Haiti Rehabilitation Centre

Philias was admitted to the Rehabilitation Ward at our partner hospital in Haiti back in August 2022. He is 42 years old and has a non-traumatic spinal cord injury that he began feeling the effects of when he was just 17 years old. He told us that he felt a cramp and over time began losing feeling and strength in this legs until he completely lost the ability to walk in 2015.

Philias lives alone with no family and has never had a wheelchair, so had to rely on the kindness of church friends to carry him for mobility for the past 7 years. Despite the challenges he faced, he was able to make a small business for himself selling water, cookies, and candy but was often not able to make ends meet.

When he was admitted, Philias had trace movement in his legs and weakness in his arms, with a poor grip strength. He was given a Rough Rider wheelchair which provided him with the ability to have independent mobility then began physical therapy. His goals were to increase his strength in his arms and legs, and stand with assistance.

We are delighted to share with you that Philias achieved his physiotherapy goals and returned home in January - but not without support! To ease the transition and help generate income, he was equipped with a solar panel charging system that will allow him to charge mobile phones for a small fee.

While the situation remains challenging throughout Haiti, there are moments like this that shine through, thanks to your support.

The Rehabilitation Centre at our partner hospital in Haiti provides services for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), strokes and other disabilities, empowering them to participate in activities and tasks that are vital in life. This 20-bed inpatient and outpatient centre has become a national referral centre and continues to grow thanks to the dedicated team and their continue community outreach.

The centre has a long history of offering para-sports to its patients as an important part of physical and emotional rehabilitation. Former patients have even represented Haiti internationally in hand-cycling!

Thanks to one of our new volunteers, Chris, some long-awaited repairs to the court and sports wheelchairs were recently completed enabling patients, staff and spectators alike to return to the basketball court.

The first session was SCI patients playing basketball, with newly appointed Coach / Physio Fredlan leading the warm-up wheelchair reaces and games before the competition got serious! 

These sessions will continue to run weekly and are a vital part of the rehabilitation programmes we run in Haiti. 

Thank you so much for your continued support of our rehabilitation care at our hospital. Lives are changed every day thanks to your support and we are so grateful. 

The Rehabilitation Centre at our partner hospital in Haiti provides services for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), strokes and other disabilities, empowering them to participate in activities and tasks that are vital in life.

The goal for all our rehab patients is for them to become independent and re-join society. 

As part of this goal, we provide Vocational Training for our patients. Not only is this a vital part of their rehabilitation and recovery, it also provides them with a practical skill, allowing them to earn an income when they are discharged. 

Training has been in full swing recently, with a number of patients busy taking part;

Moleon suffered a spinal cord injury and lost movement in his legs. He has been learning to sew using a machine that has been adapted so he can use the pedal with his hand. Another patient, Jamano, has been learning woodwork skills and is making canes for other rehab patients.

Just last week, our wheelchair distribution co-ordinator Mario delivered training to a further 5 rehab patients who have all suffered spinal cord injuries. They learnt to assemble wheelchairs, allowing them to receive an income for each chair they build. This also helps the staff at the rehab ward who now have more of their time for treating patients and fitting receiptients in the wheelchairs, rather than building them.

Alongside their daily responsibilities, our team continue with their outreach visits to local hospital facilities in North Haiti, introducing the specialist services available at our Rehabilitation Centre to medical teams, with the goal of helping more individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and other conditions.

We continue to be inspired by the determination of these individuals and hope that their stories bring joy to you. The entire team at HHA and HCBH thank you so much for your continued support of our rehabilitation care at our hospital. Lives are change every day thanks to your support and we are so grateful. 

It’s been a busy time for the Rehab team at our partner hospital, HCBH, in Haiti.

Our team have completed a number of outreach visits to local hospital facilities in North Haiti, introducing the specialist services available at our Rehabilitation Centre to medical teams, with the goal of helping more individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and other conditions.

In January, the team received a donation of items, including crutches, wheelchairs and physiotherapy equipment which are all being put to good use!

We have also recently welcomed a number of new patients to the centre, including J.

J is 32 years old, originally from Port au Prince, Haiti. J is a moto taxi driver. In December, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back and waist. Soon after, he lost feeling and movement in his left leg. A week later, he also lost feeling and movement in his right leg. After seeking treatment at other facilities, with no success, a friend told him about the Rehab Centre at HCBH. J came for an evaluation and was subsequently admitted.

After beginning therapy, Jean has begun to get trace feeling and movement back in his legs. He is enjoying making friends with the other rehab patients and working hard to achieve his therapy goal of regaining function in his legs so he can return to work.

Thanks to your support, J is receiving the very best treatment at HCBH and has recently received a new wheelchair to aid his recovery.

The entire team at HHA and HCBH thank you so much for your continued support of our rehabilitation care at our hospital. Lives are saved every day thanks to your support and we are so grateful.

Links:

• News article of donations

From 'back of the net' to becoming bed bound...

Meet M, a soccer player from Bourne (North East Haiti). In 2019, M was in the Dominican Republic coming back from a soccer match and was in a car accident with 7 other people. 6 of these passengers tragically lost their lives, and M was the only one that survived the accident.

When he woke up he was in a hospital in St. Domingue and couldn't feel or move anything from the waist down due to his spinal cord injury. He stayed in the hospital in the DR receiving medical treatment until February 2020 but then had to return to Haiti due to financial reasons. He heard about the Rehab Centre at HCBH (our partner hospital) from a friend who had been in a motor accident and came to the centre for therapy.

M has been at our inpatient rehabilitation centre for 3 months now. He has numbness and tingling in his legs and very delayed reactions due to the severity of his injuries. With therapy, M is now independent with in bed mobility - able to transition from laying in bed to sitting up without assistance.

Thanks to your support, M is continuing to receive the very best treatment at HCBH and has recently received a new wheelchair! Our professional team continue to aid M and are currently working on being able to transfer from the bed to his wheelchair independently.

We thank you so much for your continued support of our rehabilitation care at our hospital. Lives are saved every day thanks to your support. Please continue to keep M in your thoughts and prayers as he continues his recovery journey.