Albertiny Receives Orthopedic Surgery after the Quake

Albertiny is a 9-year-old boy from the village of Dubreuil outside of Les Cayes. When the earthquake struck, Albertiny and his family rushed to leave their home as the walls began to fall on them. Albertiny tripped and fell, slamming his arm into the ground. Although the family managed to escape before they were crushed, Albertiny’s arm was badly broken.

The earthquake destroyed many of the health centers in and around Les Cayes; the remaining hospitals and clinics were overwhelmed with patients. As she sought care for her son, Albertiny’s mother, Roseterline, learned about the life-saving emergency care SBH was providing survivors. She managed to find a vehicle that would take them on the two-hour drive to Fond des Blancs, knowing SBH was the only place where her son could receive the care he needed. 

Once in our care, our clinicians took x-rays of Albertiny’s arm and determined he had a supracondylar fracture of the humerus—a fracture in his humerus bone, just above the elbow joint. Albertiny was given specialized orthopedic surgery to repair the fracture, and his arm was stabilized in a cast. Our staff will continue to monitor his progress to ensure the bones heal properly and provide Albertiny with any physical therapy he may need to regain mobility in his elbow.

“When I arrived at SBH, they welcomed us and took care of him,” said Roseterline. “They brought him into the operating room, and now he is well. He only has a little bit of pain and aside from that, everything is okay with him.”