Medical Mission to Haiti

Christina Biermaier, RN, CentraCare Kidney Program – Brainerd Dialysis, and Kristi Dombovy, RN, CentraCare Kidney Program – Little Falls Dialysis traveled to Haiti in October on a medical mission trip. Christina told us about their amazing experience.

Q: Tell us about your trip and what organization arranged it?

Christina: The purpose of our trip was mission work. We went with a group out of Massachusetts called Mission E4. They currently have 2,000 Haitian children enrolled in their program between five schools in the Leogane area who receive an education, a hot meal Monday-Friday all year round, a uniform, school books, vacation Bible school and free medical care.

Q: Why did you decide to go on this trip?

Christina: My family and I started sponsoring a child named Dyna, who is 6, more a year and a half ago and I wanted to go meet her and see what Mission E4 was all about. My parents also have a little boy named Dave, who is 8, who they sponsor and I got to meet him as well! Kristi left our trip with a sponsor child named Nica, who is 4 and is in the Pre-K program. And I added two more sponsor children to our family as well: Merlanda, 11, and Rosemaelle, who is about 10. Her birthdate is unknown because she is an orphan.

Q: Who provided the supplies you donated? Why were they so important to the clinic?

Christina: We were able to bring an entire suitcase of medical supplies to the Leogane girls orphanage where the main clinic for all 2,000 children is located. The supplies we brought were all donated to us from family and friends and we also bought supplies to bring ourselves.

We were able to spend some time in the Leogane clinic with the two nurses who oversee the medical needs of the Mission E4 kids. When Kristi and I unpacked the suitcase of medicine and supplies it was like Christmas for those two nurses! They were so thankful for everything we had brought, especially for the anti-fungal creams, triple antibiotic ointments and children’s Tylenol. Children will literally die of fevers because of the lack of Tylenol — something most of us take for granted.

Q: After returning home, how do you want to continue to work for Mission E4?

Christina: Part of our goal now that we are home is trying to find sponsors for these kids so more children can be added to the program. Since returning home, I was able to find sponsors for 15 children and am looking forward to seeing that number grow! Every time a child is sponsored, Mission E4 will add another child to their program! It is just amazing to see what they are doing in Haiti!

Q: How did this trip impact you?

Christina: Meeting Dyna (her sponsor child) and the other families and children of Haiti will forever be an eye-opening experience to me. Haiti is considered a fifth world country, meaning they are beyond socioeconomic repair. The poverty there is like nothing I have ever seen. The people literally have nothing and live day to day.