Haitian Women

Haitian women amaze me.

That sentence could end my blog post right then and there.

But seriously now, they AMAZE. ME. Haitian women have got to be some the strongest, toughest, most hard working women in the world. Last week I mentioned in my post about a motorcycle accident that sent four patients our way. Two women- Two men. Now, all of them were in shock, and had painful injuries, so by no means am I taking away from that. We gave all of them painkillers, but it struck me when the one women- who’s injuries where the most extensive-was tougher than both the men. They all cried and hurt when they had their skin sewn back together and wounds cleaned, but for the amount of injuries she had compared to them, she held it together the most.

The first week I was in Haiti I was with a team doing medical clinics. At one of the clinic there was a woman with a healing burn on her leg. Now bugs and dirt and flies had gotten into the wound. It was obviously infected and had to be cleaned out and wrapped. She was in serious pain as we did this, understandably. Later that day lunch had been prepared and Michael, the doctor who had treated, and I were outside and were shocked to see this woman, who had limped out of the room, with her bandaged leg standing at the fire preparing lunch for us. Talk about tough.

So, because of these happenings, and many more I have come to this conclusion. Haitian women are tough like nails, but they have to be. God has given them their strength because he must have known they would need it. The things they go through day in and day out I do not know if I could do. I sure couldn’t on my own strength.

 Haitian women are also beautiful. They don’t use anti-aging creams or sunscreen and it’s rare that I see them with makeup on. They are naturally beautiful. Their skin, though sometimes worn and weathered, tells a story. If you look at them, truly looking at each one individually, you may catch a glimpse of their story. 

And if you’re lucky enough catch it, hold onto it, and don’t forget it.