Haiti Rehabilitation Centre

The goal of the Rehabilitation Centre is to make sure every patient leaves with the resources, skills and confidence to live independently and return to their community as an equal and someone who can contribute. But in some cases, this goal is seemingly impossible to achieve.

Eddy has been a patient in the Rehab Centre for many years and is paralysed from the waist down. He has no family to return to and care for him and suffers from regular health complications such as infections which require constant medical treatment. The resources needed to allow him to live independently of the hospital have always been so much that it has been impossible to re-house Eddy.

Thankfully a few months ago, this finally changed. Thanks to some additional sponsorship, the local team arranged everything for Eddy to move into his own small house. They sourced a house nearby, employed a nurse to attend regularly to look after his medical needs, and cooks and cleaners to ensure he can live comfortably.

The salaries of these people are being covered by the sponsorship we have received and it has been vital to this fantastic development we thought might not happen.

As with all rehab patients, the team also worked hard to ensure Eddy has the skills and resources to earn some money for himself. They have helped him set up his own business making and selling biscuits and sweets to give him some extra money for living expenses.

After years in the hospital, this is a huge step for Eddy and the team who looked after him. It shows that with the right support, even the most challenging cases can have a positive outcome. 

Thank you for supporting this important work.

When the Rehabilitation Unit was built shortly after the devastating 2010 earthquake, disability rehabilitation in Haiti was almost unheard of. With the dramatic rise in spinal injuries during the earthquake, the need was huge and our unit quickly became a pioneering centre for treatment and rehab.

Thankfully there are now a few facilities in the country that can offer this kind of treatment but with spinal injury and stroke patients from across the country needing care, it is vital we work closely with the Ministry of Health and the other rehab facilities to ensure those who need it can access care regardless of where they are from.

Our Haiti team have recently been involved in transferring a patient from the south of Haiti up to our facility for urgent treatment. Here’s how one of the team described it:

’I just arrived in Port-au-Prince today from Cap Haitian, Haiti. I am working on a medical evacuation of a 34 year old lady called Yvrose, who fell and suffered a spinal cord injury. She’s paralyzed from the waist down and has no bladder or bowel control.  She’s been laying at home in this position over four months. Tomorrow I am trying to arrange a CT scan of her spinal cord ($300-500) and a medical emergency flight from Port-au-Prince to our Rehabilitation Unit in Cap Haitian ($555). Prayers for Yvrose and her recovery are much appreciated along with the resources to meet this unforeseen need.’

Many patients arrive at our Rehab Unit with seemingly very little hope. Paralysis is surely one of biggest challenges anyone can face, and in Haiti this challenge is multiplied many times. 

Yvrose will receive medical treatment and assessment, and then undergo a programme of therapies to build her strength and confidence. She will receive a wheelchair and have the chance to learn vocational skills and play para sports.

Many patients have left the unit being mobile, having a level of independence, with skills and prospects for the future. So we have hope for Yvrose that she still has a future ahead of her and we will work hard to make that happen.

Thank you fo supporting this project.