General Hospital

Probably the hardest day in Haiti was going to General Hospital to work in the abandoned children ward. They had maybe 10 cribs in a tiny room and at least 25 children staying there with new one's being brought in every day. Because of the poverty and starvation in Haiti, children are abandoned and left to die. Some are found by strangers and brought to the hospital. If they don't have disabilities the hospital can usually get them place in an orphanage. I'm not sure what happens to the others. Everything about it is heartbreaking. I know the pictures are pretty disturbing, but they don't even do justice to what it's like there. You have to add in the smells and sounds and the looks on faces.

The staff there can barely keep up with feeding and bathing so there isn't a whole lot of time given just to love. Talk about the risk of dying from failure to thrive. There was a little boy in the crib by the door with big, longing eyes. I went over and stroked his face. He put on a huge smile when I did that. So I started scratching his back and he just giggled and laughed. He was so starved for affection and it felt so good to him that all he could do was laugh.