Saturday, October 17, 2009

It's been awhile, but I've been very busy with work and such. School is in full swing, and I have a slew of new responsibilities and activities to take my time.

Now at school, I'm working with the most special needs children who are unable to learn in our school and tend to disrupt. Taisha is autistic, unresponsive and uncontrollable. Chrisitian is the same, but will babble to himself and steal from the other children. Clara is content to lay on the floor, and if you try to pick her up (which is difficult, because she is a heavy girl) she hits, screams and lays back down in the end anyway. Working individually with these kids is part of my day, trying to get them to sit, control their movements, listen to direction and letting them exert all the energy outside.

Still swimming with the kids several times a week, though for shorter periods of time. The kids need to be in class, so its more of a cool off/recreation time than actual lessons. The school day is also shortnened, because the kids really cannot handle more than 6 hours. Instead of taking the bus home at 3, it leaves at 1:30 which leaves considerably less time to get everything I want to done. I come back to Petionville and embroider or translate documents for the hospital for a few hours and call it a day.

My babies at the hospital are all doing fine now after a little drama in the last few weeks. Going to the hospital has become so difficult, because I have to search for the weaker babies every time I go. They are constantly moved from recovery to urgent care to special needs, and without a parents to sit with them when they are in the sick room, I have become that person. I sit with the other Haitian mothers for as long as I can holding whichever baby is sick, but this leaves less time for therapy with the healthier kids. Last week, I went to my newest girl's bed to find her having a seizure. She's being medicated but her malnutrion has caused neurological damage.

After all this stress, I got very sick for about a week. It doesn't help that when the children are sick, their parents send them to school anyway. Several of our kids had the flu and were still put on the school bus, where they wilted in the heat of Tabarre and couldn't stay sitting up in class. I caught the flu from Cindy, a little girl with downs syndrome who crawled in my lap when she was too sick for her chair anymore. I went to the doctor and was told I had the flu, laryngitis and a respritory tract infection and laid around all week.

After all that, I prioritized and cut back at the hospital. I will continue to work with the special needs children there, but will not take responsibilty for any more malnurished children. I will only take 2 of the 6 children I have to St. Germaine for therapy, because the walk there is hot, humid and draining for the babies. They don't have the strength to be moved and face the heat like that.

Its been a challenging few weeks, and I'm looking forward to coming home for a break in December. My newest problem is deciding when to come back to Haiti. I could come back after a week at home and meet some celebrities that are coming to visit (James Franco and Charlize Theron) and spend Christmas here OR spend another week and a half at home and see everyone. Its cheaper to come back later and lord knows I'm broke, but it would be cool to meet these people and spend Christmas with the kids. On the other hand, I need a break and I don't know if a week will do it. I'm very open to suggestions here.

13 comments:

  1. I miss you Miss Molly! I love reading your blog. It makes my life and my work not seem to mean as much as hearing from you and all you are doing to make our world a better place! I so want to come over and do this work with you! You have quite the chance to meet someone of celebrity but honestly, YOU are my celebrity! Of course I would love to see you longer in December but ultimately I am hoping to come visit spring break. I will start to look into that now. I want you to do what your gut tells you to do for it won't steer you the wrong way. I am working on a box to send you and hope you know how much I love you! I will try to skype soon! Keep smiling and knowing that the children are counting on you and the gifts you share of yourself with THEM! :) Aunt Margot

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  2. a very lovely person, her blog should be a book, so many care givers for disabled children would understand when a person with so much love in her to give to ones who need so much more. Molly was great!!

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  3. I dont know how I came across Molly's blog. I lost my son Tito on Nov 23,2009 he had Cerebral Palsy. I know the pain you are going through for I go through it every minute of everyday. My son would have been 26 on Feb 13th.
    What a wonderful daughter you had to go to a foreign country and help kids who needed her so much. She will be missed by all those she touched and what a legacy of love and compassion she left. My prayers are with your family and the family she obviously left in Haiti. Rest in Peace Molly.

    Brenda Hill
    Florida

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  4. My family's thoughts and prayers are with you. Molly's life is an inspiration to me and many others who will learn about her work through her blog. I'm a clinical social worker and may have an opportunity to volunteer to go to Haiti in the next few weeks. If this Our Lord's will, my strength and passion comes from what Molly has witnessed to the world in these pages. 22 short years some may say but how do you measure love? 22 years well lived. What a blessing! She will be missed.
    Emili K.
    Gig Harbor, WA

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  5. I came across this blog searching for information on Molly as I try and process this tragedy. Her family and friends must be so proud of her and her work. There is a place in heaven for her.

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  6. What a beautiful person Molly must have been. I'm sure she is now a lovely angel playing with her children who are no longer "special needs" but perfect in every way. May Molly and her children dance and sing together forever in the heavens up above. And may God comfort the loved ones who will mourn their loss. My prayers are with each of you.

    Barb Noel
    PA

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  7. Molly, you are a true angel. You are an inspiration to all. I strongly boleive that you are now in heaven watching over these kids.You are a true gift from God to these children. You and your family will be forever blessed. May God be with your family and the earthquake victims.

    R.I.P Molly

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  8. Molly was clearly a generous spirit and loving human being. A great loss for her friends, family and the precious children. What she accomplished during her life was as enormous as her heart. Rest in Peace.

    Martine Poitevien

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  9. What an extraordinary girl. She touched so many lives in such a short period of time.
    From reading her stories, it sounds as if she had so many children to attend to and not enough of Molly to go around. I would like to believe that she must have been called upon to finish her work from above.
    Thank you for sharing her experience and keeping her spirit alive. Molly continues to be a bright light of inspiration to us all.
    Julie Remington
    Orcas Island

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  10. I came across this blog from an article on msnbc and started reading it before you received your devastating news - Molly's love of life and devotion to others came shinning through her words. I don't know what to say to you except that God must have needed an angel that didn't need to be trained and saw all the love that Molly had and chose her since He knew He could count on her - what I also know is that Molly didn't become the person she was without beautiful people surrounding her all of her life - her family and friends - God Bless you all in your time of need -

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  11. what an inspiration this young woman was and still is thru her good works with the handicapped kids in haiti. how proud you must be to have raised such a caring and loving daughter who chose to work with the ones who needed her care. i am so sorry for your loss but always remember these very vulnerable children who got to experience her love and have some light brought into their darkness. it is such a precious gift to be creators of such a precious gift... my deepest sympathies to all of you who knew her. i share your tears for her.

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  12. extraordinary ordinary special young lady. we keep it up your work in Haiti for all children we so much love. kiss to heaven from italy

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  13. I went to both Bellarmine and the University of Portland...so Molly and I would have had a lot to talk about had we met. She gave more of herself then I ever did.

    I'm proud to share both the Lion and the Pilot tradions with Molly and I join you all in recognizing her contributions to those in need.

    Peace be with you Molly

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