Lacey" right in her face, and I swear to you, her first words out of her mouth were, "Why Are You Yelling?" For.The.Love.

SeanKyleBob got her loaded in the ambulance, and we got up the hill. She ate some crackers and had some sprite, and decided she needed a shower.

She was severely dehydrated. Our 16 hour day kicked her booty. Along with 27 other kids. With the advent of fluids in her system, the pooping began, so she stayed near the bathroom for the next 24 hours. "I'd rather poop all day than throw up". Probably shouldn't have said that, because it kind of was a prophecy. :) But she made a great video in between bathroom runs. :) And the water was on. :) And she felt better. :) BEST VACATION EVER.

Fever broke about 7:30 (how could it not with that antibiotic?)

Best "Mom" moment of day. I was sitting on the chair by Lacey's bed and she tossed her hot drying rag at me, (I might have been writing and kind of fell down on the cool rag job). I cooled it off with our water bottles and tossed it back up to her. It TOTALLY landed on her NECK absolutely perfect.

Mission of Hope said that in all the years they have been open (since 1998) they've never had a wave of sickness hit like that. After that day, the cokes disappeared (kids drinking cold pop instead of warm water, they tried to keep it cold, it's just so hot in Haiti, no ice lasts), and it became a daily reminder, drink more water. The ones that were sick were the ones that were out in the heat 16 hours due to the riots. It wasn't Mission of Hope's fault and truly, they were amazing. They did EVERYTHING they could to make everyone comfortable and take care of everyone. That place gets 12 gold stars from this mama. 12 gold stars.

What.a.day.