Windsor paramedics set for medical mission trip to Haiti
A group of Windsor-Essex paramedics is preparing to travel to Haiti for a medical mission in a country still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake five years ago.
A group of 19 people, including 13 Windsor-Essex EMS paramedics, will bring $11,000 worth of medical supplies and their expertise to the small Caribbean nation on Oct. 2.
Deanna Owen and Kim Schroeder, the two paramedics organizing the trip, spoke with CBC Radio's Windsor Morning host Tony Doucette about their plans.
"Right now, they're still trying to recover from the earthquake," Schroeder said. "Haiti is one of the most impoverished countries in the western hemisphere if not the world. They're struggling just to meet the basic needs of food, health care and water."
Schroeder began planning the trip in March after reading about some of the conditions children in Haiti have to face. One journalist wrote about children making and eating mud pies to keep hunger at bay.
"It's not healthy for them, their mothers know this," Schroeder said. "It basically just fills their hunger, fills their bellies."
"I read the story and was torn by it. I said, 'We have to go down there.'"
Schroeder connected with Owen at work. Owen had been on a medical humanitarian trip before and was eager to do it again.
"This turned out to be a great opportunity," Owen said. "With a big group we can have safety in numbers, it's a little bit dangerous in Haiti. Hopefully all goes well and we can make a big difference."
Unfortunately, Schroeder won't be able to make the trip himself. He recently needed surgery to repair a detached retina and isn't healthy enough to fly.
"I'm going to have to stay home and get the news from Haiti," he said. "Deanna's promised to text me."
The team will also be missing Mahmoud Ghannam, a paramedic who died in a canoeing accident in August.
They've made T-shirts with Ghannam's initials surrounded by a heart as a memorial.
Owen said she wants to turn the trip into an annual event and hopes it might inspire others.
"I think it has a ripple effect," Owen said. "People hear about this, get excited about it and think, 'Okay, now I want to do that. I want to experience that,' I think we can make a difference in that way as well."
