Gait analysis with a young girl called Mara (aged 9)

 

In January 2010, a 7.0 earthquake took 35 seconds to devastate Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti.  Following a request for prosthetic volunteers, Lynsey Duff, a third year student at the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics at the University of Strathclyde, spent part of her summer break providing much needed support for those in need:  

Like many students, this time last year I was recovering from the Christmas and New Year holidays and preparing for the January exams. Having exams in January when my friends didn’t, I thought I was hard done by! A mere 4326 miles away, there were people in a fourth world country who’s lives were changing forever. 

I had been asked to go to Haiti for a week, I requested to stay longer! I had anticipated just doing some volunteering in an orphanage or a school but to be able to use my skills from my training at University and on placement was an added bonus, knowing these people were in great need. 

On arrival I had a qualified prosthetist from America with me, however by week 2, I was the expert in Haiti. A huge responsibility since I’d never really been left alone in a clinic before. By day 2 I had picked up how everything worked and more importantly what worked in Haiti. I began to realise that these people were thankful for the help, but still wanted thier artificial limbs to look good – one of the biggest struggles! 

A typical week for involved consultations in the prosthetics lab, then visits to the tent cities to see new patients and taking them to our huge dome tent, patients had luxuries here compared to tent city - clean water to drink and 3 meals a day.

My time was spent repairing, making and assembling the limbs, before assisting patients with gait training and adjustments before providing cosmetic covers.

One of the major problems was the lack of parts. The place where I was based, Mission of Hope, was lucky enough to have some componants and cash as donations. Donated components were often broken so it took a lot of  innovative thinking to get things going some days!

Out there, you work with what you’ve got. I quickly began to realise that you couldn’t plan life in Haiti, if the power went off it went off, there was nothing we could do until the generator was fixed! 

For my last 2 weeks I worked on my own, as we didn’t have the luxury of trained technicians I was responsible for not only manufacturing all of my own work but also for training the technicians in Haiti – this made me very appreciative of the technical support we have at home.

Visiting orthopaedic surgeons from America commented that the work done there was amazing – I just felt it was my job, and as this level of care was available at home, why shouldn’t it be in Haiti? 

Haiti is a beautiful country which is being torn apart by politics and natural disaster. It is important to remember that this country needed help before the earthquake and is in even more need now. 

The patients and the people there have captured my heart and I hope to return next summer to offer my help once more.