home
RSS
January 26th, 2010
06:08 PM ET

It's just survival

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/26/haitiansinline.jpg caption=""]
A couple of days ago, a man was stoned to death about a block from where we are staying in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I have been down here nearly two weeks covering the earthquake devastation, having arrived quickly the morning after it occurred. I didn’t see the stoning myself, but several of my colleagues described a man who had been trying to steal money and was met with swift and deadly citizen justice. A lot was made of this particular tragedy, and if you caught only that headline, you might be left believing the incident was in some way emblematic of what was happening all over the place. Truth is, even though I braced myself to see rampant lawlessness and mob hostility, I wanted to blog about what I have actually seen.

As I drove through the streets of Port-au-Prince, just 16 hours after the earthquake, I was met with stunned stares and unfathomable grief, as parents tried to dig their babies out of the rubble and older kids did the same for their parents. It was heartbreaking. And though we raced out with our first aid bags to help those we could, it seemed like we would never be able to make a dent in the suffering. There were people who died in this earthquake and those who lived – but there were also a large number of people somehow caught in between. They were alive, but terribly injured and dying. That is where we focused our attention. Terrible crush injuries of arms and legs. Degloving injuries, where the skin of the arms or legs was ripped away. And, people so malnourished and dehydrated that they could barely walk.

I expected to see those stunned stares turn to desperation, and that desperation turn to brutality. It didn’t. In fact, I remember driving by a water station that had finally opened on January 18th, five days after the earthquake struck. It stayed in my mind for two reasons. First of all, five days is a long time to go with little to no water, especially in Haiti heat. Second of all, there was no pushing, shoving or aggressive behavior. There were no armed guards and there was a tight line, with people waiting patiently. Some were even singing songs, while blistering away in the heat. I almost cried. A piece of my faith in humanity, which had been trashed by too many terrible images, was slowly restored.

A couple of days later, I was seeing patients at one of the hospitals in downtown. It was actually more of a tent city situated outside the hospital, where care was sparse and misery was thick. Helping care for wounds, evaluate injuries and even perform surgery – every single patient said thank you, in Creole, French and English. Thank you. When recounting this to a neurosurgery colleague of mine, he reminded me that we could often go months working at a county hospital in the states without ever hearing those two words.

Over the last two weeks, I have not seen the violence Haiti has been known for in years past. During this time, when lawlessness had been put to the test, it seems the people of Port-au-Prince stood tall, dignified and with respect for one another. Yes, there has been “looting” from stores of supplies. But, is “looting” even the correct term for people taking basic necessities for themselves and their families? Instead, it is just survival, and faced with the same situation, I would’ve likely been right there with them, wanting to preserve the lives of my wife and children.

Consider this a blog that went beyond a headline, and presented a reporter’s on-the-ground view of this very important issue. I won’t pretend that this is more than a slice of life in the aftermath of a terrible natural disaster, but it is my slice, and I wanted to share it with you. Thank you – for reading it.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

 Post by:
Filed under: Haiti
Next entry »
« Previous entry
soundoff (361 Responses)
  1. https://www.songmanhits.com

    Best view i have ever seen !

    https://maps.google.tt/url?q=https://www.songmanhits.com

    February 17, 2021 at 18:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  2. vreyrolinomit

    Your home is valueble for me. Thanks!…

    http://www.vreyrolinomit.com/

    February 26, 2021 at 06:59 | Report abuse | Reply
  3. ClarkTauts

    5yuin 9eu87 mw23

    February 28, 2021 at 12:46 | Report abuse | Reply
  4. ClarkTauts

    64a36 y8ow0 79ir

    February 28, 2021 at 19:33 | Report abuse | Reply
  5. Lida Bourdier

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    March 4, 2021 at 11:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  6. Logan Pena

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    March 6, 2021 at 13:59 | Report abuse | Reply
  7. Synthia Dae

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    March 6, 2021 at 14:04 | Report abuse | Reply
  8. url

    https://tinyurl.com/yev6k6y6
    https://bit.ly/3qNE9vW
    https://bit.ly/38KoXtr
    https://bit.ly/30G7q1b
    https://bit.ly/3csDLOn
    https://tinyurl.com/yc2n3vve
    https://tinyurl.com/ygynfy8k
    https://tinyurl.com/ygfefvh8
    https://tinyurl.com/yhw63z53
    https://bit.ly/3cfoksU

    808492525
    206362702
    667672779

    479923419
    1348134931
    1203332101
    919486459

    735413355
    881710506
    825594421

    lFcUdoy
    PnvPdUZ
    MSggcDa
    PIcKUSD
    JxZjgMZ
    tHfsiZT
    URCRylF
    PKWMHmn
    PJYvwcF
    qXIgxfi

    https://bit.ly/3cyudRV
    https://bit.ly/3tefzpH
    https://tinyurl.com/y7756x6l
    https://bit.ly/2OUrOJu
    https://bit.ly/38H5GsS
    https://bit.ly/3llubBa
    https://tinyurl.com/yz7m647k
    https://tinyurl.com/ye3y2r5w
    https://tinyurl.com/ygg3peoz
    https://cutt.ly/5xdrej9

