By JoNel Aleccia
DESCHAPELLES, Haiti -- Darline Similien climbs off the back of a motorcycle in the blazing morning sun and sweeps her youngest son, Schneily, into her arms, mindful of the 4-year-old's missing leg.
She sees visitors with cameras and pauses, shy about her appearance after a 5 1/2-hour road trip by bus and by bike. But Schneily just hugs her tighter.
"You're not ugly mama," the brown-eyed boy with a headful of braids says in lyrical Creole."You look nice, Mama."
It's been only four days since Darline has seen Schneily and his father, Ducarmel, but for the family on a desperate quest for a prosthetic limb to replace the boy's left leg, crushed in the earthquake, everything has changed.
Finally, they've made it to the Hopital Albert Schweitzer, where a group called the Haitian Amputee Coalition has begun providing free prosthetics for victims of the Jan. 12 temblor. It's Schneily's best hope for a better life, but getting the child to Deschapelles was anything but easy.
Msnbc.com first introduced readers to Schneily Similien, also spelled Cimilien, soon after the quake, as Ducarmel vowed to do anything to get his boy a limb.
Less than a week ago, the family got word that Schneily could get help, but only if he made it to the hospital, more than 80 miles from the tent city in Leogane, where the family has been living since the quake destroyed their home.
Transportation there for a single adult usually costs about 250 in gourdes, the Haitian currency. That's about $6 U.S., but far too pricey for a family with no work since the disaster and little money left to survive on.
"If I had to get here on my own, it would have been almost impossible," Ducarmel, a 40-year-old carpenter, said through an interpreter.
Instead, he found help from the Catholic Medical Mission Board, an aid group whose Haiti director lost her leg in an air crash several years ago while delivering medical supplies outside Port-au-Prince. Since the earthquake, Dr. Dianne Jean-Francois has made special effort to find help and comfort for amputees because she said she understands their needs.
"They are children, they are adults, they are men, they are women," she said. "So many. There was no difference. The earthquake hurt them all."
Through CMMB, Ducarmel got a ride for Schneily and himself, but there was a catch. Because the need is so great, aid groups limit transportation to the patient and a single guardian. Darline and their two other boys, Schmeider, 10, and Scarcely, 13, had to stay behind in Leogane, with little water or food.
Still, just after dawn last Thursday, the father and son boarded an SUV with five other amputees and five of their family members for the long trek through the rural countryside.
By Haitian standards, the road to Deschapelles, National No. 1, is a good one, winding past villages of tin-roofed shacks, fruit stands and ubiquitous lottery shacks where locals take a chance with 5 gourdes. But it's also both dusty and muddy, with deep ruts and potholes and cars racing dangerously fast in both directions, appearing to barely miss passersby -- or each other.
For HAS patients, the trip ends with a hard right turn on Dr. Mellon Road, a rocky, narrow street named for the hospital's founder, William Larimer Mellon, and into the hospital's courtyard.
For Ducarmel, every bump and jolt was worth it for the lively boy who's become a pro on crutches since his amputation less than a week after the quake. Schneily hops easily down concrete steps, across the uneven ground, sometimes roaming so far that his dad has to call him back. He's eager to make friends, rushing out to greet John Spinoza, a 10-year-old who's also missing a leg.
"He's ready to walk," Ducarmel says. "He wants to do it."
Within hours of his arrival at HAS, Schneily's leg was examined, measured and cast by Jay Tew, the prosthetics expert for Hanger Orthopedic Group, the American firm that's spearheading the effort.
Now, a tiny plastic-and-foam limb, just over 9 inches tall, is waiting for Schneily, who's the youngest amputee the crew has seen yet. Next he'll be fitted with the new leg. If all goes well, Schneily will be able to walk for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, Darline couldn't stay away. The 37-year-old kindergarten teacher left the older boys with her mother in Leogane, and then pooled money from family and friends to pay for transportation to Deschapelles. She rode part of the way on the bus, and part on a motorcycle, ending her journey Sunday with a hug from her husband and son -- and new hope for the family's future.
"Every time I spoke to Schneily on the phone, he said, 'Come, mama, come," she said.
Schneily's parents are apprehensive about how he'll adjust to the new leg. Darline is worried he'll have an allergic reaction to the limb. Ducarmel isn't sure he'll actually be able to walk like a regular boy. But both know that this is a necessary step.
"It's very important that he get a foot," Ducarmel said. "We have to restore all of our lives."
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he is such a handsome little boy. I can see what people mean when they talk about the big smiles of children after they've been helped.
I love the dedication of the family to its members in whole and in part. Really beautiful story.
beautiful story. also, beautifully written. praise God for being the healer. the boys expression gleans Truth.
Is there anyway to get new backpacks to Schneily and his two brothers? My church women's group would like to help out.
Sad for this little one but, I feel very strongly that America needs to provide for its own tax paying people/children before spending what little we have reaming on people of other countries that have been in existence far longer than we have. It is a known fact that 90% of donated money and supplies never reach those intended and that a large portion of that is "kicked back" to those who solicit it in the first place. Look at the annual salaries of the CEO's of the March of Dimes, Red Cross, Feed the Children, United Way, the list goes on and on.......Those CEO's put more money in their pocket in one year than than the average "John Doe" earns in ten years and "Joe" works for his money.......
