We’d like to introduce you to Robert Civil. Robert’s case is one of many similar medical situations that HAM’s Mobile Medical Team sees at Ste. Thérèse Hospital de Miragoâne and L’Hopital Communautaire de Port-Salut. The team has treated patients with trauma, strangulated hernias, gangrene, peritonitis, cancer, gunshot wounds, women who need emergency c-sections, and more. In many cases, these patients would not receive care if it weren’t for HAM’s mobile team.
Recently, Robert Civil, a 52-year-old father was brought into Ste. Thérèse de Miragoâne Hospital accompanied by his sister, Jirone Civil, who is the head maternity nurse at the hospital. Robert, a father of four, professional musician, and electrical engineer, was in tears and was calling for help in a confused voice upon his arrival.
The Healing Arts Mission medical team examined him and learned that four days prior Robert woke from sleep and noticed an itchy blister on the back of his left hand. He applied castor oil to the site to see if it would help, but throughout the day the hand, and then the arm, swelled and became very painful.
The swelling continued for the next several days so Robert called his sister for help. By this time, he said “I no longer could feel my left forearm. It felt blocked and I thought I was going to die.”
Fortunately for Robert, the Healing Arts Missions’ team was working at Ste. Thérèse Hospital and was able to help. Due to the instability in the country, it is often difficult for people experiencing acute medical crises to quickly access the care they need. Many hospitals are critically understaffed and professionals, including doctors and nurses, are leaving the country in large numbers. The resulting healthcare shortages put people, like Robert, at risk.
Healing Art Missions’ mobile medical team, which includes 13 trained medical professionals, tries to fill this gap. By traveling between Miragoâne and Port-Salut in Haiti’s southern peninsula, they are able to provide important healthcare services in two regions that are lacking in qualified healthcare professionals.
When Robert arrived at Ste. Thérèse Hospital, he was quickly assessed by a member of HAM’s team where he was diagnosed with compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome is a painful condition that is caused by trapped fluid buildup within the body. Symptoms include severe pain and a feeling of tightness or fullness within the muscles.
Dr. Jacques and his team were able to perform a successful fasciotomy, a procedure whereby the fascia is cut to relieve pressure in the muscle compartment, which relieved Roberts’ symptoms.
Robert’s sister, Jirone, shared (translated from Haitian Creole):
“If the Healing Art Missions’ team was not present, as a nurse I know that two hours more and my beloved brother would have lost his arm or his life. Even before my brother was treated, as a nurse at Ste. Thérèse Hospital I have witnessed Healing Art Missions save lives in extreme emergencies. They are a compassionate team who are very understanding with patients and a model for all of us. Healing Art Missions support is incomparable and invaluable in the Nippes region.”
Today, Robert and his sister are both relieved and overjoyed that his medical emergency is behind him. Robert is looking forward to recovering so he can go home to his family and resume his musical and electrical engineering career.