    745737449
    769365374
    824967994
    683436184
    254035800
    780435404

    789268206
    330651922
    850413598
    379464801

    nYjsVwk
    yjRmjAK
    ocTokfx
    AovEXWd
    DVnTkDF
    OuNtCZJ
    DtLNgNk
    yFoPHfo
    xNwXpoO
    RTSAYmZ

    https://tinyurl.com/ydvntk2u
    https://bit.ly/3toALcF
    https://bit.ly/38Mepdv
    https://tinyurl.com/y87xjaog
    https://cutt.ly/LxqzTNz
    https://tinyurl.com/yh3lhcc2
    https://bit.ly/3tecVAA
    https://bit.ly/3cfBHcA
    https://bit.ly/3qyJrvr
    https://tinyurl.com/yj2funut

    1159897462

    1304958627
    642292725
    16444115
    356358282
    546382478
    884173467

    428543043

    1203851843
    698081794

    PqkIlRH
    QDIzMtk
    WUeaQyR
    MsVeKKm
    NGVFFNs
    OVxyqMN
    NztOnDM
    DDOHnHS
    zsNFQso
    pmuhauy

    https://bit.ly/3vhPY1f
    https://tinyurl.com/yfmwf74l
    https://tinyurl.com/yfl9wu45
    https://bit.ly/3qI2hAh
    https://bit.ly/38BdBrU
    https://tinyurl.com/yg25o6eh
    https://bit.ly/2PXfM2f
    https://cutt.ly/zxqY9Nv
    https://tinyurl.com/yefk95rq
    https://tinyurl.com/yc6vts64

    183052951
    1367452757
    1036452900
    1172510913
    422337906
    827954885

    484652787
    39215315
    534497382
    526931026

    syEnLGh
    PGpWGPw
    vLeZgPT
    vJHGcxy
    ArABxnU
    wPFKYqV

    SxMkPKA
    WXfDEZS
    NfsQENm
    KRxqMdt

    https://bit.ly/3lhm5cz
    https://bit.ly/3emVqK6
    https://bit.ly/3cok0aS
    https://bit.ly/2Q9pnTS
    https://bit.ly/3qKVbes
    https://cutt.ly/fxeyONY
    https://tinyurl.com/yzyjymg7
    https://cutt.ly/Iz8EzkT
    https://tinyurl.com/yfcn4tna
    https://cutt.ly/SxWvGxK

    268212650
    156128606
    1359724112
    622570343
    705464598
    723687644
    413443457
    1137791774
    450746824
    369893386

    JReCZYV
    RAjMbLE
    cEUoTXs
    WJqCtzB
    mNuusUh
    FkNZgsC
    AxcHmui
    eJvlXsd
    CvxPYnn
    HxyhMHY

    https://bit.ly/3tbpRqz
    https://bit.ly/3tlvcfn
    https://bit.ly/3et4BbL
    https://bit.ly/2NpdUi2
    https://bit.ly/3bLm9OR
    https://cutt.ly/LxrwEUN
    https://bit.ly/3rGCjhX
    https://tinyurl.com/yhwqlatd
    https://tinyurl.com/yepykz33
    https://tinyurl.com/ygydcwaw

    1129180029
    879592252
    1357255279
    685731486
    288075069
    1216702931
    608410864
    470255212
    1073851483
    1293420928

    RTkDBfs
    QNAgppz
    aGqdvZF
    pFdWHuR
    jTQADVb
    vxJWPXW
    JTqziuB
    ttMTRdk
    pvggSkB
    QxcSFVE

    March 28, 2021 at 17:58 | Report abuse | Reply
  9. Marion Taddei

    Aw, this was a really good post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to create a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and don't manage to get nearly anything done.

    https://extraproxies.com/tag/d0bed182d0bfd180d0b0d0b2d0b8d182d18c/

    April 5, 2021 at 11:21 | Report abuse | Reply
  10. Delmer Aiton

    Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after browsing through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!

    https://ExtraProxies.com

    April 7, 2021 at 03:25 | Report abuse | Reply
  11. Smartproxy

    Through my examination, shopping for electronics online can for sure be expensive, yet there are some tips that you can use to acquire the best things. There are always ways to locate discount bargains that could help to make one to come across the best electronic devices products at the cheapest prices. Good blog post.

    https://Dreamproxies.com/buy-proxies/200-private-proxies

    April 7, 2021 at 15:26 | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Post a comment


  

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.
Next entry »
« Previous entry
Advertisement
About this blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.