If all people thought that their contributions were worthless, than no one would volunteer their time or their money to help those less fortunate whether they live in the US or not. The salaries of the CEOs of charities such as the Red Cross, March of Dimes, etc. is not the point. The point is whether or not donations made by the average citizen helps the disaster victim. I am convinced that the giving and receiving of disaster relief and aide is fraught with greed and self-serving individuals and government, but how much greater the need would be if no one gave?
I find it far easier to worry about my own actions than those of others. I don't think that anyone has the right or enough information to count another person's money. As long as you are doing your duty, you should be able to sleep well at night.
I think you are right about money given by the U.S. to various governments like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Haitian governments have always had a bad reputation. The Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier governments especially, but not alone. I think you do need to do research about the charities and Non Government Organizations you give to. I will say that Physicians for Peace is one that is using money contributed wisely for treating the thousands of injured Haitians. Also I would consider the groups listed on this site.
What a handsome little boy. Prosthetic leg or not, he is going to be a heartbreaker. I wish him and his family all the luck in the world.
This is a beautiful child from a good family. Is there not a school open yet where the mother can get a job? I could send a few school supplies for the kids if I had an address.
One concern is that this baby's artificial leg is not going to last long. He is so young he is growing fast and soon it will be too short and he will have to have a longer one. I hope Hospital Albert Swietzer has provisions for stump revisions and bigger legs for children as they grow. And maybe Schneiley will be agile enough for the Paralympics in a few years.
The legs they are building for the amputees in Haiti are lower cost versions of what they produce for amputees here in the U.S. The top part that the residual leg fits into is called a socket. These are fitted and made by hand of a combination of fiberglass, carbon fiber and resin. The length of the leg can be changed by using a length of alloy tubing called a pylon cut to length. What changes over time is the socket. An adults residual leg will actually lose mass over time. The muscles in the socket don't move the leg. They aren't really attached anymore. After awhile the prosthetist will use a pad glued to the inside of the socket to take up space. After awhile even this won't help either and the socket has to be replaced. A child's residual limb will get too long or large to fit their socket. The foot, the rubber shell over the foot and the titanium fittings are pretty much all off the shelf. In the U.S. that foot would be specially ordered and made of carbon fiber and "Fed Ex'd" within days. The feet used in Haiti are much more rudimentary. The fun part is watching the "Leg Man" make the adjustments. He really is key and it isn't something you learn in a week. One quarter turn of an Allen screw by an experienced prosthetist can make all the difference. These labs in Haiti will have to be permanent and people in Haiti will have to be trained to continue working with these amputees. New sockets will have to constantly be re-made. New amputees may need a new one every 3 months for a couple of years. Then the leg settles into a sorta/kinda permanent shape. Then the socket will not have to be changed until it cracks from long use. In the end, with proper care and equipment, Schneily will be able to live a near normal life. That funny looking leg will become HIS leg. In time he will only be limited by the equipment he can obtain and his own spirit to win. Sorry if this was so long and hope it isn't too confusing.
I am so torn. On the one hand I want to see charity in this country to the starving and abused kids in America. On the other, this is a 4 year old. It's bad enough when adults suffer but someone this young breaks my heart.
One thing I find very ironic is while people's good intentions are mentioned in the comments, if this boy was in America the reaction would be much different. There would be people saying the boy's family are lazy and he is not entitled to our money, The fact that this isn't a white baby would also be mentioned too. Rush Limbagh would be laughing at the gimpy boy. Michelle Malkin would be calling him and his family leeches and that's what peg legs are for.
It seems that we can open our heart to the unfortunate in other countries but not in our own. I understand it's your money when it's in this country and G-d forbid someone get what you've earned. Support, kind words or even money contributed to the needy in foreign countries is a one shot thing. Ironically if this boy was to come to the US for help, there are people who would be yelling about the foreigners getting what they don't deserve.
I'm sure that I'll be called a flaming liberal by some people but for me, it's a matter of human decency. Perhaps in 2010 human decency is a weakness.
I'm not Christian but I thought that Jesus helped those in need.
I'm Jewish and I believe that G-d is good to those who are good to others. I've been very lucky in my life. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis but G-d has put a decent boss who values me enough to let me work remotely from home, decent insurance, a support network of family, friends and since I live near DC, if I lost my insurance I'd become a guinea pig for NIH clinical trials. I know I've been blessed with great luck but it means nothing to me if I can't give back. Compassion is free.
It takes special docs to make these limbs. And it's hard to get to where they are making them. It all takes time. This little boy is going to have to get a new limb frequently until he's an adult when he stops growing. I hope there are people there to help then too.
The best part is that the new limbs can extend. So even if the boy gets the limb now, they can adjust it through his growth-spurt and perhaps just change the pad for the foot as his other foot gets bigger.
Clever title for an article... not sure if it's appropriate. These folks are doing good work though.
I hope children with similar adversities who are victims of the war in Iraq are able to get such treatment without the sarcasm from members of the American public.
There is a man out of Palatka, Florida, who has been traveling to Haiti several times each year to fit amputees with new legs. He raises all of his funds on his own and has done an amazing job. Webster Marlowe has helped hundreds of people over the years. It is incredible what one person can do.
After fourteen years, I have provided prostheses for about two hundred amputees. Hermanse was 61 and a double amputee in 1996. She continues to walk at age 75. Rose was three when her leg was amputated. She continues to walk today at 10 with a new prosthesis in 2009.
Several from Port au Prince are getting new legs in July 2010.