I will never forget exactly where I was 5 years ago today, when I found out about the earthquake in Haiti. 1-12-2010. i hung up my skype call with Dixie Kelley Bickel exactly 10 minutes before the earthquake happened. We were discussing a medical visa kiddo and getting ready to purchase his ticket back to Haiti because he was done with his treatment in the US. Julie Randolph after that call, I headed to Hannahs school to watch a performance and of course my phone was on vibrate. Cathleen Haglund called me repeatedly and I didnt answer, but I was thinking, what is so important? I dont think I texted her, I think I waited until after the performance to call her and she told me what had happened. I really wasnt too worried... Im not sure why? It wasnt until I got home and turned on the news and saw pics of the presidential palace, and Then I knew, the Haiti where I grew up would never be the same again! I remember the days following just being glued to social media and cnn. I remember feeling so helpless and knowing that so many of my dear friends were stuck on this island. I remember praying for Jonass family and hoping that they made it out alive. I remember waiting to hear if all of our Hands That Heal patients survived. Thank God they all did. Marie Witlene Thermidor I wasnt even on the island, nor did I live through the trauma, and it is forever etched in my mind. I cant imagine the strength of the people who lived through it and had to move on; without counseling and therapists. What is almost more sad to me than the earthquake, was all of the misused funds that were collected to help the average Haitian. Folks, it was only $1 per every $100 donated that actually was used for its intended purpose. These statistics are for worldwide NGOs, not the small NGOs that were already on the ground in Haiti working before the earthquake. Corruption did as much damage, if not more, than the earthquake itself. Haiti will make it; her people will overcome. Here is what I put together in the middle of the night, a few days after the earthquake. It was therapy for me, and I was contacted by a producer in Hollywood that asked if he could use it for a fundraiser that young actors and actresses in LA were doing for relief funds. It was all so surreal! Mwen renmen ou an Ayiti!!!! m.youtube/watch?v=ejQz4pZ5jY4
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:29:57 +0000
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