Final thoughts

Being back to work seems a little surreal. Our return journey on Saturday passed in a blur. Free wireless in Port au Prince but had to pay at Miami!! 5 security checkpoints, 3 immigration posts and 2 sets of customs later we were in Halifax! Smooth and punctual flights, except in and out of Pearson which was a tad bumpy . We even had a couple of team meals and beers along the way, so it felt a lot more pleasant than the drag it could have been.

Now that the dust has settled I think we can say for sure that it was a positive experience. I saw things I would not see here in Halifax, both good and bad. I saw a 14 year old bleed out from a gunshot wound for lack of blood and blood products, but I also saw good teamwork save the day and the patients under challenging circumstances. The surgeries we did undoubtedly changed the patients' lives for the better and will allow them to contribute positively to the future of this fascinating, troubled country.

There is plenty of work still to do at Bernard Mevs. There is a need for better organisation and inventory in the ORs. Better biomedical support would enable the anesthesia machines and monitors to work properly and would allow more challenging cases to be done there. The hospital badly needs a better ultrasound machine for the ER and OR. Plenty of things to target in future missions and fundraising.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! I think I speak for most of my colleagues when I say I look forward to going back.

I would like to thank Chad Coles and Dave Amirault and of course Marc Butler for making all this happen. Finally I would like to thank my wife and children for their love and support: nightly Face Time conversations kept me calm and grounded, I love you all!

Until the next time then.....