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I am a physiotherapist working in a London Hospital with patients who have suffered neurological problems (brain and spinal cord injuries).  I plan to go to Haiti in August 2010 to use my specialist skills to treat some of the many patients that suffered spinal cord injuries from the January earthquake.

The aim of my trip is: To provide an effective rehabilitation service in Cap Haitien to spinal cord injury patients  affected by the January 2010 Haiti Earthquake, to enable them to return to the community at the highest level of functional independence achievable in relation to the severity of their injury.

The objective of raising the target is: To buy the required rehabilitation equipment to be able to provide an effective therapy service to spinal cord injury patients in Cap Haitien affected by the January 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

So please dig deep and donate now.

If you are interested, here is some information about the importance of providing education and rehabilitation to individuals after suffering a spinal cord injury:

A lot of individuals in Haiti have sustained these injuries because of the traumatic positions they ended up in when the earthquake hit.  A spinal cord injury results in a loss of movement and feeling in the body and limbs, and varies in severity depending on which part of the spinal cord is injured.  Sadly, because of the lack of surgery provision, the majority of these individuals will never regain the use of their legs, and for some of them, their arms.

The most overwhelming fact however, is that, if not given the appropriate advice and education, or provision of specific equipment, these individuals will be bed bound for the rest of their lives.  It is likely they will suffer sores on their skin where pressure has been placed for a long time, which, if not managed well, could be fatal.

There are many more areas of healthcare that require specific advice and education for the individual such as management of their bladder and bowels, including prevention of urine infections, diet and nutritional requirements, pain management, fertility, and exercise.  It is also imperative that these individuals have access to some form of psychological support following not only a traumatic experience and likely loss of their homes, families and livelihoods, but also their independence and physical ability.

The Haiti Hospital Appeal was set up four years ago with the aim of building a new hospital just outside Cap Haitan, the second largest city in the country.  So far, they have opened a paediatric unit.  They have converted the newly build maternity ward into a ‘spinal injury unit’ to serve some of the refugees from Port-au-Prince since the earthquake.  They are sending healthcare volunteers out to help with managing these patients.

As a physiotherapist, my work focuses on enabling the individual to regain as much independence as possible, and to help prevent any future loss of independence.  I am due to go to Haiti in August, to work in the spinal injury unit that the Haiti Hospital Appeal has established.  My main goal when getting to Haiti will be to enable as many of the patients as possible to transfer into a wheelchair.  They will require a huge amount of strength and endurance training for their upper bodies to enable them to do this, so need an extensive amount of physiotherapy.

It is also very important that people with spinal cord injuries have the chance to stand for a period of time every day.  There are many benefits to this.  It will help to prevent tightening in the muscles, which will help them sit in their chairs and beds more comfortably.  It also helps maintain strong bones, normal blood pressure and digestion, and helps to prevent sores on their skin.  For an individual with a spinal cord injury to be able to stand, they must use a special standing frame, where their legs and body can be supported.

If we are able to provide these patients with wheelchairs and the appropriate therapy, there is a chance they will be able to come out of hospital and not be confined to their beds for the rest of their lives.

I will also be able to provide advice and education regarding all aspects of their health, but in particular what exercise they need to continue with, which is crucial for individuals to know how to look after themselves in the long-term.

If the patients have the appropriate wheelchairs, it will be possible for them to be trained to gain advanced wheelchair skills, to make it easier for them to get around outdoors.

As you can imagine, the equipment we use in England to rehabilitate and manage individuals with spinal cord injuries is costly, and there are no provisions of these types of facilities in Haiti that I am aware of at present.  That's why it's so important that we raise as much money as we can to obtain and ship over these much needed items.

Thank you in advance for your support.