February 8, 2010: One of our first medical teams to reach Haiti achieved amazing results through their mobile field clinic in Leogane – a region northwest of the capital which experienced an 80-90% destruction rate from the earthquake. We believe that this has given us a strong footing to continue our vital outreach in the months ahead. Kirk Dominic from California co-led the team of 19 medical professionals. Kirk is a US military veteran and Deputy Fire Chief of Costa Mesa’s Fire Department, yet he felt that he had never been part of such an effective team as the Leogane field clinic. 

Kirk points to the unity within the team as a key factor in their effective mission, “Although the team was formulated in only four days following the earthquake, most of us had never met before and we came from all parts of the country, we worked together as one. Many of us met in the airport for the first time. It was truly a blessing. We went straight into a foreign land, nobody got sick, egos were left at home. 

“In any deployment, it is vital that each team member has a prayer support team, with people committed to them for the duration of the trip. I’ll take that one step further and point out that the days and weeks following a deployment can be challenging for an aid worker. The team needs to keep praying even after people get back.” 

On the third day of field operations, a woman experiencing a distressed condition came to the clinic. The team quickly discerned that the woman, who was eight months pregnant with twins, would need immediate advanced medical treatment otherwise they could lose both the mother and the child. Kirk recounts, “We had met her the night before in a nearby town. Eleven members of the team went out to investigate this location that had been completely destroyed. The town was leveled. 

“This guy comes up to our team and points to a woman on the street who is clearly in distress. I could tell she was in shock, her face had that tell-tale blank stare. Thank God that her friend brought her to the clinic when she did. Our nurse-midwife evaluated her and determined that she needed a C-section. Her blood pressure was elevated and she clearly had preeclampsia (a leading cause of maternal and infant death.) She was eight months pregnant with twins, so we clearly had a critical situation on our hands, with three actual patients to care for – the mother and two “preemies”. 

 “With no functioning hospitals within reach, we knew that the only option was to have her flown to the US Navy Ship Comfort, stationed off the coast of Haiti,” explains Kirk. “It is an amazing miracle that she made it to the hospital ship. 

“I’ll never forget the scene as the Navy chopper landed to evacuate her to the Comfort. As the Helo landed, it was clearly a distressing situation for her. She was separated from family, scared, US soldiers in our midst and winds blowing 50 MPH. Christine was by her side to offer comfort. I then positioned myself to place my body between her and the prop wash. Four soldiers stepped into place alongside me to shield her also. It was a powerful image of care, compassion and protection.