Spotlight on: Dr. Joel Schlessinger and his family on relief missions to Haiti
In January 2010, the country of Haiti was hit hard after an earthquake. I’d been wanting to travel to Haiti to try to help the people there, but I hadn’t been able to fit it in my schedule. Then, when the earthquake hit, the need was so urgent that I made time – and so did my wife Nancy and son Daniel.
My family traveled to Milot, to the Hôpital Sacré Coeur, which was a Catholic hospital that suffered relatively less damage than hospitals in Port-au-Prince.
This hospital normally had 60 beds, but now they needed 465 – so people were housed in tents, while classrooms became hospital rooms. This hospital only employed 10 doctors and nurses but, fortunately, anywhere from 30 to 90 volunteers showed up each day.
Dr. Joel Schlessinger was interviewed by the Jewish Omaha Federation and here is a quote:
“Many of them were Americans, but we encountered other nationalities as well. The most amazing thing was that here we were, Jews from Omaha, working side by side with other Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and we all had the same goal: to help as many as we could. We were fortunate to be a part of this; to be surrounded by people who gave so freely of themselves was truly amazing.”
My family and I made a repeat visit to Haiti in April 2010. Find out more about the hospital where we served. Plus, here are some videos and photos:
- YouTube of Dr. Joel Schlessinger in a Port-au-Prince orphanage, “Gift of God,” in April 2010
- YouTube of Dr. Joel Schlessinger in hospital tent 2 after the earthquake
- Photos from Dr. Joel Schlessinger after his trip