By: Sergisson Milord
W.E.B. Dubois once said, "There is no force equal to that of a determined woman." This quote describes the story of Samentha Juste, who recently had a beautiful baby girl with the support of the Healing Art Missions' team.
Samentha lives in Miragoâne, Haiti, about 1 km from Ste. Thérèse Hospital, where the Healing Art Missions Mobile Medical Team and midwives work. Around midnight on May 23, Samentha began having the early stages of labor, including pain in her lower abdomen and hips. She realized that it was time to welcome her baby into the world. She labored at home for approximately five hours and then decided to make the walk to Ste. Thérèse Hospital for help.
When she arrived, she was immediately greeted by a member of the Healing Art Missions' team and evaluated. She said, "I spent the whole night with pain—I didn't know what to do. But, when I arrived at the hospital, the doctors took good care of me. The pain was still there, but they told me to take a walk outside and come back. I did so and it worked—the pain was gradually decreasing."
Around 8 a.m., Samentha's water broke and at 9:17 am, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Samentha shared her gratitude for the staff of Healing Art Missions. She said, "I would recommend them to all my friends. For a long time, if you wanted to receive quality care, you had to go very far, but now they are right here in our community. For people who do not have the financial means to pay a motorcycle driver, or who do not have their own vehicle, it is very difficult to get to other hospitals. It is not a good thing to not be able to receive care when you need it most. But, now it is possible to get good care thanks to Healing Art Missions. If, by some misfortune, I need to receive care in the future, this is where I will return."
Samentha's story shows us once again how the staff of Healing Art Missions' in Haiti is doing everything possible to save lives. They bring a breath of fresh air and hope to the people in the Miragoâne community.