As Long as it Takes

Kendie was not feeling well during her seventh month of pregnancy. Her doctor near her home in Leogane agreed that the pain she was feeling was not normal. They referred Kendie to St. Boniface Hospital for more advanced care—a two-hour drive that includes jagged, mountainous roads.

“When I arrived, they gave me care,” Kendie recalls, “they rushed me into the operating room.” Kendie needed an emergency C-section, even though her baby would be premature. Before Haiti’s crises, only a small percentage of hospitals in the country could perform surgeries. That number has only shrunk as the crises have worsened over time.

We’ve worked hard to keep surgical care a constant at St. Boniface Hopsital, because patients like Kendie need somewhere to turn when they need help. At the hands of our skilled obstetrical team, little Garvens was born safely. But he was not yet ready to go home—at just seven months, he needed specialized care to help him grow and develop safely. 

For three months, baby Garvens received 24/7 care in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)—the only fully-functional facility of its kind in southern Haiti. Kendie was constantly at his bedside, excited to watch him grow. After a final examination, our team determined Garvens was healthy enough to go home. Kendie was ecstatic. “Today, after 3 months in the hospital, I am going back my home with happiness and pride because I have been waiting for this for a long time,” she told us. “I didn’t tell my family that I was coming home today because I wanted to surprise them with the baby!”